Senior Performance Analyst

As a Senior Performance Analyst in GDS, you’ll be the lead voice for data and analysis within a multidisciplinary agile product team. You'll be responsible for analysing user behaviours in government digital services and publishing applications. You'll focus on digital (web and app) analytics but also work with data from other sources such as third-parties, surveys and user feedback. Your insights will drive prioritisation, helping product owners to focus on features that work best for users.

As a Senior Performance Analyst you’ll:

• provide leadership to product and service managers to identify what needs to be measured, develop hypotheses and test what success looks like
• own the management and development of analytical instrumentation and be responsible for accurate data collection implementation, to influence the product manager to make evidence-based decisions
• own and manage strategic work - e.g. community building and training; or analytics implementation policies for GOV.UK products; benchmarking and agreeing common performance indicators
• be proactive in working with other disciplines and datasets to enrich stories, for example
• lead the production of accurate, engaging and actionable analysis, using judgement to tell engaging stories with data, relevant to the appropriate audience (from ministers to junior colleagues)

Support the Analysis Community

• help provide leadership to the analysis community of practice, both within GDS and across government. Develop best practice and knowledge transfer of digital analysis principles and techniques to wider audiences and expand your own and others’ data analysis skills. Forge links with other analysis disciplines
• line manage colleagues within a matrix structure 
• create and share examples of best practice in digital performance management across government

Person specification

We're interested in people who have:

• strong proficiency with digital analytics platforms, such as Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager working with high volumes of data and using appropriate tools such as Google BigQuery or other APIs
• experience of working in an agile, project-based environment, focused on delivering user needs
• deep understanding of business objectives with the ability to translate these into clear, actionable performance metrics that drive results
• demonstrable success in developing implementation strategy, roadmaps, new processes, measurement frameworks, instrumentation, quality assurance, administration and analysis
• detailed understanding of, and practical experience of using different data tools to transform and analyse different data sets. An understanding of, and practical experience with data analysis and visualisation tools, e.g. Looker Studio or Tableau or experience in either python or R
• experience of gathering and understanding technical requirements and working with developers to build suitable technical solutions
• strong data storytelling skills - discovering and sharing analytical insight with stakeholders with various levels of analytical expertise and at all levels of seniority
• proven capability to inspire, coach, and mentor team members, fostering a culture of insightful analysis and creative problem-solving.
• ability to upskill non-technical team members—helping them to better understand data and analytics, and ensuring they can contribute effectively to the broader goals of the team.

Benefits

The benefits of working at GDS

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an 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
• paid volunteering leave
• 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

GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You’ll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.

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

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This role is being advertised with Manchester or Bristol as a location. There is an exception to this, if a current London-based member of staff from GDS applies, and is successful, they would retain their London base for pay and allowance purposes.

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and for you to answer 3 application questions.
• a 60 minute video interview - as part of the interview process you will be asked to prepare and deliver a presentation which will also contain a technical exercise. Details around the presentation will be provided to shortlisted candidates.

Whilst we value the use of AI technology to enhance our daily work, we also value the personal touch and urge applicants to write responses without the use of AI to emphasise their own unique experiences.

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:

"Please describe your experience with digital analytics platforms, such as Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Google BigQuery or other APIs?"

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:

• Communicating and influencing
• Delivering at pace
• Working together
• Making effective decisions
• Leadership

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework for the Senior Performance Analyst role:

• Performance measurement
• Analysis and insight
• Working within constraints (performance analyst)
• Communicating analysis and insight

Recruitment Timeline

Role Closes - 2nd February

Sift completion: 10th February

Panel interviews: week commencing 17th February

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

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.

You may be aware that there are plans for the Government Digital Service (GDS) & the Central Digital & Data Office (CDDO) to move into the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT). This move is to bring together the digital transformation of public services into one core department. The move itself will offer huge opportunities whilst allowing DSIT to lead the way and drive forward the new Government's digital agenda. 

As the announcement is relatively new, we are awaiting more detailed information. Therefore, we encourage you to apply for this role, and will keep you informed with updated information throughout the application process.

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