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 these roles are Newport, Titchfield (Fareham), Manchester or Darlington.
All colleagues are required to work from their contractually allocated site for at least 40% of their working time. Due to current capacity constraints there is currently an exception for colleagues based at the Darlington Economic Campus, this is expected to move to 40% attendance in 2027-28 for Darlington.
The induction process for the role will be conducted in person.
Job Summary
Do you want to be part of an organisation that produces statistics for the public good?
Governments' always need high quality data and statistics. It’s an interesting and important time to work in their production, to ensure they keep up with our fast-changing society, economy and technology.
Here at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) we have unrivalled access to a breadth and depth of data that we use daily to provide statistics, analysis and insight for the public and policy makers. We are at the forefront when it comes to the production of reliable data, giving trusted and unique insights into health, well-being, work, household finances, local economies, high streets and more.
We achieve these goals through quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research so are seeking to recruit people with the relevant research skills to support us in this.
By joining ONS as a Research Officer you will become a member of Government Social Research (GSR), which is the analytical profession for civil servants who generate and provide social and behavioural research and advice. To apply for these roles, all candidates need to demonstrate competence in quantitative social research.
The majority of GSR roles in ONS are quantitative but a handful of qualitative roles are also available. In your online application you can select your preference for qualitative roles, but we are unable to make guarantees on placement for successful candidates.
At ONS we are creative about the way we work to deliver brilliant and sustainable outcomes and as we collaborate, we approach working together with positivity and trust, investing in building excellent and inclusive working relationships across the organisation.
Please note we are running a Candidate Support Webinar via Teams for this vacancy on Tuesday 12th August at 12 noon.
Click on the following link to register: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Job Description
What can we offer you?
- Job satisfaction knowing that you are producing information that really does help the public and make a difference to their daily lives.
- Exposure to a range of other teams and topics across ONS and outside of the organisation to get a broader understanding of the great work that goes on at ONS, across the UK and internationally.
- Contributing to a range of projects and seeing this work being picked up in the media.
- Using the latest programming software to manipulate, analyse, and visualise data in an innovative way.
- Learning from topic experts and becoming an expert yourself.
- Flexible working with a work life balance and the autonomy to work to your strengths whilst developing additional skills as you build a career with us.
- Membership of the GSR profession, providing you with the opportunity to develop your analytical career.
What will you be doing?
High quality data and analysis are required to inform the UK, improve lives and build the future. We currently have a range of vacancies that offer the opportunity to work on some of the most important public policy and economic issues that the UK will need to address in future years.
You could be working on topics of interest and programmes of work that include responding to changing data needs, population and migration, health monitoring, crime or survey transformation and quality. Please see the attached candidate pack for further information.
What can we offer you?
- Job satisfaction knowing that you are producing information that really does help the public and make a difference to their daily lives.
- Exposure to a range of other teams and topics across ONS and outside of the organisation to get a broader understanding of the great work that goes on at ONS, across the UK and internationally.
- Contributing to a range of projects and seeing this work being picked up in the media.
- Using the latest programming software to manipulate, analyse, and visualise data in an innovative way.
- Learning from topic experts and becoming an expert yourself.
- Flexible working with a work life balance and the autonomy to work to your strengths whilst developing additional skills as you build a career with us.
- Membership of the GSR profession, providing you with the opportunity to develop your analytical career.
What will you be doing?
High quality data and analysis are required to inform the UK, improve lives and build the future. We currently have a range of vacancies that offer the opportunity to work on some of the most important public policy and economic issues that the UK will need to address in future years.
You could be working on topics of interest and programmes of work that include responding to changing data needs, population and migration, health monitoring, crime or survey transformation and quality. Please see the attached candidate pack for further information.
Person specification
Responsibilities
Role responsibilities vary depending on the skills set required and will include some of the following activities:
- Production and publication of high-quality National Statistics on a range of subject matters.
- Discrete pieces of analysis to provide context and understanding around statistical outputs.
- Development of new methods, production systems and reporting/dissemination to make sure we meet data users’ changing needs.
