GOVERNMENT SOCIAL RESEARCH SERVICE:
SANDWICH STUDENT PLACEMENTS 2016-17
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
COLLEGE OF POLICING (CoP)
Location: London/Sunningdale/Harrogate
Salary: £20,050 (London), £16,050 (Sunningdale/Harrogate)
Number of placements: 2
The College of Policing is the professional body for police officers and staff of all
grades and ranks across England and Wales. It is a company limited by guarantee
and its Member (owner) is the Home Secretary. We aim to be world class, equipping
our members with the skills and knowledge they need to protect the public, prevent
crime and secure public trust.
Our Purpose and Objectives
The College of Policing’s purpose is to support the mission of policing. It operates in
the public interest to achieve this purpose through its five strategic objectives:
i. setting standards of professional practice for all who work in policing
ii. supporting the professional development of those working in policing
iii. identifying, developing and promoting good practice based on the best available
evidence
iv. supporting police forces and other organisations to work together to protect the
public and prevent crime
v. identifying, developing and promoting ethics, values and standards of integrity for
the police.
The College’s Knowledge, Research and Practice Unit is a dynamic team of social
researchers, statisticians, analysts, information specialists and practice developers,
who work directly with police officers and staff to build and share the evidence base
for policing. Due to its unique position in government as a professional body, the
College of Policing provides an exciting opportunity to not only undertake new
research but to also support the practical application of the findings to make a real
difference for the public. The team uses a range of research methods including
experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation design and are currently conducting
research on, amongst other topics, domestic abuse, stop and search, assessing
competence of police officers and staff, and the use of body worn video cameras.
The Knowledge, Research and Practice Unit is also responsible for the What Works
Centre for Crime Reduction, part of the world-leading UK network of Centres set up
by the Cabinet Office to provide robust and comprehensive evidence of what works
to strategic and operational decision-makers. The team is supported by an academic
consortium of eight universities, led by University College London and the post
holder will have an opportunity to directly contribute to the work of the Centre.
Role Responsibilities
Professional Standards: Display a professional approach to research that complies
with the Government Social Research and Statistical Standards and Competences.
Research development: Conduct in-house research projects, applying appropriate
research methods for the research question, to inform policing practice. Examples
include evaluating the impact of national programmes; undertaking systematic
reviews of the evidence to identify what works, informing national decision making
and action with robust analysis. Support line managers to design, commission and
manage external research to answer customer’s information needs.
Communications: Support team leaders in ensuring that College colleagues and
external stakeholders understand the evidence being provided and how to take an
evidence-based approach.
Outreach: Support managers and team leaders to run workshops and conferences
to improve understanding of and confidence in using evidence amongst nonspecialist colleagues in the College, our customers and stakeholders
Analysis: Provide briefing and analysis as required by customers and other
colleagues. Can use a range of analytical techniques to carry out quality, timely and
relevant in-house analysis and briefing work.
Equality and Diversity: Fulfil the requirements of the College’s equal opportunities
policy and procedures and implement equality principles and practices
Other Information
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Vetting level: Baseline
Will require occasional travel to all College of Policing sites and to those of
Policing-related organisations in England and Wales
Must apply and promote the College of Policing Code of Ethics and Integrity
principles
DEPARTMENT FOR COMMUNITIES & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
(DCLG)
Location: London
Salary: £18,000
Number of placements: 4
Placement 1: Strategic Analysis Team (SAT)
The Strategic Analysis Team (SAT) has four key areas of responsibility:
(1) Cross-cutting strategic projects. We aim to shape the direction of future
policy. Recent examples include analysis on the Troubled Families
Programme, the impact of ageing and Public Sector Reform.
(2) Innovating and developing new areas of work. SAT leads on wellbeing and
the application of behavioural economics in DCLG, and deploys new financing
methods such as payment by results and social impact bonds.
(3) Building capability SAT drives the use of evidence and analysis by the
Department and local authorities, publishing guidance and briefing and holding
regular training courses and seminars.
(4) Direct support for the Chief Analyst This work includes rapid analysis on
breaking issues and supporting the DCLG research programme.
