GORS Analytical 1-Year Sandwich Placement or Summer Placement Newcastle upon Tyne, England
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Operational Research
Science
Statistics
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About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
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Location
About the job
Job summary
Apply now for this exciting opportunity to spend your university sandwich year placement in a high-profile Government Department.
Year-long placement opportunities are available at: Home Office, Valuations Office Agency, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, HM Revenue & Customs, Department for Transport, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Cabinet Office, Department of Health and Social Care.
In the following locations:
Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Croydon, Darlington, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hastings, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Salford, Sheffield, Treforest (Pontypridd), Westminster, Wolverhampton and York.
Summer placement opportunities are available at: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Department for Transport, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
In the following locations:
Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Salford, Sheffield, Treforest (Pontypridd), Westminster and Wolverhampton.
You will have the opportunity to learn skills required for professional life whilst working for organisations ranked in the top 10 graduate employers in the country as rated by graduates.
You must be studying a highly numerate degree and expecting to achieve a 2:1 or above. You must be in at least your second year of study and must be returning to university after completing your placement, for either your current degree or a masters.
Please select more than one location while expressing your location preference, this will allow us to allocate you the next preferred location, in case your first preferred location has been fully occupied
Job description
The Government Operational Research Service (GORS) are the analytical minds behind many of the Government’s policies. Policies which, when implemented, affect everybody in the UK – including you. By looking closely at complex systems, and developing models that predict the way they behave, our analysts can bring a new perspective to the way problems are tackled.
If you join us, you’ll be part of a select team who can influence the decisions of policy makers at more than 25 government departments and agencies. From immigration to climate change, we look objectively at the complex problems the government faces and apply a range of analytical and modelling techniques to help them find better solutions.
Apply for a GORS placement to gain professional and technical skills whilst working on some of the most interesting and pertinent problems facing the country. We recruit students who are interested in learning modelling, statistical and computing skills and have the drive and personality to work effectively both on their own and in a team.
For hints and tips on how to apply, please see the student section of the GORS website: www.operational-research.gov.uk/recruitment/students.
Note that once you have submitted your application you cannot amend it. Please do not submit your application until you have answered all the relevant questions. We cannot accept late applications. All applications for these vacancies must be made online. Paper applications will only be considered if you have a disability that will prevent you from applying online. If this is the case, please email [email protected]
Want help understanding whether your nationality qualifies to join the Civil Service, or UK immigration rules? Please search online for Civil Service Nationality Rules. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
Further information: www.operational-research.gov.uk
Person specification
Our analytical teams cover a broad range of remits, including dealing with resource allocation, workforce planning, forecasting, performance measurement, and strategic planning.
Previous student projects have included:
- Informing impact assessments to provide balanced and objective views of the costs and benefits of policies
- Designing a pilot study to test the impact of a new policy to increase the likelihood of unemployed people entering work
- Analysing the impact of customer behaviour to identify different types of customers we interact with
- Forecasting migration routes into the UK
- Working on analysis to achieve world class education from early years through to adulthood
- Modelling benefit fraud
We are looking for bright, forward-thinking students from highly numerate subject areas such as Astrophysics, Data Science, Decision Science, Econometrics, Engineering, Mathematics, Operational Research, Physics and Statistics. Other numerate degrees, such as Accounting, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Economics, Finance, Geography, IT, Management, Management Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Sciences and Systems Science, may be accepted if 50% or more of the modules are considered highly numerate.
Being highly numerate is only the starting point for our student analysts. We expect you to build on your technical skills and work towards successfully influencing policy decisions by presenting your analyses effectively in meetings, written reports, and oral presentations.
Qualifications
To meet our definition of highly numerate, at least half of your modules must be from one or more of the following subjects: Astrophysics, Data Science, Decision Science, Econometrics, Engineering, Mathematics, Operational Research, Physics, Statistics, or similar. You must have a good chance of obtaining a 2:1 or better.
Modules that we do not consider highly numerate include Accounting, Business, Computer Science, Economics, Finance, Geography, IT, Psychology and Sociology. This list is not exhaustive.
Please detail your degree including:
- Type of qualification (e.g. BSc, MMath)
- Subject (e.g. Maths, Physics, OR)
- Current year of study
- Completed modules (listing the year they were taken and the grade achieved)
- Current modules (listing the expected grade)
- Degree class or mark expected (for example 1, 2:1)
- Your current institute of study (this is for informational purposes only and will not affect your application outcome)
Please specify whether you are:
A) Currently in your second year of a 3- year university course, or in your second or third year of a 4- year university course and are applying for this placement as your ‘sandwich year’ placement.
B) Currently in your final year of a 3- or 4- year university course and intend to return to university for post-graduate study after completing your placement. Please state the subject of your post-graduate study.
C) Other. Please specify.
If you do not include this information on your application, your application will not pass the qualification sift.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Knowledge and Application of OR Skills and Techniques
- Achieving Impact with Analysis
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- 23-25 Annual leave days
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Your application form will be sifted based on eligibility (including level of degree numeracy) and based on the technical skills and the behaviour examples provided in your application.
For hints and tips on how to apply, please see the student section of the GORS website: www.operational-research.gov.uk/recruitment/students.
If your application is successful at the sift stage, we will invite you to book an interview. You will be able to choose from dates as mentioned for your interview.
Before the interview begins, you will be asked to prepare and deliver a five-minute presentation to describe the approach you would take to tackle a problem described in a given scenario.
There will be only one round of interviews and it will focus on testing your technical skills and behaviours in line with the presentation you prepare on the day and the examples you have provided in your application form.
If successful at interview, you will be allocated to a Government department based on your location preferences. It is important that you give us your first, second and third choice of location from the list of available locations, and we will do our best to allocate you to your first or second choice. We have limited placements available in Glasgow, Hastings and York.
Interview dates and location:
Dates: weeks commencing 24th April 2023 and 1st May 2023
Location: Virtual via Microsoft Teams
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Please note, in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
Reasonable Adjustment
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. Please see our Disability Matters: How we can support you during our selection process booklet for more details.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the “Assistance required” 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
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
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).
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