- Assisting with research to understand administrative datasets and how they can be used in the production of official statistics.
- Conducting qualitative research (employing a range of methods including mental model research, focus groups, cognitive interviewing, pop-up research, usability testing and so on) with the public and businesses. This may include conducting participant recruitment for the research.
- Designing and developing questionnaires for social and economic surveys (suitable for paper, telephone, face-to-face and online self-completion) using qualitative research methods.
- Contributing to quality assurance and production of statistical or research publications. Producing supporting documentation including metadata, operational or quality and methodology documentation.
- Disseminating work in various ways and to different audiences via written reports, through presentations, at ‘show and tell’ meetings, and through papers to a variety of audiences, both in the UK and internationally at conferences and other community events.
- Building strong professional working relationships with project stakeholders. Answering queries from customers and departments on ad-hoc analyses or standard outputs; helping customers make best use of our statistics.
- Liaising closely with other staff across ONS to share knowledge and develop expertise.
- Staying up to date with the latest research methods, processes and trends.
- Using specialist statistical software such as R, Python or equivalent to support this research.
Qualifications
Entry Routes for this vacancy
Role
To be eligible to apply for this Research Officer (RO) role in the Government Social Research (GSR) profession, you need to fulfil the criteria of one of the following three entry routes:
Qualification route
- Hold an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at a minimum of 2:2 in a social science related subject where at least 30% of the modules or credits, excluding dissertation modules, included social research content.
The RO Eligibility form attached to this advert includes detail on what qualifies as a social science subject. Please read this form carefully to ensure that you meet the criteria for this route.
Badged route
- Already be a member of the Government Social Research profession
You must use the RO Eligibility form to tell us if you are already a badged member of GSR, which will be checked when we process your application. Please read this form carefully to ensure that you meet the criteria for this route.
Professional Experience route
- Hold an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2:2 in any subject or hold a degree equivalent (for example, an advanced Certificate or Diploma from MRS),
AND
- Have at least four years of successful experience of working in applied social research in which strong analytical skills have been clearly demonstrated.
The RO Eligibility form attached to this advert includes further information on what qualifies as successful work experience. Please read this form carefully to ensure that you meet the criteria for this route.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- GSR technical skills: * Knowledge of research methods, techniques & application of these in more complex projects * Identifying research needs, designing and specifying research * Analysis & interpretation
- GSR Using and promoting social research: * Leading, communicating and championing social research
Alongside your salary of £34,624, Office for National Statistics contributes £10,030 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 valued colleagues across the organisation.
Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site 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, Experience and Technical skills.
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.
Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.
There are two stages to this recruitment process – stage 1 is the Application Process and stage 2 is the Interview Process.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ AND FOLLOW ALL GUIDANCE to understand what you need to do.
APPLICATION PROCESS
There are 6 key steps to completing the application process and this section advises of the steps on how to apply. The Candidate Pack contains information to help you complete your application. It is attached at the bottom of this job advert.
- Please establish if you are eligible to apply through one of three entry routes.
- Having decided you are eligible you must fill out the Research Officer (RO) Eligibility Form.
- Complete the online Application Form.
- Include your Research Proposal, as outlined below, in the Personal Statement section of the Application Form.
- Attach your completed Research Officer (RO) Eligibility Form to your completed online Application Form and submit.
- After submitting your online application you will be invited to complete an online GSR Skills Knowledge Test.
ENTRY ROUTES for this vacancy - To be eligible to apply for this Research Officer (RO) role in the Government Social Research (GSR) profession, you need to fulfil the criteria of one of the following three entry routes: Qualification route; Badged route; Professional Experience route.
See the '
Qualifications' section of the advert for the explanations of each of the entry routes. The Candidate Pack attached to the advert also includes information on the entry routes.
RESEARCH OFFICER (RO) ELIGIBILITY FORM - This form is attached to the advert. (i) Read the form carefully, (ii) Complete the relevant section, depending on your entry route of application and (iii) Upload/attach your completed form when you submit your application.
