Senior Statistician

Senior Statistician

Department: Social Surveys

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Edinburgh, UK

Compensation: GBP 32,500 - GBP 43,000 / year

The Senior Statistician will lead the design and delivery of complex survey methodology, including sampling, weighting and advanced analysis. The role involves developing new statistical approaches, providing expert advice to researchers and clients, and contributing to high-quality research outputs and proposals with minimal supervision.

• Design sampling and weighting schemes from scratch with minimal input from other statisticians.
• Select survey samples using statistical software with minimal input from other statisticians; check/QA samples generated by other statisticians.
• Generate survey weights for survey analysis with minimal input from other statisticians; check/QA weights generated by other statisticians.
• Review, develop and implement new methodology related to survey design and analysis with minimal supervision.
• Undertake complex data analysis using techniques such as logistic regression and Latent Class Analysis (LCA). Advise/teach researchers and customers on statistical and methodological issues with support from other statisticians.
• Be part of the tendering process for research projects - both contributing to Research Proposals and being a member of the team for tendering interviews.
• Write sections/chapters for research and technical reports with minimal input from other statisticians.
• Disseminate statistical work via conferences and written reports/papers.
• Perform any other reasonable duties that Nat Cen may require that are consistent with the broad nature of the job role.

• Good academic background, preferably including a degree with substantial statistical content.
• Demonstrable experience working in survey research; for example, in social/market research, government, other public/voluntary sector, or academia. This can include work towards successful completion of a postgraduate qualification with a strong research or research methods component.
• Knowledge of survey statistics, with some practical experience of survey sampling and weighting.
• Familiarity with SPSS, R, Stata or a similar statistical package (with experience of scripting/coding using the relevant command language).
• Excellent Excel skills, with ability to manage large datasets, use advanced formulas, and produce accurate, well‑formatted outputs.
• Good standard of written English.
• Aptitude for explaining complex statistical issues in a clear and comprehensible manner, with some experience of doing this in a professional environment.
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple deadlines, with some experience of doing this in a professional environment.
• Keen eye for detail.

Holiday: 25 days’ holiday plus 8 bank holidays. Leave increases to 30 days after 3 years’ employment.

All new employees will be automatically enrolled on the pension scheme 3 months from their start date unless stated otherwise. The minimum employee contribution is 3% and the maximum employer contribution is 5% of salary. If the employee does not wish to contribute, there is a process to opt out for a limited period.

Staff can also join a defined contribution pension scheme. The minimum employee contribution is 4% and the maximum employer contribution is .5% of salary. You can join this pension from when you start working with us.

All employees are eligible for a lump sum benefit payable to the named beneficiary on the employee’s death of 5 times their annual salary. Beneficiary form must be completed – further details can be found when you start working with us.

Nat Cen Rewards – an online employee benefits scheme featuring discounts at800 retailers and service providers in the UK, both online and in store.

Health Cash Plan – Employees can sign up to a healthcare cash plan which lets you claim back the cost of treatments, such as laser eye treatment, dental treatment, physiotherapy, hospital scans, etc. You can pay as little as GBP 1.20 per week, and when you receive treatment, you send the details to the provider and the plan reimburses you, depending…