Head of Data

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 230534**Salary**:

- £57,446- £57,446**Grade**:

- Grade 6**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- Local Government and Communities including Integration**Type of role**:

- Economist
- Operational Research
- Social Research
- Statistics**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of posts**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Darlington, WolverhamptonAbout the job

**Summary**:
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is setting up the Office for Local Government (Oflog) - a new body that was announced in the Levelling Up White Paper earlier this year. Oflog will initially bring together, analyse and publish existing data to understand local government performance. It will:

- be a ‘single source of authoritative information’ that will support local leaders in their decision-making and support self-improvement;
- allow central government to better understand LA performance; and
- help local people better understand what is happening in their area.

The establishment of this body will be delivered through an ambitious new programme delivered by a multi-disciplinary team made of policy, operational, analytical, data and digital professionals, working in partnership with government, the LG sector and citizens. To support delivery of the programme, part of the team will be located within the new body and part of the team will be located within the DLUHC, but all will be working towards the successful establishment of this new organisation. With strong Ministerial and sector interest, this is a high-profile programme. These are evolving and stretching roles which offer a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the delivery of a key government priority objectives.

**Job description**:
The analytical team of around 13 analysts will report to a deputy director and will be led by this G6 analyst (economist / statistician / social researcher / operational researcher), reporting to a Policy/Operational DD. The team will bring together data sources relevant to local government, develop and maintain data tools to provide users with easy access to data and insights, run data collections for specific additional data needs and provide analysis and insight to support Oflog body in its role.

There will also need to be join up with the wider open Local Government and transparency agenda, the Local Government (LG) Capacity and Capability programme, and the LG accountability regime. This role also involves an element of performance management operations such as programme level co-ordination, high level briefings, reports, and performance monitoring reporting.

The post holder will be responsible for leading the analytical team in Oflog. The team will be responsible for the publication of data and analysis, in the form of written reports and dashboard tools, as well as maintaining data products and engaging with other government departments (OGDs).

The post holder will lead a team of 12, including four direct reports. This will encompass a dashboard team, a data collection team, an analysis team and a data governance lead.

Key requirements of this role are:

- Setting the strategic direction of analysis, developing an analytical work programme and providing leadership.
- Coordinating and steering development of technical data dashboards and interactive visualisations for use across Oflog.
- Using specialist analytical skills to champion data quality across products and services, and ensure data is utilised in a compliant, safe, secure and efficient manner.
- Leading and developing a multidisciplinary team and steering them and others to build quality data and analytical products which support key policy decisions and provide the chair and senior colleagues with the insights they require.
- Collaborating with senior policy colleagues to understand their requirements and communicating with them to keep them updated with progress towards new tools, reports, and products
- Networking with and leading analytical colleagues, data tech professionals, user researchers and content designers to deliver tools which provide easy access to the evidence base required. This may also involve working with external stakeholders.
- In this role, you will foster a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement, demonstrating adaptability and commitment to supporting others across the team to deliver high-quality products.

**Responsibilities**:

- Setting the direction for analytical and data work in Oflog to meet the chair and senior official’s needs.
- Leading the analytical team in Oflog, with a focus on creating an inclusive working environment, and managing the team’s wellbeing in a fast-moving area.
- Developing insights and analysis for publication in the form of innovative dashboard tools, as well as traditional reports and papers.
- Engaging with senior s