Useful information for Heads of Profession (HoPs)

The following provide support for statistics Heads of Profession:

Best Practice and Impact division

Best Practice and Impact division supports everyone in the GSS to improve government statistics. Get in touch by emailing: gsshelp@statistics.gov.uk.

Central Policy Secretariat

Central Policy Secretariat (CPS) supports the HoPs network in a number of different ways, including organising meetings and sending out the weekly HoPs email. Get in touch by emailing: gss@statistics.gov.uk.

The National Statistician and the Deputy National Statisticians

Find out more about the National Statistician and the deputies. Get in touch by emailing: national.statistician@statistics.gov.uk.

GSS recruitment team

Find out more about the GSS recruitment team. Get in touch by emailing: gss.recruitment@ons.gov.uk.

GSS careers team

Find out more about the GSS careers team. Get in touch by emailing: gss.careers@ons.gov.uk.

GSS capability

Find out more about the GSS capability team. Get in touch by emailing: gss.capability@statistics.gov.uk

Other HoPs

You can contact other statistics HoPs through Central Policy Secretariat or via the HoPs channel on GSS Slack. These links will only work if you have a Slack account and are logged in. You will also need to be added to the HoPs channel to see the content there.  Please email gsshelp@statistics.gov.uk if you need access.

HoPs from other departments can be contacted through the Central Policy Secretariat (email: gss@statistics.gov.uk) or via the HoPs channel on the GSS workspace on Slack. These links will only work if you have a Slack account and are logged in. You will also need to be added to the HoPs channel.

• GSS workspace on Slack
• GSS website
• Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) website
• GSS newsletter
• OSR newsletter
• The Analysis Function newsletter (contact analysis.function@ons.gov.uk )
• Weekly HoPs e-mail (this is sent out by the Central Policy Secretariat: gss@statistics.gov.uk)

Roles and responsibilities for statistics Heads of Profession.

The GSS strategy

In 2020, our current strategy (Better Statistics, Better Decisions) will come to an end. A new consultation has been launched to inform the strategy that will replace it.

The GSS strategy webpage will be updated with developments.

Other strategies

• GSS Harmonisation Strategy
• GSS Quality Strategy

All strategies in the GSS policy and guidance hub.

Governance and boards

Find out more about GSS governance and high level boards.

Committees and groups:

• Statistical Policies and Standards Committee (SPSC)
• Presentation and Dissemination Committee (PDC)
• Heads of Profession Group
• People Committee
• Inter Administration Committee (IAC)
• International Committee

All committees and groups.

Useful links

• The policy on badging statisticians
• GSG competency framework
• The GSG Career Framework with information on how to help people use it
• The GSG recruitment policy
• Guidance for the adoption of success profiles
• The policy for recruiting a statistical Head of Profession

Recruitment campaign dates

Recruitment campaigns for Statistical Officers, Higher Statistical Officers and Senior Statistical Officers

Any questions on recruitment or careers?

Contact the careers team (gss.careers@ons.gov.uk) if you have a query relating to:

• GSS professional standards
• Government Statistician Group (GSG) competency framework
• badging policy
• careers and talent pipelines (including GSS apprenticeships)
• GSS Fast Stream scheme and policies
• GSS student roles

Contact the recruitment team (gss.recruitment@ons.gov.uk) if you have a query relating to:

• permanent and temporary recruitment
• badging exercises
• sandwich students
• summer placements
• GSS assessor training
• careers fairs
• GSS Fast Stream recruitment

• The Code of Practice for Statistics
• Reporting breaches of the code
• Labelling official statistics
• Publishing official and national statistics
• Publishing experimental statistics
• Changing or ceasing to publish official statistics
• Publishing official statistics on polling days
• Management information and official statistics
• Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
• The CPD policy for the Government Statistician Group (GSG)

All these and more can be found on the GSS policy and guidance hub.

• Training courses
• The GSG analytical learning pathway
• Learning and development landing page

Any questions on learning and development? Email: gss.capability@statistics.gov.uk

Data leaders network

Find out about the data leaders network on GOV.UK

Champion networks

• Presentation
• Quality
• Harmonisation
• Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP)
• Web dissemination
• Geography

Champion networks landing page.

Information about the Analysis Function on the GSS website – including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Information about the Analysis Function on the GOV.UK website.

The GSS, government professions and the Analysis Function.

Details about governance, committees, boards and groups relevant to the Analysis Function can be found in the Analysis Function strategy document on pages 17 and 18.

All producers of official statistics have a responsibility to work closely with the devolved administrations.

Read more about devolution and the GSS. 

The Office for National Statistics’ Data Science Campus supports the growth of data science skills and data transformation programme across the analytical community.

Find out more about the Data Science Campus. 

The Office for Statistics Regulation is the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority. It aims to enhance public confidence in the trustworthiness, quality and value of statistics produced by government. It does this using four main tools:

• assessment – assessing statistics against the Code of Practice for Statistics and designating them as National Statistics if they comply in full
• compliance checks – providing a high-level review of the statistics
• systemic Reviews – on issues and opportunities that cut across the statistical system
• casework – making public comment on the uses of official statistics

The OSR ogranise their work around subject themes. This has enabled them to develop wider networks of external contacts and topic expertise. As part of this approach, their regulators will seek to maintain regular contact with all HoPs. The OSR team page gives the names and contact information and their subject themes.

Contact details for GSS teams.