Analysts in the Home Office deliver high-quality analysis and insight to inform decisions on some of the most high-profile policy challenges. The analyst professions in the department include economists, operational researchers, social researchers, statisticians and data scientists. These roles support policy and operational team by ensuring a sound evidence base informs the development and delivery of policy and frontline operations.
We advise on evidence and analysis throughout the lifecycle of decision making, to ensure advice to ministers is supported by evidence at all stages. To do this, each analytical profession brings their skills and expertise to the table, often working together on different aspects of a policy or operational challenge.
What you could be doing
- Managing quantitative and qualitative research projects that enable the department to make timely, evidence-based decisions.
- Designing evaluation and research projects, undertaking primary research and conducting secondary analysis of data.
- Options appraisal and impact assessment, including costs and benefits, value for money of interventions, and social, economic and equality impacts.
- Using large and complex data sets to model demand scenarios and provide forecasts to support critical operational decision making on the front line.
- Using data science tools and techniques to deploy the most advanced abilities at our disposal in order to answer complex policy questions, improve operational ability and use our data in novel ways.
- Working with analysts from other professions on specific projects and wider analytical programmes.
- Managing wider stakeholder relationships with, for example, academia in order to enable the Home Office to stay up to date with the most recent research and evidence.
The benefits of working as an analyst in the Home Office
There are lots of high-profile roles for analysts within the Home Office. We provide opportunities to work on issues ranging from migration and borders challenges, to tackling crime and countering terrorism. You’ll also get to use and develop different skills and methods, and work with other professions. Training to develop your knowledge and skills is also available, including profession-specific training and training relevant to all analytical roles.
Within the Home Office analyst community, there are also four profession-based networks that facilitate knowledge sharing and learning from experience. These are also cross-government communities, with members across more than 50 departments and organisations – providing further opportunities for continued professional development and networking.
Becoming a Home Office Analyst
Each of our analyst professions has different joining requirements that you would need to meet as part of the recruitment process. For more information see:
- Government Economic Service
- Government Social Research
- Government Operational Research
- Government Statistician Group
One of the main routes to joining the Home Office as an analyst is through central recruitment schemes run by each of the main professions. There is more detail about these on the websites listed above. We also recruit directly to the Home Office at most grades for most professions.
