Operational Data and Insight Manager

Make a Difference with Data That Matters

Join the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK's largest producer of official statistics, and play a key role in delivering the high-quality data that informs public health policy, research and decision-making. From tracking population change and migration to understanding health outcomes and inequalities, ONS provides the evidence that helps shape the future of the UK.

Work with a team whose work helps shape public health insights and supports key government decisions. As an Operational Data and Insight Manager, you'll lead the delivery and continuous improvement of systems and data that underpin nationally important statistics.

The Life Events Processing team sits within the Data Quality and Design Division and is responsible for processing data from the Registration Online system used by Registrars across England and Wales. This information supports a wide range of official statistics, including mortality analysis and public health insights that inform policy and decision-making across government.

In this role, you will ensure the quality and integrity of complex datasets, and work with stakeholders to deliver valuable insight and service improvements. You will also help provide data and services to key partners across government, public health organisations, local authorities and academia.

This is an excellent opportunity to lead meaningful work, influence decision-making, and contribute to statistics that have a real impact on public services and the lives of people across the UK.

As an Operational Data and Insight Manager, you will play a key role in ensuring operational services, processes, and systems are effective, efficient, and fit for purpose. Using data and insight to inform decision-making, you will help drive continuous improvement, identify opportunities for change, and support the delivery of high-quality services.

You will lead the development and use of management information, reporting frameworks, dashboards, and analytical tools to provide meaningful insight into operational performance. By analysing complex datasets, you will identify trends, risks, and opportunities, helping stakeholders make informed decisions and improve service outcomes.

Working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, you will build strong relationships, share insights, and identify opportunities to improve performance and efficiency. You will also support the design and implementation of reporting solutions that enable effective monitoring of customer, service, and operational performance.

The role requires strong analytical and leadership skills, with responsibility for leading projects, influencing stakeholders, and embedding evidence-based decision-making into day-to-day operations. You will ensure that data, insight, and performance information are translated into practical actions that support organisational priorities and improve outcomes for customers and stakeholders.

Information

Please be aware that this role involves working with sensitive and potentially distressing information, including data relating to deaths, mortality statistics, and coronial or inquest records.

As part of your day-to-day responsibilities, you may be required to review, analyse, and manage information that some individuals may find emotionally challenging. While support and wellbeing resources are available, it is important that candidates carefully consider whether they would feel comfortable working with this type of material on a regular basis.

We are committed to creating a supportive working environment and recognise that people respond differently to sensitive content. However, given the nature of the work, resilience and the ability to work professionally with distressing information are important aspects of the role.

We encourage candidates to take this into consideration before applying to ensure the role is the right fit for them.

Responsibilities

• You will Interpret data to support service delivery and improvements, including dashboards and data sets. 
• Collation of relevant and multiple data sources, seeking opportunities to innovate and improve Production of management information to report customer and service performance including creating dashboards. 
• Ensuring timely and telling management information enabling informed decision-making using data.
• Takes responsibility for the way data drives decision making and asks the right questions around data sets to focus attention.  
• Establish close working relationships with stakeholders internal and external including attending regular meetings to keep informed of emerging data/reporting needs. 
• Review and produce high-quality case studies, including authoring, reviewing and editing content for publication and supporting evaluation work.
• Summarising and presenting work to internal and external stakeholders on small scale or at larger scale events.
• Ensuring adherence to policies and data protection legislation.  

Essential Criteria

Connections and Communications (Working): Builds strong, collaborative relationships across teams, communicating openly, sharing information constructively and encouraging feedback to support excellent service, quality and performance.

Operational Leadership & Management (Working): Leads and motivates teams inclusively, providing clear direction and effectively planning workloads to deliver high-quality outcomes, meet performance targets and maintain excellent service in challenging circumstances

Adaptability to change (Working): Drives continuous improvement by identifying and solving problems, acting on feedback and creating learning opportunities that improve service delivery and prepare the team for change.

Delivery and Delivery Decision making at pace (Working): Makes timely, evidence-based decisions and recommendations, assessing risks and delivery timescales, escalating appropriately and clearly explaining the rationale for decisions.

Data and Insight (Practitioner): Uses data, trends and insights to drive sound decision-making, commissioning meaningful management information and challenging competing evidence to ensure consistent, timely and well-informed operational decisions.