The ONS operates a flexible hybrid working model across the UK, with colleagues linked to one of our contractual locations working between office and remote throughout the week. The locations for this role are Newport, Titchfield (Fareham).
All colleagues are required to work from their contractually allocated site for at least 40% of their working time.
The induction process for the role may be conducted in person.
Job Summary
ONS is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, producing outputs on key economic, social and demographic topics. These range from measuring changes in the value of the UK economy to estimating the size, distribution and characteristics of the population including migration. We analyse health, inequalities, crime and much more to paint a picture of the UK on which to base decisions for the future. As a world-leading statistics institution we also support the statistical capability required to monitor the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in other countries worldwide.
Ready to influence how we recognise and reward our people?
In this role, you’ll play a key part in developing and delivering reward policies and processes that reflect our organisational values and support our strategic direction. Working closely with colleagues across HR and the wider business, you’ll ensure our Pay and Reward framework contributes effectively to achieving our goals.
You’ll provide expert advice on the interpretation and application of reward policies, ensuring they’re clear, consistent, legally sound, and aligned with Civil Service guidance. You’ll also lead and support reward-related projects, contribute to consultation processes, and help managers and staff navigate complex issues with confidence.
Additionally, you’ll oversee the day-to-day running of our rewards platform, making sure colleagues are aware of the benefits available and that these continue to evolve in line with their needs.
Job Description
In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in the Government People Group (GPG), sharing UKSA’s approach and building positive relationships across departments. Your work will help shape a reward environment that is inclusive, responsive, and future-ready.
You’ll be an ambassador for the work of the Pay and Reward (P&R) team, ensuring effective communication and collaboration across the business. Represent the HR function in cross-functional working groups and contribute to business-wide projects. Provide support to the wider Employee Relations team as and when required including Casework, and Employee Policy.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage application of reward policies including allowance, recognition, benefits process and annual pay award process
- Provide expert advice to managers and HR colleagues on the interpretation and application of pay and reward policies and best practice, particularly on the application of allowances, recognition and changes to pay.
- Manage customer and stakeholder queries, acting as a point of contact for both routine and complex pay and reward policy matters, including escalations linked to formal casework.
- Provide analysis of complex Pay and Reward cases and recommendations for resolution
- Communicate reward policies, decisions and changes using multiple channels to varied audiences
- Identifying people issues and working with business areas and HR Business Partners on effective solutions
- Support effective working relationships with recognised trade unions, contributing to policy discussions and consultation processes to ensure employee voice is considered in the development and implementation of employment policies.
- Continually looking to improve the service provided by the Pay and Reward Team. Keeping up to date with the latest Civil Service Pay and Reward practices as well as wider employment market Pay and Reward developments.
- Research and analyse different approaches and good practice to inform people policies and organisational strategies.
- Liaise with Government People Group contacts, senior leaders, and business partners on specific areas of policy development and implementation.
- Handle sensitive data in accordance with organisational policies and GDPR regulations.
- Proactively engage with other government departments (OGDs) to share UKSA’s approach to employment policy, fostering collaboration and building positive connections.
In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in the Government People Group (GPG), sharing UKSA’s approach and building positive relationships across departments. Your work will help shape a reward environment that is inclusive, responsive, and future-ready.
You’ll be an ambassador for the work of the Pay and Reward (P&R) team, ensuring effective communication and collaboration across the business. Represent the HR function in cross-functional working groups and contribute to business-wide projects. Provide support to the wider Employee Relations team as and when required including Casework, and Employee Policy.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage application of reward policies including allowance, recognition, benefits process and annual pay award process
- Provide expert advice to managers and HR colleagues on the interpretation and application of pay and reward policies and best practice, particularly on the application of allowances, recognition and changes to pay.
- Manage customer and stakeholder queries, acting as a point of contact for both routine and complex pay and reward policy matters, including escalations linked to formal casework.
- Provide analysis of complex Pay and Reward cases and recommendations for resolution
- Communicate reward policies, decisions and changes using multiple channels to varied audiences
- Identifying people issues and working with business areas and HR Business Partners on effective solutions
- Support effective working relationships with recognised trade unions, contributing to policy discussions and consultation processes to ensure employee voice is considered in the development and implementation of employment policies.
- Continually looking to improve the service provided by the Pay and Reward Team. Keeping up to date with the latest Civil Service Pay and Reward practices as well as wider employment market Pay and Reward developments.
- Research and analyse different approaches and good practice to inform people policies and organisational strategies.
- Liaise with Government People Group contacts, senior leaders, and business partners on specific areas of policy development and implementation.
- Handle sensitive data in accordance with organisational policies and GDPR regulations.
- Proactively engage with other government departments (OGDs) to share UKSA’s approach to employment policy, fostering collaboration and building positive connections.
Person specification
- Policy and Legal Knowledge: good understanding of employment legislation and best practice, with experience applying this knowledge to support policy development and implementation.
- Communication and Influence: proven experience of advising, coaching, and influencing others. Able to explain complex policy issues clearly and confidently, adapting your approach to suit different audiences and contexts.
- Written Communication: excellent written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, accurate and engaging policy documents, guidance and briefings. Present complex reward data and principles simply and clearly to non-expert audiences.
- Working with Others: experience working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, including HR colleagues, managers and trade union representatives. Able to build trust and maintain positive working relationships.
- Delivery and Organisation: strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain attention to detail across a varied workload.
- Problem Solving and Judgement: a practical and thoughtful approach to resolving issues, with the confidence to seek advice when needed and contribute to continuous improvement.
- Research and Analysis - the ability to gather data and understand information, particularly relating to reward policies and processes
- Professional Development and Expertise: CIPD Level 5 qualified and Associate membership of CIPD, with relevant experience of successfully working in a progressive, complex and diverse HR environment.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
Alongside your salary of £34,075, Office for National Statistics contributes £9,871 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our 5400 valued colleagues across the business.
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.
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 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.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.
If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk on this link, or contact the recruitment email on the advert before applying to discuss, as failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected and any offer of employment being withdrawn.
At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:
- Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- Security Services records
Artificial intelligence (AI) software such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini are powerful tools that can create and review text in ways that mimic what people can do. These tools can help you enhance your application and prepare for the process, but it is essential you use them appropriately.
They must also not be used to provide misleading or false information at any stage of the application journey.
It is also important to understand that while AI can help you prepare for an interview, you must not use it to produce responses during an interview.
For full guidance in relation to the use of AI through the recruitment process, please click here.
Application Process
Number of Stages: Two stage process
Stage One: Application
Stage Two: Interview
Stage One – Application
The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, CV, and answers to the below questions. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.
Answers to the following questions should be no more than 500 words per answer:
- What are the key risks associated with implementing changes to pay and reward policies, and how would you mitigate them?
- What do you see as the main challenges in maintaining competitiveness in public sector pay compared to the private sector?
Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.
In instances where a high number of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted, and candidates will be invited to interview based on merit order, i.e., those with the highest scores.
Stage Two – Interview
If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert. You will be asked to complete an in-tray exercise which will be provided on the day of the interview and candidates will be allocated time to prepare.
Interviews will be held online via Microsoft Teams.
A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.
Sift - w/c 6th October 2025
Interviews - w/c 20th October 2025
Dates are subject to change.
For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment. Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
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 (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
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 (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:
- 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) (opens in a new window)
- 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
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
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 :
Recruitment team
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 Civil Service Commission