The Team operates flexibly and team members can be deployed in any area and work
on a number of projects at any one time.
SAT engages with many different policy areas across the Department and Whitehall
– as well as the Chief Economist, the Executive Team, Ministers, Press Office, think
tanks, research centres, local bodies and academics.
While new projects will come up over the year, social researchers in SAT are currently
working on:
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Troubled families programme: The government announced plans to expand
the Troubled Families Programme and to work with 400,000 families at risk
of becoming troubled. SAT social researchers provide on-going analytical
input to the troubled families programme for the national evaluation, financial
forecasting and performance management.
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The evaluation of the Social Impact Bond on Rough Sleeping
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Leading the department’s work on the future of our ageing population:
predictive analytics on risk of entrance to residential care
Projects you may expect to work on include:
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Monthly Spotlight publications: identifying relevant academic and public
sector research and summarising this for the department-wide publication
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Designing a workshop introducing policy colleagues to the importance of
quality analytical skills in policy making
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Supporting the team to deliver the evaluation of the expanded Troubled
Families Programme, for example analysing the data gathered as part of
the impact analysis
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Providing ad hoc analytical support to policy colleagues in areas such as
housing policy and homelessness
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Attending report launches and seminars and provide briefings on these
These posts would suit social researchers who:
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Can summarise and interpret information accurately
Can build relationships and work collaboratively
Are strong communicators – both written and in presentations
Are self-starters and can work independently
Are confident at identifying and reviewing relevant literature
Further information
Please contact Ricky Taylor: 0303 444 3590 (ricky.taylor@communities.gsi.gov.uk)
Placement 2: ICR
Our internship role, within the ICR directorate will sit with a multi-disciplinary analyst
team, comprising experienced social researchers, economists and GIS specialists
work all support the Department’s Decentralisation, Localism and integration and
Faith policies and programmes. The directorate’s policy work is both varied, dynamic
and strongly connected with people and places across the country.
The successful intern will be embedded as a team member in a dynamic policy
environment with the potential to work alongside experienced policy and analyst
colleagues on projects including:
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Building the evidence base around our current policies and programmes
including:
o Localism and Decentralisation: such as Our Place, Community
Economic Development; Community Owned and Managed Assets;
Pocket Parks programmes, and
o Integration programmes: supporting the team with the design and
implementation and analyses of innovative impact research projects
designed to boost cohesion and integration.
Synthesizing evidence from a wide range of sources to inform new
programmes and policies from 2016 onwards.
Assisting with the production of innovative mapping and data visualisation
outputs to support briefing for Ministers and outputs for our stakeholders and
partners.
Feeding new insights and ideas into our Directorate blog.
This post would suit individuals who:
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can summarise and interpret qualitative and quantitative information
accurately and clearly
have some data visualisation and GIS mapping experience.
can build relationships and work collaboratively
are self-starters and can work independently
Placement 3: English Housing Survey Team
The team
The English Housing Survey team is part of DCLG’s Strategic Statistics Division
(SSD), a multi-disciplinary team of over 35 statisticians, social researchers,
operational researchers, geographers and IT professionals within the Analysis and
Innovation Directorate.
SSD’s main responsibilities include:
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management and analysis of the English Housing Survey
statistical and spatial analysis including the Indices of Multiple Deprivation
the collection of local authority housing and planning data, and leading on
transparency and open data
collection and analysis of social housing lettings data
The role
We are looking for a highly motivated intern with good quantitative analysis skills to
join the English Housing Survey (EHS) team within the Strategic Statistics Division
at DCLG.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work in a fast-paced policyfacing department and to gain insight into how analysis is used to inform policy
making. The post will last for a year which will provide the successful candidate with
the opportunity to experience a full annual cycle of the EHS (from data collection
through to reporting).
The EHS is DCLG's flagship survey and covers people's housing circumstances and
the condition and energy efficiency of housing in England. The survey provides
valuable information and evidence to inform the development and monitoring of
DCLG’s housing policies. More information on the survey can be found on the EHS
pages of GOV.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-forcommunities-and-local-government/series/english-housing-survey
The successful candidate will be a key member of the EHS team with responsibility
for conducting statistical analysis of the EHS. The topics of analysis will depend on
government priorities at the time, but might include anything from consolidating
existing EHS evidence on topics such as the private and social rented sectors to
undertaking new analysis to better understand barriers to home ownership.
