Questionnaire and Materials Testing Delivery Manager

This post is a key interface with the business-as-usual area and will involve handing the product specifications over. It is therefore essential that the successful candidate can build excellent working relationships with relevant business areas to understand their requirements and engage staff throughout development and implementation of enhancements whilst allowing existing business as usual commitments to continue.

The Senior Executive Officer will work with the G7 to identify and prioritise the operational processes necessary to ensure efficient research operations. This involves creating and embedding research operations within the teams and leading the operational running of the testing. This would encompass the whole research and development lifecycle from agreement of research priorities to delivery of product specifications for use in the live TLFS.

This role will include the management of a team. The team will facilitate the operational delivery, for example producing test questionnaires in our questionnaire building tool, producing and maintaining specifications in English and in Welsh, and booking meetings.

Role Responsibilities

You will:

• Document and operationalise effective processes for all stages of the research and development cycle, including business area specific induction materials for new staff.
• Facilitate the governance of project outputs, ensuring that products are agreed by all impacted areas, and are fully operationalisable.
• Develop and maintain budget spreadsheets for use by entire team, enabling efficient management of resources across multiple research work strands.
• Work collaboratively with other teams within the entire data lifecycle to deliver a Live survey of good quality.
• Act as the key point of contact within the business area with contracted suppliers to ensure effective delivery of these services within contracted SLA’s. (Current suppliers provide Welsh translations, recruit participants for testing, and transcribe interviews from recordings.)
• Act as the key point of contact for the business area within ONS; anticipating upcoming testing requirements from an operational perspective, undertaking planning in advance; dealing with queries and problems as they arise. (Current testing can require support from telephone interviewers and access to live systems)
• To schedule activities appropriately to ensure that testing is executed in an efficient and timely manner; ensuring that research outcomes delivered to timetable and requirements.
• Develop, own and refine mechanisms to track and update on testing activity progress and on outcomes from testing activity across the team.
• Managing routine (and ad hoc) test meetings (e.g. supplier meetings, and project retrospectives)
• Document test updates, issues, outcomes, progress, and communicate these to stakeholders as necessary.
• Raise, escalate as necessary and work to resolve testing issues.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• Proven ability to manage a complex workload and deliver outcomes within tight timescales.
• Adaptable and able to respond quickly and effectively to changing priorities and pressures.
• Strong relationship-building skills, with experience working collaboratively across teams and organisations.
• Detail-oriented, with excellent quality assurance and problem-solving abilities.
• Confident in managing stakeholders, resolving conflicts, and delivering projects through to completion.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

Alongside your salary of £41,985, Office for National Statistics contributes £12,163 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).

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

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 and Experience.

Visa Sponsorship

ONS is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must have a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are currently in the UK on a time-limited visa, it must have at least 18 months remaining at the point of application.

Right to Work and Nationality Requirements

To work at ONS, applicants must meet the Civil Service nationality requirements, satisfy UK right to work requirements and, where applicable, meet the relevant security clearance requirements.

If you are unsure whether you meet the appropriate right to work or security clearance eligibility criteria, please refer to the guidance on Gov.uk or contact the recruitment email provided in the advert before applying. Failure to meet these requirements will result in your application being rejected and employment offers being withdrawn.

Security Clearance

For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.

At the point of SC application, you will need to