Office for National Statistics Careers – Data Engineer

About the job

Location

We operate a hybrid working model and fully support flexibility with colleagues already based across the UK working from home and linked to one of our core locations in Newport, London, Titchfield (Fareham), Edinburgh or Darlington.

For this role you will be linked to one of the core locations, the frequency of attendance at our offices is agreed with you as relevant to your role.

Job Summary

About the job

Do you thrive in an open and collaborative development environment?

Do you have a background in data engineering, software engineering, DevOps, analyst, or data science?

Then we have the role for you.

We’re looking for Senior Data Engineers who will build tools, services, and pipelines to make data available to analysts and data scientists at the Office for National Statistics in a timely, consistent, auditable, and reproducible way.

Job Description

The Senior Data Engineers design and implement the extract, transform and load (ETL) pipelines for data to be structured in preparation for analysis, research, and statistics carried out by ONS. Engineers undertake a range of cleaning, validation, and enhancement of data. Your work will involve:

• Building robust and scalable automated data pipelines
• Developing tools and services that enable people to use our data effectively
• Perform data management
• Working with data users to understand and meet their needs

We currently have 3 roles that we are advertising across 2 areas, these are:

One role involves delivery of standardised and engineered external and internal key strategic data sources needed for ONS-specific cross business use. The role will work to support key deliverables including the transformation of population, migration and social statistics.

Remaining roles will deliver proactive, innovative and insightful data products for a key ONS project responsible for delivering large scale changes to economic statistic. The work can range from primary and secondary engineering, data validation, automating data insight gathering and working closely with stakeholders to deliver data that adds the most value to downstream processes and research. For this role experience with cloud technologies, deployment tools, orchestration systems (Airflow) and continuous integration tools would be a bonus, however these are not needed as we offer training and development where needed.

Responsibilities

As a Senior Data Engineer y our responsibilities include but are not limited to;

• Designing, building and implementation of robust automated data pipelines and ETL processes. Knowledge of automated testing, for example with pytest.
• Logging, analysing and manage data quality issues and implement appropriate solutions.
• Development of documentation and cataloguing of data to make data more accessible to others.
• Translating data sources into useful and usable data sets.
• Identify areas of innovation in data tools and techniques and recognise appropriate timing for adoption.
• Leading data projects and engaging with stakeholders. This will typically involve liaising with data suppliers and end users. You will explain technical processes to non-technical people across grades, coordinating work across multiple areas, sharing best practice and expertise whilst doing so.
• Understand and agree user needs and outputs, what the data are (and are not). Suggest ways to improve data, its accessibility and or the way in which it is presented.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• You can design, write, and iterate code from prototype to production ready. You understand security, accessibility, and version control.
• You have experience building efficient ETL (Extract Transform Load) or ETL pipelines.
• You can use a range of coding tools and languages including but not limited to Python, PySpark, SQL, version control such as GIT.
• You can review requirements, specify actions and plan delivery. You can identify issues and risks associated with work while being able to analyse and report test activities and results.
• You know how to communicate to and between technical and non-technical stakeholders as well as facilitate discussions within a multidisciplinary team, with potentially difficult dynamics. You can advocate for the team externally. You know how to manage different perspectives.

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

Technical Skills

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Programming
• Datasets
• Technical Questions will be assessed at interview. This will test your technical skills relevant to the role and essential criteria.

We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:

• Programming
• Datasets

Benefits

The

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that the benefits pack attached (bottom of page) will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

We are an organisation that takes well-being seriously and lives and breathes the desire to modernise the workplace of the future. Everyone, from our office-based colleagues across our office sites, to our field interviewers and airports and ports passenger survey teams, are part of a diverse and inclusive family.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a member of the Business Disability Forum and a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using

The ONS regularly run webinars and support sessions for candidates. You can find details on all our upcoming webinars on our

Stage 1 – Application & Sift

Assessment at application stage will be based on your job history, skills & experience, CV and technical questions outlined within the advert.

Your job history and skills & experience should be tailored to demonstrate any skills, knowledge and experience that are relevant to the essential criteria.

Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage. In cases where there is a high number of applications the sift pass mark may be adjusted and candidates will be invited to interview in merit order, i.e. those scoring the highest.

Stage 2 – Interview

Should you be invited to interview, you will be assessed using various assessment techniques aligned to the new Civil Service Success Profiles, where you’ll be assessed against any of the Behaviours and Technical skills outlined in the advert.

A presentation will be required during the interview process, further information will be provided to successful candidates prior to interview.

In the current circumstances, interviews will be conducted by Video.

Please note a reserve list will be held for a 12month period.

Important Dates

Sift date: From w/c 21/10/2023

Interview dates: From w/c 07/11/2023

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is

People working with government assets must complete

Nationality Requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

Working for the Civil Service

The

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact

• Name : Will Bediako
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team :

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the