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 will be conducted in person.
Job Summary
Do you have excellent communication and organisational skills? Have you got a good eye for detail? If so, this might be the role for you.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution, and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime, and migration.
The Social Surveys Directorate (SSD) comprises of six divisions: Social Surveys Field Collection (SSFC), Social Surveys Telephone and Ports Collection (SSTPC), Social Surveys Research and Production (SSRP), Social Surveys Transformation (SST), Social Surveys Strategy, Research, and Innovation (SSRI) and Social Surveys Central Division (SSCD).
These posts sit within SSTPC which encompasses the International Passenger Survey (IPS) community, who are based at airports, seaports, and international train stations across the UK along with the Survey Enquiry Line (SEL), who support field interviewers and the public who call in requesting assistance, and the Survey Validation team who undertake critical coding and editing work.
Working collaboratively with other business areas both within the Surveys Directorate and elsewhere in ONS, all roles are aligned to the objective of producing high quality, social survey outputs that meet user needs, whilst remaining aligned with corporate priorities that include the recently established Surveys Strategy
The Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest profession in the Civil Service. ODP’s 200,000+ members work in a wide range of operational delivery roles across government, providing essential services that support and protect UK citizens at home and overseas. They help to make ONS a great place to work.
As a member, ODP supports you by providing learning and development opportunities, career pathways, tools and resources to help develop your skills and progress your career. This is an exciting opportunity to join a modern, innovative and inclusive Civil Service profession that sits at the heart of public service delivery.
Job Description
These roles sit within the Survey Enquiry Line. Our call Agents answer a high volume of calls from members of the public who have been invited to take part in government surveys in our inbound Customer Contact Centre.
Call Agents work collaboratively within the team to maintain delivery at peak times. They are the first point of contact for members of the public and ONS field interviewers. Call agents deal with a variety of calls, including appointment booking, technical support and general queries relating to ONS surveys.
You will have access to ODP Membership and associated Skills Development and connection opportunities
Call agents work on a shift basis covering the call centre opening times which are Monday – Friday 09:00-18:00 and 09:00-1300 on Saturdays.
Training will be required to take place face to face in Titchfield for 5 working days. Travel and overnight costs for staff outside of Titchfield will be covered by the business area.
Key Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will work in SEL and their duties will include:
- Effectively dealing with high call volumes from respondents who have been selected to take part in ONS surveys.
- Handling queries from ONS Field Interviewers, providing resolution at first point of contact, and passing on to the appropriate team.
- Accurately completing Service Desk requests and other documentation.
- Actively contribute to continuous improvement within the team.
- Ability to be able to work flexibly to support the SEL opening hours and business priorities.
These roles sit within the Survey Enquiry Line. Our call Agents answer a high volume of calls from members of the public who have been invited to take part in government surveys in our inbound Customer Contact Centre.
Call Agents work collaboratively within the team to maintain delivery at peak times. They are the first point of contact for members of the public and ONS field interviewers. Call agents deal with a variety of calls, including appointment booking, technical support and general queries relating to ONS surveys.
You will have access to ODP Membership and associated Skills Development and connection opportunities
Call agents work on a shift basis covering the call centre opening times which are Monday – Friday 09:00-18:00 and 09:00-1300 on Saturdays.
Training will be required to take place face to face in Titchfield for 5 working days. Travel and overnight costs for staff outside of Titchfield will be covered by the business area.
Key Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will work in SEL and their duties will include:
- Effectively dealing with high call volumes from respondents who have been selected to take part in ONS surveys.
- Handling queries from ONS Field Interviewers, providing resolution at first point of contact, and passing on to the appropriate team.
- Accurately completing Service Desk requests and other documentation.
- Actively contribute to continuous improvement within the team.
- Ability to be able to work flexibly to support the SEL opening hours and business priorities.
Person specification
Essential criteria: This role aligns to the Operational Delivery Profession Core Skills for AO Front Line Help and Advice:
- Previous contact centre or inbound telephone experience.
- Looks for solutions to problems and where necessary refers to others with a focus on bringing about change and improvement.
- Works with others in collaboration to share information constructively.
- Good IT skills. Operators will have the ability to learn and work with multiple systems and databases.
- Manages activities to provide high standards of service delivery.
- Works at pace, responding flexibly to emerging priorities and manages their own workload effectively.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Alongside your salary of £24,137, Office for National Statistics contributes £6,992 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 and Experience.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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.
Applicant Support
Number of Stages: 2 stage process
Stage 1: Application
Stage 2: Interview
Stage 1 – Application
The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, CV, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.
A personal statement is required at application stage, it states the maximum wordcount allowed, which should not be exceeded. Where it is a requirement to make a personal statement, you should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
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 2 – 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 and any required technical skills.
Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.
Our main locations are Newport (South Wales), and Titchfield.
A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.
The Sift will be conducted from
14/08/2025
Interviews will be conducted from
27/08/2025
For the full terms and conditions of the post, 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 and Experience.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
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
