Research Officer - Government Social Research; GSR

The ONS operates a flexible hybrid working model across the UK, with colleagues linked to one of our contractual locations working between office and remote throughout the week. The locations for these roles are Newport (Gwent), Titchfield (Fareham), Manchester or Darlington. All colleagues are required to work from their contractually allocated site for at least 40% of their working time. Due to current capacity constraints there is currently an exception for colleagues based at the Darlington Economic Campus, this is expected to move to 40% attendance in 2027-28 for Darlington.

The induction process for the roles will be conducted in person.

Do you want to produce statistics to improve society?

The Office for National Statistics provides statistics to give insight into different areas of society and our economy. We are at the forefront when it comes to the production of reliable data, giving trusted and unique insights into health, well-being, work, household finances, local economies, high streets and more.

Census 2031 represents our most ambitious data collection project yet – a once-in-a-decade opportunity to capture a complete picture of everyone living in England and Wales. Building on the digital success of 2021, we’re pioneering new ways to reach every household and community, ensuring no one is left uncounted. This vital work will provide the foundation for policy decisions, resource allocation, and community planning for the next decade.

We will achieve these goals through quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research so are seeking to recruit people with the relevant research skills to support us in this.

By joining us as a Research Officer you will become a member of Government Social Research (GSR), which is the analytical profession for civil servants who generate and provide social and behavioural research and advice. To apply for these roles, all candidates need to demonstrate competence in quantitative social research.

The majority of GSR roles in ONS are quantitative but a handful of qualitative roles are also available. In your online application you can select your preference for qualitative roles, but we are unable to make guarantees on placement for successful candidates.

At ONS we are creative about the way we work to deliver brilliant and sustainable outcomes and as we collaborate, we approach working together with positivity and trust, investing in building excellent and inclusive working relationships across the organisation.

This campaign is to fill current vacant posts, therefore apply only if you have already completed your degree or are due to complete and receive your degree by 30th September 2026.

High quality data and analysis are required to inform the UK, improve lives and build the future. You could be working on topics of interest and programmes of work that include Census 2031, responding to changing data needs, population and migration, health monitoring, crime or survey transformation and quality.

• Production and publication of high‑quality National Statistics on a range of subject matters.
• Discrete pieces of analysis to provide context and understanding around statistical outputs.
• Development of new methods, production systems and reporting/dissemination to make sure we meet data users’ changing needs.
• Assisting with research to understand administrative datasets and how they can be used in the production of official statistics.
• Conducting qualitative research (employing a range of methods including mental model research, focus groups, cognitive interviewing, pop‑up research, usability testing and so on) with the public and businesses. This may include conducting participant recruitment for the research.
• Designing and developing questionnaires for social and economic surveys (suitable for paper, telephone, face‑to‑face and online self‑completion) using qualitative research methods.
• Disseminating work in various ways and to different audiences via written reports, through presentations, at ‘show and tell’ meetings, and through papers to a variety of audiences, both in the UK and internationally at conferences and other…