Data Scientist/Engineer - £44,825 p.a. + benefits

at  Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

JOB SUMMARY

We have an exciting opportunity for a Data Scientist/Engineer in our Digital and Technology Group.
This is a full-time position, on a permanent basis based in one of our office locations in Canary Wharf, London, or South Mimms, Hertfordshire. Please note that this role can only be worked within the UK and not overseas.
Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites.
We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 8 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 12 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly.
A Digital Allowance of up to £10,000 per annum may be available for exceptional candidates based on our assessment of your skills and experience. This is non-negotiable and at the discretion of the hiring manager/interview panel.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The ideal candidate will have:

• Proficiency in Analytics tools such as Power BI, DAX, and Power Query
• Proficiency in querying using SQL in different databases including MS SQL Server
• Experience in communicating between the technical and the non-technical
• Experience in solving complex data problems and data handling

If you would like to find out more about this fantastic opportunity, please read our Job Description and Person Specification!
Please note: The job description may not open in some internet browsers. Please use Chrome or Microsoft Edge. If you have any issue viewing the job description, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk
Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,825, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £12,985 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Annual Leave: 25 days annual leave on entry, rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff. PLUS 8 bank holidays
• Privilege Leave: 1 day
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): One month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months full pay/five months half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allowing staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Civil Service Pension Scheme. Please see the link for further information http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/ For enquiries relating to the Civil Service Pension Schemes please contact MyCSP’s Pension Service Centre directly on 0300 123 6666
• Flexible working to ensure staff maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Interest free season ticket loan or bike loan
• Employee Assistance Services and access to the Civil Service Benevolent Fund
• Eligibility to join the Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA)
• Variety of staff and Civil Service clubs
• On-going learning and development

Things you need to know

SELECTION PROCESS DETAILS

Application – please complete the online application on the Agency’s recruitment portal, ensuring that you provide full answers to all the application questions, with reference to the Behaviours, Experience and Technical Criteria set out in the Persons Specification section of the Job Description.
Please note, our applications are CV blind, and our Hiring Managers will not be able to access your CV when reviewing your application. Please complete the ‘Work Experience’ section of the application fully, providing details of your previous roles, clearly describing your achievements and key responsibilities.
Interview – aligned to the Person Specification criteria marked “I” (Interview) in the Job Description.
Test – aligned to the Technical Criteria in the Person Specification. More information will be given if you reach interview stage.
In the instance that we receive a high number of applications, we will hold an initial sift based on how well candidates demonstrate their experience with the technology stack listed in the Technical criteria of the person specification.
Closing Date: 26th January 2025
Shortlisting Date: W/C 27th January 2025
Interview Date: W/C 24th February 2025
Applicants are assessed on whether they meet any mandatory requirements as well as the necessary skills and experience for the role. Applications are scored based on the answers provided - ensure you have read these thoroughly and allow sufficient time. You can view the criteria for this role in the job description.

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)

WHAT’S THE ROLE?

The Engineering team, made up of Software developers, DevOps engineers, Quality Assurance testers, and data professionals including engineers, scientists, and visualisation experts, is tasked with the creation of applications and services, ensuring quality for both new and existing agency offerings, and developing data visualisations through their expertise in data engineering and science.
This is an exciting role where you will help us to build out our data and analytics capabilities. You will work with stakeholders from across the agency to incorporate new sources of data into the agency’s data platforms, ensuring that data is handled consistently. You will also be instrumental in ensuring data reporting and visualisation adds value to agency activities, enabling the best use to be made of data we hold and supporting the delivery of our mission to improve outcomes for patients and the public. This role will champion improving the quality of data reporting within the agency and recognise new opportunities to re-use our data to provide better insights.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Data Dashboard and Report Development - Use Microsoft Power BI (and other BI tools at the agency such as MicroStrategy) to design, develop, and maintain interactive data dashboards and reports to meet the organisation’s analytical needs
• Data Integration and Management - Connect Power BI to data sources (including Azure Synapse, SQL, Excel, SharePoint, etc.), perform data integrity checks, implement schedules for data refreshes etc to ensure data quality.
• Troubleshoot and Azure Data Platform Maintenance - Able to troubleshoot Azure Data Platform issues and to maintain data pipelines for smooth business operations
• Developing data models - Developing data models and working closely with architects/ data architects to support business intelligence reporting and data analytics using Power BI and MicroStrategy