Requirements
To apply directly for an Assistant Statistician post at the Scottish Government you will need a good honours degree in a numerate discipline, e.g. statistics, maths, economics, sciences, etc. You also need to be able to communicate and negotiate, analyse and evaluate, and to present your findings clearly and concisely.
As an Assistant Statistician you will follow a structured development plan which will enable you to develop your skills and knowledge in different posts across a wide range of government departments.
We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates and aim to employ a diverse workforce which reflects the people of Scotland.
If you want to find out what others have to say about working in Scottish Government Statistics then please see our Assistant Statistician Profiles page.
Locations
Most Scottish Government vacancies occur in Edinburgh in a number of buildings in the North, West and centre of the city. However, there are also several posts in Glasgow city centre and Livingston. It is possible to move to different locations since assistants normally move post every 18-24 months.
Training and Development
The Civil Service encourages training and development of their staff. Courses are available to improve statistical skills and there are opportunities to attend conferences on statistics and issues related to the job. Transferable skills can be developed through courses on communication, team building and managerial skills.
Promotion is based on merit and those who show a high standard of work will be given plenty of opportunity to move higher up the ranks. All Assistant Statisticians have the chance to improve their skills and potential, enabling them to move on to more senior roles, such as Statistician or Senior Statistician posts.
Guide to applying
Successful candidates who pass the application stage of any of our direct recruitment campaigns will be invited to an Assessment Centre. The Assessement Centre is a process of assessing candidates against the skills, or competencies, required for particular roles. As a candidate, you will have more than one opportunity to demonstrate your skills and in a variety of different situations. Candidates attending an Assessment Centre will receive a guide on what to expect in advance of attendance.
The Scottish Government Assistant Statistician Assessment Centre consists of the following elements:
- Written exercise
Lasting 1 hour 5 minutes and with a choice of questions - Presentation preparation
You will be given 30 minutes to prepare a presentation based on given information - Presentation followed by a Competency Based and Technical Interview
You will give your presentation and answer follow up questions on it, before moving on to the main interview which should last approximately 1 hour
The Assessment Centre has been designed to allow candidates to demonstrate how comfortable they are in dealing with numerate information, rather than their knowledge of detailed statistical methodologies. Examples of questions you are likely to face in the written test should be made available within the Assessment Centre guidance.
Further info
The information on this page is also available through our Assistant Statistician Recruitment Leaflet.
You may also wish to look at the Government Statistical Services Jobs page which outlines the recruitment processes for both fast and main-stream posts across the UK.