Civil Service Reform Experiments Lead (SEO)

The Civil Service Strategy Unit (CSSU) is at the heart of the government's agenda for change, aimed at growing the economy and improving people's lives right across the United Kingdom. We are an active part of the Future Civil Service Group (FCS), whose mission is simple: to make it easier for people to get great things done across the civil service and wider public sector. With Government Peoples Group (GPG) colleagues, we aim to improve speed, efficiency and innovation in improving public services, making them joined-up, resilient and effective in meeting the public's needs and expectations.

In CSSU we ensure that priority, cross cutting reform initiatives are developed, prioritised, delivered and scaled. With a direct link to the Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and liaison with Ministers, we have the ability to champion reform issues at the highest levels of government. This is an ambitious role looking at all aspects of the Civil Service, it is focusing on how we can radically improve our people, organisation, and digital use in departments, functions, professions and public bodies. We are a delivery-focused "think-and-do" tank where you can iterate, test, and fail fast, learning lessons on the way to find what truly works. CSSU has been newly reshaped in order to be more agile to the key strategic issues. The Directorate consists of around 50+ staff, located across the UK, who work together to deliver high quality strategic advice.

The role:

This is a dynamic opportunity for a proactive and analytical person to support the Productive and Agile State (PAS) experimentation workstream. Reporting to the G7 PAS Experimentation Lead, you will play a key role in designing, executing, and evaluating experiments aimed at identifying and unblocking bottlenecks across the Civil Service. Your work will be crucial in gathering and analysing evidence that informs scalable reforms and drives a more agile, productive culture across government. You will also task manage 1 HEO.     

The work of this team is highly dynamic and requires a proactive approach. The successful candidate must demonstrate:

• Exceptional flexibility and agility, with the ability to respond to new and changing strategic priorities.
• This includes the ability to create clarity in ambiguity by working iteratively on proposals and solutions, often in a sprint-based approach.
• We require critical problem-solving skills to perform effectively in a complex environment and
• A proven capacity for influencing and delivering through others to ensure we achieve our strategic objectives.
• Data-led decision making.
• Experimentation & Analytical Skills: A strong aptitude for designing and executing experiments. Proven ability to collect, analyse, and interpret data to inform insights.
• Communication & Drafting: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft clear, concise, and professional documents.
• Stakeholder Coordination: The ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a range of stakeholders to coordinate activities and gather information.
• Project Management: Strong organisational skills with a proven ability to manage specific workstreams and deliver against deadlines.
• Problem-Solving: A proactive approach to identifying and solving challenges related to data and project execution.

Responsibilities:

• Experimentation Design & Support: Contribute to the design of PAS experiments, helping to translate strategic hypotheses and complex problem statements into concrete, testable interventions with embedded evaluation.
• Evidence Gathering: Lead the collection of qualitative and quantitative data from experiments, ensuring its accuracy, integrity, and alignment with the evaluation framework.
• Data Analysis & Interpretation: Conduct detailed analysis of experiment data. Identify key insights, trends, and outcomes, and contribute to the teams evidence-based recommendations and lessons learned.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Liaise with departmental teams and other stakeholders to coordinate the execution of experiments and gather necessary information.
• Reporting & Dissemination: Draft and refine sections of briefings, reports, and presentations that communicate experiment findings and insights to a wide range of audiences.
• Project Management: Manage specific work packages or components of the experimentation workstream, ensuring timely completion and adherence to quality standards.

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.