Data

As an analytics engineer, you will get data ready for analysis. You will sit between the engineers who build data systems and the analysts who use the data. You will design the models, code and documentation that connect them.

You might suit this role if you:

• enjoy working out how messy real-world processes turn into structured data
• prefer building things colleagues will use over producing one-off answers
• like switching between technical detail and what the organisation needs

Where you could start

You can start as a trainee analytics engineer at at Administrative Officer (AO) or Executive Officer (EO) grade. You’ll shadow experienced colleagues, learn the team’s tools and techniques, and pick up simple data requests as you go.

People often come into analytics engineering from other data work like data analysis, business intelligence, research or data administration. They tend to have strong Structured Query Language (SQL) skills and an interest in how organisations work.

Where it can lead

There are 5 levels in analytics engineering, from trainee through to head of analytics engineering. As you gain experience, you’ll move from working on data models that others design, to designing your own. Eventually you can lead teams that build data capability across a department.

The skills you build also transfer to other data roles like data architecture, data engineering and data governance.

A data analyst uses data to help people and teams make decisions. You’ll gather data, prepare it for analysis, find patterns, and share your findings.

Each data analyst could work on different datasets depending on the team and organisation they’re working with. You’ll work out what the data can and cannot tell people, and share findings they can act on.

You might suit this role if you:

• enjoy puzzles and finding patterns in information
• can work with messy or incomplete data and still get useful answers from it
• like turning findings into something people can act on

Where you could start

There is no standard route into this role. 

People come into this role from very different backgrounds, including statistics, humanities, social sciences, computer science and mathematics. 

You can also start through an apprenticeship in data and technology, or move from another role where you have worked with data. 

Where it can lead

You can choose to specialise or move into a leadership role. 

Senior roles include senior data analyst, principal data analyst, head of data and chief data officer. You can also specialise in things like data architecture or data engineering. 

You can also move between departments and change the types of data you’re working with.

As a data engineer, you’ll build systems that other people use to get the data they need. You’ll write code to connect databases, clean up messy data, and keep it flowing reliably.

Analysts, data scientists and service teams use what you build to do their jobs.

You might suit this role if you:

• enjoy writing code to solve practical problems
• want to build things behind the scenes that other people rely on
• are methodical and notice when something is not quite right

Where you could start

Many data engineers come into the role from software development, data analysis or business intelligence. Before starting in this role, you will need to be confident with code. Structured Query Language (SQL) and Python are the most common languages.

If you are new to coding, a Civil Service graduate scheme or apprenticeship can give you the technical grounding you need.

Where it can lead

With experience, you can move up to senior data engineer, then lead data engineer and head of data engineering.

You could also move sideways into related roles like analytics engineer or data architect. At senior levels, you might lead engineering teams across a department.

A data scientist builds tools to solve problems with data. You’ll use statistical methods, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to find patterns, predict what might happen, or recommend what to do next.

The work is technical and the problems are often open-ended. The data is rarely clean, so part of the role is getting useful answers from what is available.

You might suit this role if you:

• enjoy hard problems where the answer is not obvious
• like building things with data, including models, tools or systems
• enjoy using maths and statistics, and want to keep learning new techniques

Where you could start

Most data scientists come in with a strong maths or statistics background. That usually means a degree in a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) subject.

Some people also move in data science from another analytical profession.

Where it can lead

Data scientists usually choose leadership roles or specialise in a technical role.

Technical roles can lead to senior data scientist, principal data scientist or machine learning engineer roles. Leadership roles include head of data science and senior positions running technical teams.

You could also move sideways into software engineering with extra training.

As a performance analyst, you will measure how well a government service is working and what would make it better. You will look at how people are using a service and where they get stuck. You will also look at what the numbers say about whether the service is meeting their needs. You will then turn what you find into clear recommendations that teams can act on.

You might suit this role if you:

• want to understand why something is or isn’t working for the people using it
• like turning numbers into a clear story that helps others decide what to do
• notice small things in data that other people miss

Where you could start

Most people start as an associate performance analyst. You’ll need to be comfortable working with numbers and have done some analysis before, even informally. For example, pulling reports together in a previous job or working with spreadsheets to answer a question. 

You do not need a data or computing background. People come into this role from policy, operations, research and a range of other jobs.

Where it can lead

With experience, you could lead the performance work on a larger or more involved service as a senior performance analyst. 

From there you could move into a lead or head of performance analysis role, shaping how a whole organisation measures its services. 

The skills also open up related roles such as digital evaluator and digital portfolio manager.