Irrespective of the topic, the successful applicant will work closely with other EHS
team members and will gain experience in:
 data analysis using a range of bi- and multivariate techniques
 producing accessible and well-crafted reports of key findings
 working with the EHS and a range of other data sources (e.g. British Social
Attitudes)
 networking and discussing the wider implications of research findings with
other analysts and policy officials
 presenting research findings to non-specialists
 publishing key findings on the EHS pages of Gov.uk
There will be opportunities to discuss the wider implications of research findings with
other analysts and policy officials and to publish key findings on the EHS pages of
GOV.uk.
Requirements
The successful candidate will be highly numerate and have excellent communication
skills. In particular, they will have:
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strong numerical skills and a good understanding of a range of analytical
methods
some experience of analysing survey data (ideally using SPSS)
good written and oral communication skills, especially explaining statistical
terms to non-specialists
An interest in, or some knowledge of housing trends in England is desirable but not
essential.
For further information please contact Reannan Rottier (tel. 03034 44167 or
Reannan.Rottier@communities.gsi.gov.uk), line manager for the role.
Placement 4: Fire, Resilience and Emergencies Directorate
Analysts in the Directorate work on a wide range of projects in a developing area of
Government policy, and provide support for Government’s response to emergencies.
Analysts work closely with policy colleagues, and are currently working on a range of
projects including:
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Supporting the development of new policy around encouraging greater
collaboration between police and fire, a manifesto commitment for the
Government, by developing the evidence base and supporting policy
colleagues;
Designing the evaluation of the £75m Fire Transformation Fund;
Producing a range of regular National Statistics releases, including fire
incident data from the Incident recording System; and
Working on analytical studies carried out in support of National Resilience
policy relating to the Fire and Rescue Services capabilities to respond to
major national incidents and emergencies.
Projects you may expect to work on include:
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Assisting with the development and maintenance of analytical tools for
assessing the response of the Fire and Rescue Service in responding to
major disasters,
Supporting the development of new policy around encouraging greater
collaboration between police and fire, a manifesto commitment for the
Government, by developing the evidence base and supporting policy
colleagues,
Developing analysis of fire incident data (from the Incident Recording System)
to understand changing trends and patterns of incidents and geographic risk
profiles, and implications for the future structure of the service. The IRS is a
detailed fire incident record-level database, submitted by Fire and Rescue
Services. This rich dataset is used to drive policy making and provide
Ministerial briefing on Fire and Rescue issues.
Responsibility for the day-today management of geographic information
system (GIS) datasets, including the metadata database, used by the
analytical team,
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Assisting with analytical studies carried out in support of DCLG fire and
national resilience polices.
This post would suit individuals who:
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Can summarise and interpret information accurately
Can build relationships and work collaboratively
Are self-starters and can work independently
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION (DFE)
Schools Research Team, Educational Standards and Evidence Dissemination
Division
Location: London/Sheffield/Manchester
Salary: £21,995 (London) £18,474 (Sheffield/Manchester)
Number of placements: 1
The work of the team is varied, and the role would include:
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Scoping and designing new research and evaluation projects. This involves:
identifying appropriate methodology and writing specifications; securing
approval of the project through our research board; commissioning new
projects through sifting expressions of interest, reviewing tenders, and
chairing tender panels; and ongoing management of contractors to effectively
deliver projects on time and within budget;
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Scoping and producing evidence-based briefings, synthesising and
summarising domestic and international evidence on key policy areas
covering a wide range of topics to aid policy decision-making; and,
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Providing support on ad hoc requests for information, such as answering
correspondence from external parties, providing information for Parliamentary
Questions (PQs), and fact checking press lines and policy announcements.