APPLICATION FORM - Found via the '
Apply Now’ button in this advert. To apply for the Research Officer role you must complete all parts of the online application form including the Research Proposal.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL - You are required to provide this information in the
‘Personal statement’
section of the online application form.
You must include a research proposal for a topic that is in the news or for a topic of interest, where you feel social research could provide useful insight for the government.
Your Research Proposal will be assessed against the following GSR technical skills:
- Knowledge of research methods, techniques & application of these in small scale research projects
- Identifying research needs, designing & specifying research
- Analysis & interpretation
There is a
750-word limit on this section. The Candidate Pack attached to the advert includes information on what you need include in the proposal.
Please Note: Failure to complete all sections of the online Application Form including your Research Proposal in the Personal Statement section OR failure to complete and attach your Research Officer (RO) Eligibility Form to your online application will result in your application being sifted out of the recruitment process.
KNOWLEDGE TEST
Candidates who submit their full online application will be invited to complete an online GSR Skills Knowledge Test. This will happen after the closing date for online applications. Candidates will have a week to complete the test.
Candidates do not need to complete the GSR Skills Knowledge Test if they are already GSR profession badged or if they have successfully passed the Knowledge Test within the last 12 months. Candidates that have successfully passed the GSR Skills Knowledge Test within the last 12 months are asked to email
[email protected] with evidence of their pass.
More information on the GSR Skills Knowledge Test can be found in the candidate pack.
If you require any reasonable adjustments to complete the Knowledge Test, for example needing extra time, please contact
[email protected] after submitting your application. Please head your email with the vacancy reference number and title 420616 Research Officers in Social Research Research Officer and a member of the team will contact you to discuss further.
YOU MUST PASS THE KNOWLEDGE TEST FOR YOUR APPLICATION TO PROGRESS TO SIFT STAGE.
Candidates who do not pass the GSR Skills Knowledge Test can repeat it after having waited at least six months.
Upon reaching sift stage there will be an evaluation of your online application including your Research Proposal (Personal statement) and your Research Officer (RO) Eligibility Form.
INTERVIEW ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Candidates who successfully pass sift stage will be invited to the final stage which is an online interview assessment. The assessment has two elements - a short presentation and an interview - to further assess candidates general and technical competence for the Research Officer role.
If you are successful at sift stage you will receive an invitation to book an interview slot. The invitation to interview will contain an attachment with all the information you will need about what to prepare for your presentation and interview.
At interview you will be assessed against the GSR technical skills, which are set out in the advert’s Technical Skills section, and align to the GSR Technical Framework. You will also be assessed against the Civil Service Behaviours, which are set out in the advert’s Behaviours section and align to the Civil Service Success Profiles.
Interviews will take place using video conference via the MS Teams platform.
IMPORTANT DATES
- Application closing date: Tuesday 19th August 2025
- Online GSR Knowledge Test from Friday 22nd to Friday 29th August
- Application Sift from Wednesday 3rd to Wednesday 10th September
- Candidate Interview dates from Monday 22nd September to Friday 3rd October
- We aim to provide feedback to all applicants no later than week commencing 13th October
All dates may be subject to change.
In cases where there is a high number of applications, the application pass mark required may be adjusted and candidates will be invited to interview based on the highest scoring applications.
If there are more successful candidates than vacant positions, we will maintain a reserve list of remaining successful candidates from which further appointments will be made. A reserve list of successful applicants may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.
This campaign is to fill current vacant roles therefore you can only apply if you have completed your degree and passed at the required level.
If you already work for ONS, please note that by applying to this recruitment you may be moved to a priority role in a different team or directorate to that in which you are currently working.
Successful candidates are required to carry out all their duties from a UK location and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time, unless this has been specified as a part of their role. Presence at an ONS office location will vary and have flexibility built around the following: Needs of the role and business objectives. Successful collaboration and effective partnerships with teams/customers and stakeholders. Personal Preferences. Disability and wellbeing considerations.
For the full Terms and Conditions of the posts please see attachment.
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, Experience and Technical skills.
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).
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
