Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Insights Analyst
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Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, York
Job Summary
About Circular Economy & PackUK’s Role
The UK is committed to transitioning towards a more circular economy, keeping resources in use for longer, extracting maximum value from materials, reducing waste, and improving overall resource efficiency. The Circular Economy Directorate in Defra leads the development and delivery of strategy to support this ambition across the UK.
As part of this work, the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme is shifting the full cost of managing household packaging waste away from taxpayers and local authorities and onto packaging producers, applying the ‘polluter pays’ principle. This incentivizes producers to use less and more sustainable packaging, helping to reduce pollution, cut carbon emissions, and accelerate progress towards a circular economy. PackUK is the organization responsible for administering the pEPR scheme.
Job Description
PackUK is recruiting an HEO Operational Researcher. Reporting to the Insights Lead, the post-holder will provide analytical support to PackUK, ensuring our projects are led by data and evidence. This will involve working with teams across PackUK, Defra Circular Economy analysts, partners from administrations across the four nations of the UK, and the recycling and packaging sectors, to identify PackUK's data and evidence requirements and develop plans to fill them.
Key Responsibilities
In this role, you will:
- Lead on assessing PackUK’s data requirements (for example, local authority performance data or data to assess PackUK’s performance against its 5-Year Strategy) and developing plans to fill identified gaps. This will require assessment of data robustness, suitability of data sources for PackUK’s intended use, and source limitations.
- Support the delivery of a research and development project and the design of a call-for-evidence into future modulation factors to be applied to producer fees.
- Develop and maintain PackUK’s tracking of pEPR policy effects, gathering evidence to ensure the scheme is delivering on its intended outcomes.
- Provide analytical support and capability to PackUK teams, helping the Directorate become a data-driven organization.
- Engage with external stakeholders across the packaging industry to gain further insights and gather evidence.
- Collaborate with analytical teams within Defra Circular Economy Directorate, working together to build on each other’s expertise and existing workstreams.
- Quality assure analysis undertaken for PackUK, ensuring outputs are robust under external scrutiny.
- Support other team members and contribute to a positive and inclusive working environment.
Person Specification
- Experience of numerical modelling/analysis in Excel or R software (with a willingness to learn to use R if not previously used)
- Experience of analysing and interpreting data to produce insights
- Experience of critically assessing and gaining insight from a range of sources, including academic articles and technical reports
- Excellent collaborative skills and ability to work across teams
- Ability to communicate complex analysis clearly to non-technical audiences
- Able to deliver at pace, responding quickly to emerging or changing priorities.
Essential Criteria
- Professional Analytical Background: Current member of the GORS profession or eligible for joining.
- Experience in Working with Data: Experience identifying, managing, and assuring datasets needed for the successful delivery of technically complex projects.
- Technical Expertise in R or Excel: Hands-on experience of numerical modelling/analysis including the ability to validate and interpret data and produce insights.
- Innovative Analytical Skills: Demonstrated ability to explore diverse data and evidence sources, using robust and innovative analytical techniques.
- Collaboration Across Organisations: Proven ability to work effectively across teams, with partner organisations and stakeholders with differing priorities.
- Delivery at Pace: Experience working successfully in fast-paced, high-pressure or high-profile delivery settings, remaining flexible as priorities and deadlines change.
- Communication and Influence: Able to communicate complex analytical material clearly to non-technical audiences and provide confident, evidence-based advice.
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Technical Skills
You will be assessed against the technical/professional competency framework relevant to your chosen profession:
Government Operational Research Service – GORS Technical Framework - GOV.UK
Mandatory Qualifications
Existing member of the Government Operational Research Service (GORS) profession, or meeting the qualification requirements. Please state in your application if you are already badged, or if you meet the following minimum qualifications:
- You have, or expect to have, a 2:1 or higher degree or degree apprenticeship in a highly numerate degree subject; or
- You have, or expect to have, a 2:2 or higher degree and a highly numerate postgraduate degree
If you do not meet the degree requirements, you can still apply by providing evidence of equivalent numeracy through work or study, along with a supporting statement from your line management chain or your department’s GORS Head of Profession if there are no GORS members within your management chain.
Mandatory Memberships & Badging
Current member of the GORS profession or eligible for joining these professions.
Role
If you are not an existing member of these professions, you will be expected to go through the badging process once in the role. See here for more details:
Government Operational Research Service - Badging Process - GOV.UK
This role operates flexibly to support PackUK’s evolving priorities. The post-holder is expected to:
- Contribute to a range of projects or teams, including moving onto new subject matters, where their skills and experience are relevant.
- Apply core transferable skills—such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and analytical thinking—in varied contexts across PackUK.
- Adapt to changing priorities over time, responding to shifts in strategic focus and organizational needs.
- Support peak periods and emerging initiatives through a collaborative and responsive approach.
The points above reflect the immediate priorities for this role over the next 6–12 months, based on its position in the to-be structure. However, this role operates flexibly and may be refocused onto new priorities as these emerge.
This flexible way of working enables PackUK to remain agile and deliver effectively across its strategic objectives.
Qualifications
You have, or expect to have, a 2:1 or higher degree or degree apprenticeship in a highly numerate degree subject; or you have, or expect to have, a 2:2 or higher degree and a highly numerate postgraduate degree.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
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Technical Skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
Government Operational Research Service
Alongside your salary of £34,765, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £10,071 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- A CV detailing your career history, including any relevant qualifications (for info only)
- A Personal Statement (max. 500 words) demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria
- An online test
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55pm on 10th August 2026. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
Online Test Maintenance
You will be directed to the Talogy - True Talent – Scheduled Maintenance Window Webpage for online tests during an outage.
Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between midday - 1.00pm and 4.00pm - midnight on 10th August 2026. You will be unable to access tests during this period.
If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.
Interview Process Details
You will also be asked questions based on the following Civil Service Behaviours;
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
You will also be asked Technical Skill based questions as per below:
- Government Operational Research Service
Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Location
As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location