DEPARTMENT FOR WORK & PENSIONS (DWP)
Location: London or Sheffield
Salary: £20,800 (London)/£16,760 (Sheffield)
Number of placements: 4-10
Job Description:
DWP has an excellent reputation for ensuring its work is underpinned by robust
evidence and analysis. As a GSR placement student you will have the opportunity to
apply your social research skills to the real world and experience what it’s like to
work as a Government Social Researcher. At DWP you will have the chance to work
on high priority areas and distinct projects. You will work as part of the analytical
community, amongst social researchers, statisticians and other analysts to help
DWP deliver key analytical services, as well as giving you the opportunity to network
with senior social researchers and analysts and make some invaluable contacts.
DWP has a variety of job roles across the organisation in areas such as Labour
Markets, Pensions, Housing, Working Age Benefits, Disability and Performance
Analysis.
About DWP:
The work of DWP matters to millions of people every day – it is responsible for
welfare and pension policy and is a key player in tackling child poverty. We have an
ambitious agenda of reform which aims to create a new welfare system for the 21st
century; to transform the opportunity for people without jobs to find work and support
themselves and their families; save for their retirement; and to ensure that the most
vulnerable in society are protected.
Social Researchers in DWP:
DWP Social Researchers carry out research and analysis that influences policy in
one of the largest departments in government. The Department’s broad and
challenging agenda is rarely out of the newspapers and is studied by academic
analysts from across the globe. There is high profile scrutiny of policies that are
underpinned by the work of social researchers in the Department.
Social Researchers at DWP work closely with other analysts and policy colleagues.
Social Researchers also work with operations colleagues, press officers and with
ministerial offices and Ministers.
Social Researchers at DWP:
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Work with policy makers to provide research-based advice on issues at the
cutting edge of social policy;
Procure, commission and manage research and evaluation projects;
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Analyse and interpret data;
Review and synthesise the findings of existing national and international
research studies;
Play a critical role in gathering, analysing and interpreting information to
inform evidence based policies;
Work independently and with other analysts to provide timely, relevant and
robust briefing for policy colleagues and Ministers.
FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY (FSA)
Location: London
Salary: c £20-22,000
Number of placements: 1
Job Description
Provide an overview of current challenges impacting on the role, upcoming issues /
events that the branch is likely to experience, divisional objectives
The Food Standards Agency is an independent Government department set up by an
Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public’s health and consumer interests in
relation to food safety and standards. The Agency is led by a Board that has been
appointed to act in the public interest. The Agency is advised by a number of expert
advisory Committees, including the Social Science Research Committee (SSRC).
Social Science is one of four analytical disciplines that make up the Analytics Team in
the FSA (alongside economists, statisticians and operational researchers). The
Analytics Team provides analytical support across the Agency’s business. The small
team of social scientists works closely with the other analytical professions.
The team provides a Government Social Research (GSR) service to the Agency’s policy
Divisions, delivering work within a robust governance framework, engaging with the
external social science research community and providing the secretariat to the SSRC
http://ssrc.food.gov.uk/
Job Purpose
The social sciences have an important role to play in helping the Agency consider
challenging and complex issues. The Agency has a strong tradition of conducting
research in the natural and physical sciences and in recent years has increasingly
been drawing on social science disciplines. In particular, understanding and effecting
positive behaviour change is critical in achieving the FSA’s strategic aims, including
reducing foodborne disease and improving business compliance.
As part of a small team operating a matrix management system, you will be required
to work flexibly across a wide range of tasks providing exposure to a number of on
the job learning and development opportunities. The team provides research advice,
management and support to policy divisions across the full range of FSA policies
and on high profile projects.
Examples of recent social science work include:
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Publication of the bi-annual public attitudes Tracker, which measures public
attitudes to the Agency and food issues of concern;
Publication of the UK-wide evaluation of the Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme
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Forthcoming publication of study to assess the level of consumption of
acrylamide
Further information can be found at www.food.gov.uk/science/socsci/
Key Responsibilities
List duties and responsibilities including (experience , skills and knowledge)
The post holder will have the opportunity to develop analytical and contract
management skills, carrying out their own analysis and reviews of existing evidence as
well as managing externally commissioned research. The post holder will also
contribute to the Agency’s programme of evaluation and work closely with other
analytical professions.
The post holder will also work closely with the SSRC, leading experts in social science
methodology and in specific social science topics and so building links with the external
research community and academic institutions.
