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The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education.

The Chief Information Office (CIO) Portfolio bring trusted design, data and technology know-how to the delivery of lifelong learning.

CIOP are responsible for the digital information, systems and technologies used by staff and students across The Open University. Covering all aspects of digital technology at the OU, from sourcing and maintaining systems, through to providing frontline IT support for staff and students.

The role

The Open University is recruiting a Data Analyst.

Do you enjoy finding the story within Data?

Can you translate complicated data for a non-data user?

Do you want to support the Open University to be a data first community?

Then we want to hear from you!

Here in the Data and Student Analytics team we provide a centre of excellence and knowledge for data support to the whole university. We support the business with its strategy through insightful analytics and data. We aim to keep the university and our stakeholders thinking data first.

You will work closely with stakeholders across the university in all roles and departments to help find the answer to their questions and create a data first community and approach.

We a vibrant team covering three main data functions:

• Business intelligence – We work closely with the university to find the “story” in the data, through interactive dashboard and reports. Getting to the heart of the “what” to support the “how”.
• Data Requests – responding to specific requests for data and analysis from across the university where self-serve tools do not exist.
• Strategic analysis – conducting deep dive pieces of analysis to provide insight to a specific question or problem. Going above and beyond the initial question to give a rounded answer with an evidence based approach.

We are a mostly homeworking-based team with occasional travel needed to our Milton Keynes office, approximately once a month you may be required to travel to in person event and meetings. We value the importance of flexible working and the need for work life balance to are open to discussing any flexible needs.

Skills and experience

• Ability to tell simple and persuasive stories from complex data using visualization tools (e.g. PowerPoint, Power BI, Tableau etc).
• Inquisitive, with a willingness to tackle complex problems creating simple but effective solutions.
• Undergraduate degree/equivalent, or work experience at a comparable level, in a subject with a strong mathematics or statistics element.
• Proven ability to understand business questions and translate these to data solutions that lead to actionable insight.
• Experience of analysing complex data from a wide range of sources including both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Strong practical ability to manipulate and analyse large and complex datasets (using SAS, SQL, R, Python or equivalent)
• Strong working knowledge of using Microsoft Office applications and specialist data visualisation applications to create visually impactful presentation of data analysis

More information can be provided via a link to the Job Description below

If you would like to discuss the application or recruitment process before making an application, please contact Paula Haycock at Resourcing Hub on 01908 655544 or [email protected] quoting the reference VRF 20899

What you get in return

We have a strong commitment to providing training and development in and beyond your current role. This includes thorough induction into the organisation and regular reviews of your training and development needs.

We also offer a great range of benefits that support our employees and their families for the long term. Staff Benefits include an attractive pension proposition and 33 days holiday per annum pro rata, plus Bank Holidays and Christmas closure days.

How to apply

Unless otherwise stated in the advert, all applications are completed online via the instructions on The OU Job’s page. Applications submitted via 3rd party websites will not be received.

Access details for disabled applicants are available from the Resourcing Hub, telephone: 01908 655544, quoting the vacancy reference above.

To apply for this role please submit the following as one document;

• CV
• Personal statement, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.

Please save your document with the following file name as appropriate to the vacancy you are applying for: reference, surname, forename.

You will need to have your documents ready ahead of submitting the electronic application.

You will receive updates regarding your application from [email protected]. Please ensure this email address is added to your list of trusted senders so it does not go to your junk folder.

You can view your application communications on the Candidate portal.

Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services, and staff networks.