Analysis Officer

at  Consumer Scotland

JOB SUMMARY

Consumer Scotland is the statutory body for consumers in Scotland. Established by the Consumer Scotland Act 2020, it is accountable to the Scottish Parliament. Consumer Scotland’s purpose is to improve outcomes for current and future consumers and its strategic objectives are:

• to enhance understanding and awareness of consumer issues by strengthening the evidence base
• to serve the needs and aspirations of current and future consumers by inspiring and influencing the public, private and third sectors
• to enable the active participation of consumers in a fairer economy by improving access to information and support

The staff of Consumer Scotland are civil servants.

Consumer Scotland provides consumer advocacy and advice with a view to –

• reducing harm to consumers in Scotland
• increasing confidence among consumers in Scotland in dealing with businesses that supply goods and services to consumers
• increasing the extent to which consumer matters are taken into account by public authorities in Scotland
• promoting –
• sustainable consumption of natural resources, and
• other environmentally sustainable practices, in relation to the acquisition, use and disposal of goods by consumers in Scotland
• otherwise advancing inclusion, fairness, prosperity and other aspects of wellbeing in Scotland.

Consumer Scotland formally came into existence on 1st April 2022 and was launched publicly on 22nd June 2022. It now has approximately 35 staff who work in one of three directorates: operations; policy and advocacy; and research, analysis and investigations. Consumer Scotland is funded through a combination of grant funding from the Scottish Government and levy funding from the regulated markets of energy, water and post.
Consumer Scotland is committed to ensuring that its policy advocacy is based on robust evidence. Consumer Scotland’s research and analysis directorate is central to this ethos, producing rigorous, high quality and policy relevant research and analysis.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The post-holder will work as part of the Analysis Team within Consumer Scotland’s Research, Analysis and Investigations Directorate. This team primarily undertakes quantitative economic, statistical and data analysis of consumer issues, however also supports mixed method and qualitative research projects.
As Analysis Officer, the post-holder will be supported by Analysis Managers and the Head of Analysis to work with colleagues across the directorate and wider organisation to deliver high quality analysis and research on a wide range of consumer issues. Recent projects have included: impacts on consumers on different pricing policies in regulated markets; analysis of consumer behaviours in relation to climate change; how different households in Scotland have experienced inflation; the experience of consumers requiring legal services; the impacts of energy costs on disabled consumers; and how consumers can be at the heart of a transition to a more sustainable and resilient water sector.
The role will involve both undertaking in-house analysis and supporting the commissioning and delivery of external research.

Supported and directed by Analysis Managers and the Head of Analysis, the post-holder will:

• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Consumer Scotland to deliver analysis and research that provides a strong evidence base to support policy advocacy.
• Provide insight on topical consumer issues through analysis of data, existing research and wider evidence.
• Contribute to the analysis of administrative and government survey datasets (for example, the Scottish Household Survey, the Living Costs and Food Survey, or data from consumer advice organisations) to provide rigorous insight into a wide variety of consumer-related issues
• Contribute to the procurement, management and analysis of externally commissioned research and analysis, including consumer surveys, ensuring that work is delivered to a high standard and contributes to Consumer Scotland’s evidence base.
• Disseminate analysis findings internally and externally through supporting the production of high-quality presentations, blogs and reports.

The post is a full-time role, but staff with different working patterns are invited to apply, and we will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for this post.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Consumer Scotland is the statutory body for consumers in Scotland. Established by the Consumer Scotland Act 2020, it is accountable to the Scottish Parliament. Consumer Scotland’s purpose is to improve outcomes for current and future consumers and its strategic objectives are:

• to enhance understanding and awareness of consumer issues by strengthening the evidence base
• to serve the needs and aspirations of current and future consumers by inspiring and influencing the public, private and third sectors
• to enable the active participation of consumers in a fairer economy by improving access to information and suppor