List duties and responsibilities
 Management of research projects to meet policy requirements in a timely
manner
 Secondary analysis of data as appropriate
 Providing cross-Agency analytical advice and support as required
 Helping to build the Agency’s behaviour change evidence base and
methodological expertise
 Contributing to the wider work of the Unit and Division
 Working with the Social Science Research Committee to strengthen the
Agency’s access to the social sciences
 Contributing to the work of the GSR and carry out all duties in line with the
GSR professional code
Key Competences
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Technical Skills
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Using & Promoting Social Research
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Managing a Quality Service
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Making Effective Decisions
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Collaborating & Partnering
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Seeing the Big Picture
HER MAJESTY’S REVENUE & CUSTOMS (HMRC)
Location: London/Manchester/Liverpool
Salary: £22,022 (London)/ £18,415 (Manchester & Liverpool)
Number of placements: 2-3
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) influences all aspects of society: alleviating child
poverty; tackling climate change; making the UK economy a vibrant and attractive
place to do business; and understanding what drives taxpayer behaviour. More
details can be found on our web site www.hmrc.gov.uk
The Knowledge, Analysis and Intelligence Directorate (KAI) in HMRC is a community
of around 300 analysts producing high-profile, influential advice to Ministers and
HMRC. We offer specialist skills in analysis and research, data collection and
evaluations. Our economists, statisticians, operational researchers and social
researchers work in multi-disciplinary teams to deliver policy advice and improve the
service HMRC offers to customers.
The Roles
HMRC is a mainstream Government Social Research (GSR) department with over
70 social research posts, from Research Officer to Senior Principal Research Officer
grades, working in multi-disciplinary analytical teams inside KAI. We undertake a
wide range of research projects from large-scale quantitative surveys of UK
individual and business taxpayers and tax credit recipients, to detailed qualitative
research, involving in-depth interviews and discussion groups. Social researchers
carry out systematic reviews of evidence and evaluations of tax policies and
operations on everything from environment and property taxes to tax compliance
issues. We have a strong interest in behavioural and attitudinal research to inform
tax policy and ensure taxes are paid. We carry out in-house data analysis and
research as well as managing external researchers.
As a Student Placement within KAI, you will have the opportunity to work closely with
other analysts and policy or operational colleagues and undertake high quality social
research that can directly inform decision making on government policies and tax
administration at the time of Budgets and on an on-going basis.
Social researchers here are responsible for customer research, including HMRC’s
flagship Customer Experience Survey.
Other recent research includes:
• A panel study of tax credit and child benefit customers,
• A large business panel survey and a tax opinions survey.
• The impact of education initiatives in encouraging tax compliance by small
business
• Laboratory experiments of taxpayer behaviour
• Evaluating the Real Time Information pilot
• Informing transparency of personal tax information
• Evaluation of HMRC’s Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2013 – 2016
Work also varies across our teams, which are:
Enforcement & Compliance – provides analysis across a wide range of compliance
areas in HMRC: from the use of Predictive Analytics to recommend how and when
HMRC intervenes with customers to understanding the overall impacts of those
interventions on tax receipts and taxpayer behaviour. The team also provides
analysis to influence and support HMRC’s strategy on offshore tax evasion.
Direct Business Taxes – Produces analysis on Corporation Tax for large businesses,
including the banking sector, and small business taxation issues for Ministers, HMT
and HMRC colleagues. Publishes forecasts and National Statistics for onshore and
offshore Corporation Tax, supports new businesses and provides analytical advice
on the Bank Levy.
Tax Gaps and Indirect Taxes – Works closely with HMT policy teams to provide
Ministers with influential analysis on VAT, stamp duties, excise duties (e.g. tobacco
& alcohol), and environmental and transport taxes (e.g. climate change levy, fuel
duty). Also regularly publishes internationally acclaimed ‘tax gap’ analysis.
Benefits & Credits - Advises HMRC colleagues how to improve the operational
delivery of tax credits and child benefit, and produces analysis for HMT on potential
policy reforms including the introduction of Universal Credit
Personal Taxes – Analyses the impacts of high-profile reforms to the tax system
affecting millions of individuals in the UK, developing the evidence base for HMT
policy and producing advice for Ministers. Also provides research and analysis to
inform major developments in HMRC’s operational platform for delivering the
personal tax system.
