Data Analyst

Your role as Data Analyst here at the Scottish Funding Council is to provide expert data analysis, insight and recommendations that will drive evidence-based decision making for the Senior Leadership Team, senior managers and other relevant parts of SFC, as well as the university and college sectors.
You will work with colleagues to deliver management information to support SFC to ensure quality of activity is sufficient and you will respond to request of data information from other Government and public stakeholders. You will undertake data analysis and build charts, tables and dashboards to present insights and evidence to inform decision making.
Sifting for this role will take place week commencing 26 August 2024
Face to face interviews will take place in Haymarket, Edinburgh week commencing 2 September 2024., 1. Work collaboratively with SFC colleagues to gather evidence, provide guidance, support projects and disseminate management information within and out-with the organisation.
2. Monitor, evaluate and report on student numbers for health subjects, including nursing, medicine and paramedics.
3. Analysis of Further and Higher Education data to inform policy development across a wide range of areas including access, skills and funding.
4. Work collaboratively with SFC colleagues to gather evidence, provide guidance, support projects and disseminate management information within and out-with the organisation.
5. Attend and contribute to committees and working groups as required with internal and external stakeholders.
6. Provide analytical support for other internal or external projects as required.
7. Draft reports and papers, based on specified project briefs, for senior management to review.
8. Present analysis and insights to SFC colleagues and external stakeholders., The selection panel read every application and will use the evidence you provide to assess your application against the essential criteria of the Person Specification section.
In your CV please also set out your educational and professional qualifications, and career history, with key responsibilities, dates and achievements. Please provide reasons for any gaps.
During the CV submission stage, you will be asked to confirm if you require any reasonable adjustments, if selected for interview, and if you wish to claim a guaranteed interview under the Disability Confident Scheme. Under this Scheme, all applicants who consider themselves to be disabled in terms of the Equality Act 2010, and who meet the essential minimum criteria for the post will be guaranteed an interview. You can find further guidance on the definition of disability for these purposes on the Gov.UK website here.
If you give any information which you know is false, or if you withhold relevant information, this may lead to your application being rejected, or if you have already been appointed, to your dismissal.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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.

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)

+ Effective analytical skills, including the ability to interpret and explain complex information to audiences with varying degrees of expertise.
+ A good understanding of data analysis.
+ Good team player who will work with internal and external colleagues to improve the development of evidence-based policy across the organisation.
+ Effective oral and written communication skills.
+ Effective IT skills, including Excel and SQL, as well as R, Python or other similar programming experience.
+ Degree level education (SCQF level 9) or equivalent experience, preferably in a subject with a substantial quantitative content.
+ Experience of using Business Intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau.

Everything we do at the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) aims to create the right environment for colleges and universities to thrive individually and collectively. The Scottish Funding Council is Scotland’s tertiary education and research authority. Our ambition is to make Scotland an outstanding place to learn, educate, research, and innovate – now and for the future. So, naturally, we have a clear focus on recruiting the best people and developing them throughout their career. We invest around £2 billion every year, and our funding enables colleges and universities to provide life-changing opportunities for over half a million people. We’re not only looking for the best people to come and work for us, but also people who will connect with our guiding principles which include working in partnership, championing diversity, and supporting sustainability for future generations. By fostering our guiding principles, we are very proud of the inclusive working environment that we have
created. We are committed to attracting people of all backgrounds: we want our colleague base to reflect the people and communities that we serve.

Alongside your salary of £37,686, Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council contributes £10,175 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ · Normal full-time hours of work are 35 per week. We will consider flexible working arrangements. A flexi-time system is in operation.
· Annual leave entitlement of 26.5 days pro-rata, rising to 30 days pro-rata after 2 years’ continuous service. Public and privilege holiday entitlement of 13 days pro-rata.
· A flexible approach to hybrid working, giving you flexibility to work from home anywhere in the UK for some of the time while also maintaining regular in-person contact with colleagues.
· Annual pay review: approved within the framework of the Scottish Government’s Public Sector Pay Policy and negotiated with our recognised trade union, Unite. Salaries are reviewed annually in April for employees who commence employment prior to 1 October in the preceding year.
· Eligibility to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme. With its low member contribution rates and generous employer contributions, this gives you a secure, inflation-proof pension for life with no investment uncertainty. Details of contribution rates together with further details of the pension benefits are available on the Civil Service Pensions website. There is also the option of a Partnership pension account.
· Support for continuous professional development: as a part of SFC, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive support for continuous learning and professional development. Civil Service-Learning curriculum has thoughtfully designed to cater to various learning preferences, allowing employees to engage in a manner that best suits their needs. All our educational resources are conveniently accessible through the CSL website.
· Support for health and wellbeing, including generous occupational sick pay, free access to confidential advice and support through our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, Special Leave (paid and unpaid), a contribution to learning outside work through our Lifelong Learning Fund, free winter flu vaccination, and access to occupational health support.
· We provide support to SFC employees with Volunteering Days.
· Support for travel to and from work, including a salary sacrifice cycle loan scheme, cycle storage and shower facilities, an interest-free loan for bus or rail season tickets and free office car parking for employees on a first-come basis.