Associate Data Scientist

Please note, whilst this role is being recruited by GDS, it will sit within the Government Cyber Unit in central DSIT

The Government Cyber Unit's mission is to protect public services from cyber threats and digital resilience failures. We are working to achieve a step change in our cyber and digital resilience across government, through delivery of the Government Cyber Action Plan, and working closely with departments and national technical authorities including the National Cyber Security Centre to deliver. This is a challenging time to be working in cyber security and digital resilience, but we have an incredible opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives and promote national security by protecting the public services and national infrastructure they rely on. We work at the forefront of shaping the UK’s national response to emerging cyber and technology issues - from the increasingly complex range of state-sponsored cyber-attacks and supply chain compromises, through to the transformational benefits and security challenges of frontier AI and quantum computing., The GCU is establishing a new Data and Insights function to strengthen decision-making on cyber and digital resilience through coordinated analysis and providing strategic insight. This is a key role in an emerging team that will bring together data governance, analytics and insight product delivery to ensure data is trusted, accessible and effectively supporting the GCU to meet its commitments within the Government Cyber Action Plan (GCAP).

As a Data Scientist, you will deliver high-quality analysis and insights to support decision-making on cyber risk and digital resilience. You will analyse complex datasets such as cyber assurance results, vulnerability data and incident reporting to identify systemic risks and emerging threats, helping shape how data is used across the GCU.

You will bring strong analytical and data handling skills, enabling you to work with complex datasets with BI tools and in code.

You will work with a multidisciplinary team to deliver insight products, particularly foundational work to establish baseline datasets and metrics, and cross-cutting analysis that spans multiple services or data sources.

Over time, you will contribute to a portfolio of sprint-based projects working with a wide range of complex and sensitive datasets. This includes data on cyber assurance, vulnerabilities, incidents, and threats, as well as externally delivered analysis from other government departments, NCSC, industry and academia.

As an Associate Data Scientist you’ll:

• produce analysis and data visualisations to deliver timely, actionable insights for government cyber stakeholders
• assure the quality of data analysis and outputs from other analysts, helping build review and validation processes
• deliver analysis within sprint-based, multidisciplinary teams, collaborating with cyber and other data specialists
• support and help develop consistent analytical practices, including documentation, version control, reproducible analytical pipelines, and reuse of outputs
• translate complex analytical findings into clear narratives, recommendations and trade-offs for senior leaders
• develop effective ways of sharing insights with departments, the wider public sector, UK CNI sectors and international partners
• work with data governance and product leads in the insights team to align analytical priorities, delivery and standards
• support and collaborate with other analysts, sharing knowledge and good practice (including potential future line management of one HEO data scientist)

The post holder may be required to support out of hours on call rotas for responding to cyber and digital resilience incidents, for which remuneration and/or flexible working arrangements will be available.

Person specification

We’re interested in people who can:

• deliver data science and insight products in time-bound sprints to support decision-making
• frame ambiguous problems into clear analytical hypotheses, defining what success looks like and how it will be measured
• apply appropriate statistical and data science techniques and methods to real-world problems
• use code (SQL, Python, R) or BI tools to extract, transform, model and analyse data in a reproducible way
• create accessible data visualisations and dashboards to communicate findings effectively, using tools such as PowerBI, QuickSight, Plotly, and Shiny
• review data, methods, models and analysis to support quality, robustness and accuracy of outputs
• explain complex analytical findings, assumptions and limitations clearly to non-technical audiences, including senior leaders
• work collaboratively with data engineers, data scientists and other technical specialists, and support knowledge sharing within the team and across analytical communities, The standard selection process for roles at DSIT consists of:
• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 60 minute video interview. As part of the interview process there will be a presentation task. Details around the presentation will be shared with shortlisted candidates in advance of their interview.

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is:

• deliver data science and insight products in time-bound sprints to support decision-making

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• making effective decisions
• communicating and influencing
• delivering at pace, A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.

Sponsorship

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .

See our vetting charter . People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks., * UK nationals

• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework for the Data Scientist (SEO) role:

• Applied maths, statistics and scientific practices (Practitioner)
• programming and build (data science) (practitioner)
• delivering business impact (working)
• understanding product delivery (practitioner)

1 Horse Guards Road, London Hybrid work Permanent, Full-time, Pulled from the full job description

• Childcare
• Annual leave
• Employee discount
• Employee assistance programme
• Company pension
• Paid volunteer time
• Cycle to work scheme, There are many benefits of working at DSIT, including:
• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for the King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

Any move to Government Digital Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Office attendance The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period. DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).