Data Policy & Co-ordination – Works very closely with HMT and the Office of Budget
Responsibility to co-ordinate and quality assure all analysis and forecasts that feed
into the Chancellor’s Budget Day announcements. Analyses the impact on the wider
economy of large tax policy changes and produces analytical datasets from HMRC
systems for use across KAI. Publishes National Statistics on personal incomes and
supplies summary analyses to other government departments.
Operations, Strategy and Transformation – Experts in project-based working, this
team delivers substantial research and analysis for a wide range of HMRC business
needs including corporate functions. We lead on cross-cutting HMRC operations and
behavioural analysis and work flexibly to deliver priority projects. The three key
priority analytical themes for the team are Customer and Strategy, Efficiency and
Productivity and People and Leadership.
KAI is also heavily involved in supporting HMRC’s moves to open-source
technologies and other new ways of working to assess their worth.
MINISTRY OF JUSTICE (MOJ)
Location: London
Salary: £21,471
Number of placements: 1
The Ministry of Justice is pleased to provide an opportunity for one GSR placement
within the Analytical Services Directorate. Placements are offered for 12 months and
will run from summer 2016. Placements will be based at the Ministry of Justice at
102 Petty France, London SW1H 9AJ. Students will be paid a pro rata salary at the
MoJ Band E grade of £21,471 (as of September 2015).
The Ministry of Justice is one of the largest government departments, employing
around 76,000 people. The department is responsible for ensuring a fair, effective
and transparent justice system. Our work covers criminal, civil and family justice,
democracy and rights.
The Analytical Services Directorate (ASD) plays a central role in the achievement of
the Ministry’s goals; providing the evidence on which to make sound policy
decisions, monitor and evaluate progress and demonstrate outcomes. ASD
comprises over 200 professionals from a range of analytical backgrounds, including
social researchers, statisticians, economists and operational researchers. This multidisciplinary team delivers research and analysis to support the priorities and
functions of the Ministry of Justice.
A GSR placement within ASD is a great opportunity for students to gain an
understanding of the role of social research in government and to develop social
research skills across a diverse and exciting agenda. The directorate has five units,
each responsible for providing analytical support for different areas of the business.
These include a statistical unit, a corporate unit and three policy-facing units that
encompass criminal justice (adult and youth), access to justice and customer insight.
We are looking for a student who is able to work flexibly and apply their social
research skills to the analytical needs of their unit. Students may be responsible for
undertaking quantitative analysis using SPSS, drafting briefing papers for customers,
undertaking literature reviews or drawing together the latest evidence on a justice
policy area. It is expected that students will be given the opportunity to work closely
with both analytical and policy colleagues within the department.
OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS (ONS)
Location: Newport or Titchfield (between Southampton and Portsmouth).
Salary: from £15,709
Number of placements: c2-3
Job Description:
The work of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) affects everyone in the UK. It
informs the development of social and economic policy and makes headline news on
a daily basis. Our statistics and analysis cover all aspects of life in the UK today, so
the work is always challenging and diverse. We produce statistics and reports on a
wide range of topics covering the economy and society, e.g. population, health and
labour markets. We bring a local, regional, national and international dimension to
the work.
About ONS:
We are the UK's national statistical institute and the largest producer of official
statistics in the UK. We are also the only government department with the production
of statistics as its main role. Our main responsibilities are:
 The collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of a range of key
economic, social and demographic statistics about the UK
 The provision of statistical leadership and methodological advice for the
benefit of UK official statistics
 Representation of the UK internationally as the national statistical institute
Social Researchers in ONS:
Social Researchers in ONS work on a wide range of topics including health,
population, demography, geography, the labour market and socio-economic
inequalities. They work on a range of data sources, such as the Census, social
surveys and administrative sources, e.g. births and death records and
unemployment benefits data. This includes designing, conducting and reporting on
surveys of the population. Social researchers at ONS help provide vital information
that is relied on by central and local government, businesses and individuals to make
decisions and to plan for the future.