Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Senior Insight Manager
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Job Summary
We are MHCLG
This is an exciting time to join the Communications Insight and Evaluation team at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). As one of the Government's highest-profile departments, we are delivering on many of the Prime Minister's key priorities, including housing, devolution, local growth and community cohesion. Our work helps ensure that communications are rooted in a deep understanding of audiences, enabling the department to engage people effectively and demonstrate the impact of its activity.
As a Senior Insight Manager, you'll play a key role in shaping the future of government communications. You'll help drive the transformation towards a more digitally-led, audience-centred approach, using insight, research and evaluation to inform strategy, optimise content and improve performance across owned, earned and paid channels. Working alongside colleagues from across communications, policy and the wider Government Communication Service, you'll ensure that evidence is at the heart of decision-making. You'll also have the opportunity to lead and support insight and evaluation for high-profile campaigns that address some of the country's most important challenges. From helping social housing residents understand their rights to supporting behaviour change and public engagement on major government priorities, you'll use robust evidence to shape campaigns, measure their effectiveness and generate learning that improves future communications activity. Working as part of a small, ambitious and highly regarded team you'll have significant autonomy, exposure to senior stakeholders and Special Advisors, and opportunities to influence communications on some of government's highest-profile priorities.
Supported by the Head of Insight and our stand-by research agency you'll act as a trusted adviser to colleagues across the department, helping them identify insight needs, frame research questions and select the most effective approaches to generate actionable evidence. No two projects are the same. One day you could be evaluating a major national campaign, the next conducting audience research to understand the most effective channels, messages or content strategies to reach key audiences. Throughout, you'll ensure that all work meets the highest professional standards, drawing on Government Social Research, Government Communication Service and Market Research Society best practice. This is a unique opportunity to influence high-profile communications activity, develop expertise across the full insight and evaluation lifecycle, and help shape how government uses evidence to deliver better outcomes for citizens.
Job Description
- Lead on building the evidence base around some of the government's most important social and housing challenges, likely including strengthening community cohesion, improving building and fire safety, and supporting efforts to end rough sleeping, becoming the team’s trusted insight expert in these areas.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with communications, policy and digital colleagues, as well as external research and creative agency partners, acting as a trusted adviser to ensure insight and evidence are embedded in communications planning and delivery.
- Lead the design, commissioning and delivery of high-quality insight, research and evaluation projects to support departmental communications priorities and decision-making. These will include campaign evaluations, deep dive message testing work and public opinion tracking.
- Analyse and synthesise evidence from multiple sources, including primary research, digital analytics, campaign performance data and external evidence, translating complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations for a non-analyst audience including Senior Leaders and Special Advisors.
- Support the department’s transition towards a more digitally-led and audience centred communications model by championing the use of insight, evaluation and data-driven decision making. This includes through our thematic cross-comms delivery boards.
- Explore and champion innovative approaches to insight and evaluation, including the use of digital analytics, AI-enabled tools and new research methodologies to generate faster, more actionable evidence while also ensuring all projects meet the quality standards expected by the Government Social Research, Government Communications and Market Research Agency standards.
- Build insight and evaluation capability across the communications directorate, championing best practice and helping colleagues make more effective use of evidence in decision-making
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Person Specification
Essential criteria
- Significant experience commissioning, managing and delivering qualitative and quantitative research and evaluation projects, including working with external suppliers.
- Experience and understanding in a range of social research techniques and methodologies such as evaluation, qualitative methods and surveys.
- Experience using audience insight to inform communications strategy, audience segmentation, targeting and message development. Experience of using low cost/no cost approaches for research and evaluation, whilst also maintaining quality including ad hoc desk-based research
- Experience presenting complex evidence and recommendations to senior stakeholders, influencing decision-making and securing buy-in for evidence-based approaches.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills
- Ability to work under pressure, at pace and can prioritise and project manage several tasks at once. Meets deadlines and manages expectations along the way.
