Senior Analyst: Analytics & Data Science

About the role

Senior Analyst: Analytics & Data Science

Permanent, Full Time

£43,431 to £51,095 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: 20th April 2025

Essex County Council’s award-winning Data & Analytics service has been growing and evolving for some time now; and isn’t done yet.

We're seeking a highly skilled and experienced senior analyst to support the team in advancing our data science initiatives in Essex. The ability to harness data science skills is paramount for this position. Utilising data science methodologies and statistical techniques, we aim to provide invaluable insights to our organisation, facilitating evidence-based decision-making processes. Our mission is to ensure that every decision undertaken by Essex County Council is underpinned by robust evidence.

Through the application of data science and statistical methodologies, we confront challenges head-on, unlocking the transformative potential of data to enhance our understanding of the county and drive meaningful change throughout our communities. If you are enthusiastic about joining a dynamic network comprising data scientists, analysts, engineers, designers, and more, then this opportunity is tailor-made for you.

You can learn more about the team by reading our insight blog or visiting our open data website.

The Job

The role of senior analyst offers a varied set of responsibilities and accountabilities, that you can read more about in the job profile below.

Senior Analysts in the Data & Analytics team are expected to work across a range of portfolio areas depending on organisational need, but this role will be primarily supporting the Health and Care Analytics portfolio. Health and Care Analytics is a term used which encompasses Population Health and Population Health Management, often using linked datasets and the derived insight to enable action across the wide determinants of health and the full life course. It seeks to shift focus on care from reactive to proactive, looking at how data and analytics can be used to identify vulnerable cohorts, whole populations or system challenges.

Recent analytics projects with population health colleagues include identifying hotspots of households with hazardous living conditions, modelling presence of frailty in small communities, and developing a cost-of-living index.

Core Skills

It is important to us that senior analysts possess a range of skills, including the ability to:

Create replicable analytical pipelines from source data,
Identify an optimal range of analytical methods and products to suit business need,
Transform data to enable the successful delivery of analytics and data science projects,
Use statistical and data science methods to derive insight from data,
Communicate effectively and engage customers with insight stories from data analysis,
Manage relationships with key customers, understanding the needs of their service(s),
Represent the team, advocating the use of analytics in decision making, and,
Embed quality assurance across their own work and that of the team.

Subject Matter Expertise on health & care analytics, population health and the NHS and local authority social care systems.

Educated to degree level or with equivalent experience.

Coding and automation (R, SQL, Python)

Recruitment Process

As part of the application process, please ensure that you provide a supporting statement when prompted, telling us:

What skills you possess that make you suitable for the role, and
What experience you have gained that can support our team’s mission.

Following a shortlisting process, we will then invite successful candidates to an interview. We expect to schedule interviews for w/c 28th April 2025.

Development

We support the development of our staff in their careers. We consistently offer opportunities to develop new skills through project working or training and encourage staff to spent 10% of their time on training and development.

You can read more about development opportunities in the team in our insight blog.

Base

This role is considered an ‘anywhere worker’ by Essex County Council and is predominantly a remote position. However, there is an expectation to be in the office in Chelmsford, Essex, at least 2/3 times per month, and when required on an ad-hoc basis for different business needs.

Salary & Benefits

Our Essex Pay policy means we look at the job market nationally to offer competitive salary rates for all positions. The current rate for the job for this role is £51,095 per annum, which is regularly evaluated. Our pay policy means that all people within a role are paid the same rate, except for training and development reasons.

Where development needs are identified throughout the recruitment process, new starters will be offered a minimum of 85% of the rate for the job. Upon starting, you will work with your line manager to create a development plan to increase your salary to the rate for the job.

Essex County Council is proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all employees. More information can be found at https://workingforessex.com/working-here/pay-reward?source=workingforessex.com .

To read more about us please visit: People, Policy, Economy and Public Health

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working | About Us | Organisation Behaviours

Job Profile: Senior Analyst

Functional Responsibilities:

Customer Engagement

Responsible for engaging with services across local authority and the NHS, spotting opportunities where data and analysis can influence future strategy and supports delivery against system & organisational outcomes

Understanding customers’ business priorities and formulates insightful, proactive, analysis and evidence-based recommendations that helps to achieve their strategic priorities within functional business plans.

