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Job Summary
Are you looking for a leadership role where you can use data science to influence, innovate and inspire improvements?
Would you love the opportunity to use our wealth of data to inform the customer journey for millions of users?
DWP is the UK's largest government department.
We help people into work and make payments worth over £195bn a year to support some of society’s most vulnerable people.
We're using fresh ideas to drive a once-in-a-generation transformation of government services to create innovative, scalable, and user-centric digital solutions - join us as a Senior Data Scientist and help us get this right.
Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. For further information, please see 'Selection process details'.
Job Description
You’ll apply data science to drive critical public service transformation and influence choices on issues that affect millions of UK citizens. If you have used a variety of programming languages or data science techniques to harness the power of data and think that data science can transform how government services work, we’d love to hear from you.
You’ll join a close-knit team at the heart of one DWP’s highest priority transformation projects – the Health Transformation Programme.
This team is responsible for reporting on data from the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Health Assessment services.
Working with huge datasets (quite possibly the largest on offer in the UK), you’ll be delivering benefits that positively impact thousands of UK citizens.
Our Data Scientists work closely with multidisciplinary development teams that design and deliver new features for the PIP and Health Assessment services.
We use our expertise in datasets and data science techniques to ensure any development is supported by data, helping to improve outcomes for claimants and DWP staff.
You will collaborate with colleagues from a range of different digital professions to promote the use of data.
Your primary stakeholders will include the Design and Build and Strategy teams that support the Health Transformation programme.
Product development requests are commissioned by primary stakeholders and include feature discovery and prioritisation, hypothesis testing, trial and feature evaluation, and success measures.
You’ll apply data science to drive critical public service transformation and influence choices on issues that affect millions of UK citizens. If you have used a variety of programming languages or data science techniques to harness the power of data and think that data science can transform how government services work, we’d love to hear from you.
You’ll join a close-knit team at the heart of one DWP’s highest priority transformation projects – the Health Transformation Programme.
This team is responsible for reporting on data from the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Health Assessment services.
Working with huge datasets (quite possibly the largest on offer in the UK), you’ll be delivering benefits that positively impact thousands of UK citizens.
Our Data Scientists work closely with multidisciplinary development teams that design and deliver new features for the PIP and Health Assessment services.
We use our expertise in datasets and data science techniques to ensure any development is supported by data, helping to improve outcomes for claimants and DWP staff.
You will collaborate with colleagues from a range of different digital professions to promote the use of data.
Your primary stakeholders will include the Design and Build and Strategy teams that support the Health Transformation programme.
Product development requests are commissioned by primary stakeholders and include feature discovery and prioritisation, hypothesis testing, trial and feature evaluation, and success measures.
Person specification
See selection process for further details.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact .
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Data Analysis and Synthesis
- Programming and Build
We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:
- Data Analysis and Synthesis
Alongside your salary of £55,557, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £16,094 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
Pay for this role is from £55,557 to £73,346.
The maximum salary for the grade is £66,058, however a Digital Allowance of up to £7,288 per annum is available for exceptional candidates. Digital Allowance is non-salary, and non-pensionable, and is classed as a temporary allowance. It is reviewed annually where it could be retained, amended, or removed.
Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.
Stage 1: Application
Your Application Will Consist Of Three Parts
- A Personal Details application form.
- Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed. When giving details of your employment history, you should highlight your experience in line with the essential criteria below:
- Evidence of a strong academic background in one of the following, e.g. - Maths, Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science.
- Significant experience delivering innovative, data-driven solutions and can apply a range of data science techniques to solve business problems or improve established processes.
- Proven ability to explore, combine and transform data from across disparate sources, writing code in R, Python or SQL that is testable and scalable.
- Significant demonstrable experience of building team capability through role modelling, mentoring and coaching.
- Evidence of strong stakeholder management skills and experience working with colleagues to understand their requirements and deliver complex analytical projects in a timely manner.
- Influential, with proven ability to communicate results to a range of audiences, translating technical concepts into non-technical language where necessary.
- Technical statement (up to 250 words).
An initial sift will be conducted using the technical statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.
The following question is aligned to the required technical skill of Data and Synthesis.
- Describe a time you delivered a data science solution to solve a business problem or improve an established process.
Please use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) approach to answer this question.
The sift panel will use the information in your employment history and technical statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
Applications will be sifted at regular intervals from the date the posts are advertised. Please apply as soon as you can, do not wait until the end of the campaign.
Important Information
- You will be asked to complete your employment history. Any information that you would usually share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
- Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
- If your employment history or technical statement contain any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
- We recognise that artificial intelligence may be helpful when applying for this role, but it is important to use it in the right way. Read the DWP AI Candidate Guide to understand how you can make the best use of GenAI while ensuring your application remains authentic and effective.
Stage 2: Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the essential criteria listed above.
You will also be asked to undertake a short technical test where you will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of: Experience of writing testable and scalable code in R, Python or SQL. This technical test aligns to the technical skill of Programming and Build.
You will also be asked to do a 10-minute presentation where you will be asked to demonstrate the following:
- Ability to communicate results to a range of audiences, translating technical concepts into non-technical language where necessary
- Understanding of a range of data science techniques and the ability to apply these to practical situations
- Ability to explore, combine and transform data from across disparate sources, writing code in appropriate technologies that is testable and scalable.
The use of visual aids such as PowerPoint is optional. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview.
Interviews will take place from the beginning of July 2025. Interview dates to be confirmed.
Further information
Find out more about Working for DWP
If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
All successful candidates and those placed on reserve will be posted in merit list order by location.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
Security Clearance Requirement
You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How we recruit page.
Feedback
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 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).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in 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
- Name : Natalie Selby
- Email :
Recruitment team
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you wish to make a complaint, please find further details here: https://careers.dwp.gov.uk/how-we-recruit/.Seniority level
- Seniority levelMid-Senior level
Employment type
Job function
- Job functionEngineering and Information Technology
- IndustriesGovernment Administration
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