- A good knowledge of the current traditional media and social media landscape and an interest in the changing nature of communications
- Experience of delivering communications evaluation plans
Analysts in MHCLG must be affiliated to a government analytical profession. This is usually one of the following:
- Government Economic Service (GES)
- Government Operational Research Service (GORS)
- Government Social Research Service (GSR)
- Government Statistical Service (GSS)
Stage 1: Filter and eligibility questions, entry tests
Candidates who successfully pass the initial filter and eligibility questions will be asked to confirm which of the analytical professions they belong to or are applying to be part of. This information will be used to progress successful applications to the appropriate professional checks element of the process.
Existing civil servants who are currently a member of one of these professions will retain their professional membership in this role. Applicants on promotion will be assessed for promotion within their profession as part of the selection process. Please make any current affiliation clear in your application.
External candidates or civil servants without a current profession affiliation may be considered for accreditation to one of the professions as part of the recruitment process. If you are not currently a member of a government analytical profession you will be put through the membership process for your chosen profession as part of this application. You must pass the membership process for your application to be successful. If you do not pass the relevant profession entry test your application will not be taken further. See the Guide for Analytical Candidates document for more details of the membership process for the relevant profession.
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You will need to address the technical competences for your profession in the application and at interview.
Please refer to the Guide for Analytical Candidates which provides:
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the technical competences for each analytical profession – GES, GORS, GSR and GSS
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details of the entry requirements to each analytical profession
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details of the entry process for each analytical profession
Entry Qualifications
The entry qualifications are listed below. Please list FULL details of your degree in your application form.
Government Social Research (GSR)
You must meet one of the following routes:
Degree route
Hold an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2:1 or 2:2 with a postgraduate degree, in a social science subject.
A Qualifying Social Science Subject Must Include Substantial Social Research Methods Training (comprising Around One Third Of Modules Taken In The Course). This Must Include
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Quantitative methods (mandatory), including research design, data collection (e.g. questionnaire design, sampling, weighting) and data analysis (e.g. statistical analysis); and
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At Least Three Of The Following
- Systematic or literature reviews
- Qualitative methods, including research design, data collection (e.g. interviewing, focus groups, ethnography) and analysis (e.g. thematic analysis).
- Interpretation of data (qualitative and quantitative), presentation of results, and development of recommendations or conclusions.
- Study design, hypothesis formation, testing and evaluation.
- Application of ethics to research.
Relevant degree subjects in the social sciences can be varied. You will need to demonstrate the substantial social research methods training you have undertaken, not just the subject of your degree.
Professional Experience route
Hold an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2:1, or 2:2 with a postgraduate degree, in any subject (or a degree equivalent, such as an advanced Certificate or Diploma from MRS), and have at least four years’ social research practice experience.
For Main Stream applicants, the degree requirement is an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2:2, with no requirement for a postgraduate degree.
Social research practice experience typically includes work in a research agency, market research agency or specialist research team.
Skills
To enter GSR through this route, you must clearly demonstrate the breadth and depth of your research experience and skills. This must include quantitative research methods and at least three of the following:
- Systematic or literature reviews.
- Qualitative methods.
- Interpretation of data and presentation of results.
- Study design and hypothesis testing.
- Application of ethics to research.
Competencies
You will need to address the technical competences for your profession in the application and at interview.
Professional Technical Competences Are Listed Below
- Social research competences
- Social research: technical skills
- Social research: using and promoting social research
Social Researcher Candidates (entry Test)
Candidates who are not members of the Government Social Research service (GSR) will be invited to sit the Government Social Research Knowledge test. This is the first part of the GSR membership process, and you must pass this test for your application to progress to the next stage of the recruitment process.
We will arrange for you to sit the GSR Knowledge Test as soon as possible. This test must be completed prior to interview, and if you do not pass this test, your application will not progress further.
Candidates who are existing members of the Government Social Research Service (GSR) do not need to complete this test as part of their application.
Salary and Benefits
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