Managing Projects & Supporting Analysts

Working with customers to effectively scope analytical projects, helps create realistic project plans, and facilitates the satisfactory delivery of project milestones.
Overseeing our analytical projects, supporting junior team members to effectively apply their skillsets in a public sector environment.
Supporting the development of a continuous improvement and learning culture, coaching, and assisting other team members development.

Enhancing Organisational Literacy

Helping to enhance data literacy and understanding of analytics across services and partner organisations.
Demonstrating the value that data and analytics can bring in supporting the success of system and partnership working.
Communicating complex analytical outputs in engaging and clear ways ensuring customers possess a foundational understanding of the team’s work and unique skillsets.

Delivering Best Practice Analytics

Responsible for providing the Council with the latest intelligence to manage risk and target resources effectively, reduce avoidable demand and influence behaviour change to improve outcomes for the local population.
Knowledgeable on range of analytics, statistics, and data science methodologies, can find suitable applications, and can interpret outputs clearly and accurately.
Checking and challenging the teams analytical work so that we produce high quality outputs that customers can take confident action from.

Data Management

Supporting the continued goal of ‘making data accessible’, both through identifying the data needs of internal customers and team members.
Promoting the need for robust and reliable data and ensuring the team’s outputs and the data used are credible and trustworthy.
Ensuring data projects are utilising best practice principles that promote the efficient and effective use of data. This includes ensuring projects are replicable, scalable, and transferable.

Competencies:

Analysis and problem-solving skills. You understand and can help teams apply a range of methods to analyse research data and synthesise findings. You know how to engage sceptical colleagues in analysis and synthesis. You can advise on the choice and application of techniques and can critique colleagues’ findings to assure best practice.

Communication. You know how to listen to the needs of the technical and business stakeholders and explain them to each other. You can manage stakeholders’ expectations. You are flexible and capable of proactive and reactive communication. You know how to facilitate difficult discussions within your team or with diverse senior stakeholders.

Data management. You understand data governance and how it works in relation to other organisational governance structures. You can participate in or deliver the assurance of a service.

Data modelling, cleansing and enrichment. You can produce data models and understand where to use different types of data models. You understand different tools and can compare between different data models. You can reverse-engineer a data model from a live system. You understand industry-recognised data-modelling patterns and standards.

Data visualisation. You know how to use the most appropriate medium to visualise data to tell compelling and actionable stories relevant for business goals. You can present, communicate, and disseminate data appropriately and with high impact.

IT and mathematics. You can share your knowledge and experience of IT and mathematical skills with others, including tools and techniques. You can define those most appropriate for the environment.

Logical and creative thinking. You can ensure that the most appropriate actions are taken to resolve problems as they occur. You can coordinate teams to resolve problems and implement solutions and preventative measures.

Project Management. You know how to share knowledge and experience of project management methodologies with others, including tools and techniques. You can define those most appropriate for the environment.

Data quality assurance, validation, and linkage. You can set up a system to get data ready for use and specify how data should be cleansed and prepared. You can bring data together from different sources and communicate the limitations of data. You know how to peer-review colleagues’ outputs to ensure quality.

Statistical methods and data analysis. You understand and can apply a range of practices. You can develop deeper expertise in a narrower range of specialisms. You can start to apply emerging theory to practical situations.

Behaviours:

You display a positive and respectful attitude in the workplace. You raise concerns and challenges in a productive manner, seeking resolution to workplace challenges.
You treat and speak to all members of the team, and any external colleagues you may interact with, fairly, equitably, and courteously
You work with honesty and integrity, conducting yourself in a professional and productive manner.
You perform you job to a reasonable, acceptable standard, and to the best of your ability.
You adhere to organisational and team policy around absence and attendance.
You call out poor behaviours when you see them or raise with members of the management team.
You work with humility, taking accountability for any mistakes, and welcoming constructive feedback openly.
You are dependable, delivering what you commit to, attending meetings you accept invitations for, and letting people know if these things are unachievable.

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