Office for National Statistics
Survey Validation Officer
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Job Location
These roles are based in our Fareham (Titchfield) office.
This role is aligned to ONS hybrid working principles, which are based on attending the office with purpose. The postholder will be expected to contribute to the organisation’s overall 40% office attendance, in line with business and role requirements.
The induction process for the role will be conducted in person.
Further details are provided, please see the 'standard requirement' attachment to the advert.
Job Summary
Do you have excellent communication and organisational skills? Have you got a good eye for detail? If so, this might be the role for you!
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution, and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime, and migration.
Social Surveys Directorate (SSD) is the largest Directorate in ONS, comprising approximately 2,000 colleagues, including the field communities and split across six divisions.
- Social Surveys Field Collection (SSFC)
- Social Surveys Telephone and Ports Collection (SSTPC)
- Social Surveys Research and Production (SSRP)
- Social Surveys Strategy, Research and Innovation (SSRI)
- Social Surveys Transformation (SST)
- Social Surveys Central Division (SSCD)
This post sits within Social Surveys Telephone and Ports Collection (SSTPC) division which encompasses the International Passenger Survey community, who are based at airports, seaports, and international train stations across the UK, and the Telephone Operations community, which is based within our HQ offices.
The division also incorporates the Survey Enquiry Line, who support field interviewers and the public who call in requesting assistance, and the Survey Validation team who undertake critical coding and editing work. The Operational Delivery Profession Hub team, which provides profession-specific support and development across Social Surveys Directorate and the wider ONS, also sits within this division.
The Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest profession in the Civil Service. ODP’s 200,000+ members work in a wide range of operational delivery roles across government, providing essential services that support and protect UK citizens at home and overseas. They help to make ONS a great place to work.
As a member, the ODP supports you by providing learning and development opportunities, career pathways, tools and resources to help develop your skills and progress your career. This is an exciting opportunity to join a modern, innovative and inclusive Civil Service profession that sits at the heart of public service delivery.
Job Description
Survey Validation sits within Directorate of Survey Operations. A large team who works collaboratively to maintain delivery at peak times throughout the year.
Survey Validation (SV) processes (codes and edits) data from two of our social surveys: Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF) and Family Resource Survey (FRS)
Within this role, you will code/edit survey data. This involves using pre-defined instructions and a set coding framework to well-defined monthly, quarterly and annual delivery targets and quality standards.
Survey Validation work collaboratively as part of a large team to maintain delivery at peak times throughout the year, with the ability to switch between tasks when required whilst paying close attention to detail at all times.
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Core Hours
Survey Validation operates between the hours of 6am to 7pm, however there is a requirement to work your core hours between 9am to 3pm, your remaining time can be worked flexibly.
Training
Within the first 2-3 weeks of your employment - You must be prepared to attend the office for the full duration for the training.
Responsibilities
- Learning software used to code/edit the survey data.
- Learning and accurately applying survey coding and editing instructions.
- Having a curious mind along with an understanding of nutritional information and an attention to detail.
- Using Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel & Outlook) in order to complete coding and editing tasks and to populate management information.
- Liaising with Field Interviewers and/or Research to enable data processing to a high standard.
- Using SharePoint and the internet as resource tools to support accurate coding and editing.
- Working well in a team and sharing information with colleagues and internal clients.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
- Excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing.
- Confident in liaising with a wide range of colleagues with the ability to form a strong rapport with people easily.
- Experience of using Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint and the Internet.
- Experience of working to deadlines by following set guidelines and managing time responsibly.
- The ability to identify problems and finding solutions using appropriate criteria and guidance.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £25,501, Office for National Statistics contributes £7,387 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.
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.
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Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability and Experience.
Visa Sponsorship
ONS are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants are expected to hold a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are applying on a time-limited visa, this will need to be valid for at least 18 months.
Application Process
Number of Stages
2 stage process
Stage 1: Application
Civil Service Online Tests
Upon submission of Part 1 your application form you will be sent an invitation to complete a situational judgement online test. There will be full instructions on how to complete each test including an opportunity to practice before undertaking the actual test. These tests are not time limited.
If you pass a test, you will then receive a further invite to complete each subsequent test if there is more than one for this vacancy. If you fail a test your application will not proceed to the next stage.
If you pass all tests for this vacancy, you will be invited to complete the final stage of your application, this is where you will provide information such as your work history. Skills and experience and Personal Statement.
The assessment process at the full application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.
The personal statement required at application stage, has a maximum wordcount allowed of 1000, which should not be exceeded. You should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.
When a high volume of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted. Candidates will be invited to interview based on their merit order, with those achieving the highest scores being prioritised. Applicants who score below the adjusted pass mark but still pass will be placed on hold and may be invited to interview at a later date.
Stage 2: Interview
If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert and any required technical skills.
Interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams.
Our main locations are Newport (South Wales), Darlington and Titchfield. This role is Titchfield based location only.
A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.
Important Dates
- The Sift will be conducted from: 23/7/2026
- Interviews will be conducted from: w/c 10/8/2026
Dates are subject to change.
For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment.
Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if
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