We are hiring a Senior Data Scientist to join our Data and Insight Team.
Senior Data Scientists play a crucial role in Data and Insight, leading their teams and taking on a wide range of responsibilities. They support their team leaders by driving the development of inspection risk assessment and forecasting processes, applying both technical and analytical skills. As a Senior Data Scientist will develop technical expertise in managing and processing data, with strong skills in Python, R, and other mathematical modelling software to update models and conduct analyses. You will also use SQL Server to extract relevant data from the Data Warehouse and implement automated quality checks to ensure data integrity. With expertise in data acquisition, processing, and analysis, you will apply policy knowledge and contextual understanding to produce high-quality outputs that impact decision-making across Ofsted.
You will also take a leadership role in risk assessment and forecasting, using advanced data science techniques and collaborating across teams to enhance Ofsted’s mathematical modelling capabilities. You will employ statistical and analytical problem-solving skills for research and development, creating clear and engaging data visualizations to present insights to a range of audiences, including non-specialists. You will work as part of a team to lead projects, drive key initiatives, and potentially manage a small team of data analysts. Building strong relationships across Data and Insight and the wider organization.
This is a fantastic opportunity to further your experience in Ofsted’s well-established team. The post holder will work with high-achieving professionals at all levels, surrounded by a friendly and supportive team. They will have access to amazing benefits, such as flexible working hours, the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and 32.5 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays.
Alongside your salary of £45,040, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills contributes £13,048 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Full details of the benefits available can be found in our Ofsted Offer brochure.
Ofsted is devoted to equality, diversity and inclusion. Within our Ofsted Strategy 2023-2027 we have stated that we will improve the representation of under-represented groups across the organisation and publish our progress on this annually. We are always looking to expand on our diverse workforce by recruiting candidates from varied backgrounds and differing experiences. We are proud to be a Disability Confident – Leader, we continually engage with our 5 staff networks for protected characteristics, and highlight the work of our Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group. We ensure all candidates are treated with fair and open competition, with all appointments being made on merit and we use our Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) to provide assurance to all candidates of this.
Application And Shortlisting
The selection panel will assess your application based on your evidence you have provided against the essential criteria as set out in the person specification.
You will also be asked to provide information within the “Employer/Activity History” section of the application form. This information is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV setting out your career history (this may be used in the sifting process).
Interview
Candidates who pass the benchmark at the shortlisting stage will be invited to an interview where they will be assessed against a mixture of the Civil Service behaviours and the experience/technical skills set out in section 3 of the job specification.
We will invite the most suitable candidates to attend an interview during the week commencing Monday 12 May 2025. The interview will be at held at 2 Rivergate, Bristol.
