The Home Office building on Marsham Street, London.
The Home Office, including the UK Border Agency, is the government department responsible for policies on immigration, passports, counter-terrorism, policing, drugs and crime.
The department is an exciting place to work with a clear focus on evidenced-based policy making. There are a number of Operational Research teams which support the various Home Office and UKBA functions by providing research and analysis on a range of issues relevant to management and policy. Many of the questions posed by our policy colleagues and Ministers can only be answered by high quality modelling, led by OR analysts and economists. Questions like:
The range of work we undertake reflects the whole spectrum of Home Office functions, using operational research and modelling to provide an objective, scientific evidence base to support executive decision making in policy, strategic planning and delivery areas. We work closely with colleagues from other disciplines such as economics, statistics and social research.
There are currently around 35 OR analysts within the Home Office and UKBA. There are OR teams in several parts of the Home Office, including the corporate centre, the UK Border Agency, the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism, and Crime and Policing. The atmosphere is friendly and informal, with a mixture of academic backgrounds which makes the Home Office a very stimulating place in which to work.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is the independent inspectorate for policing organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It inspects in the public interest, monitoring and reporting on whether the public is receiving an efficient and effective service, and it challenges policing organisations to improve.
As the landscape for policing changes – for example with the election of Police & Crime Commissioners in November, and the establishment of the National Crime Agency – HMIC’s role and work will change in parallel. Working with us means a chance to make a real difference to the quality of local police services and the lives of the population that the police serve, as well as presenting an opportunity to work closely with the police service and central government partners.
The work of the Performance, Analysis & Research team underpins everything HMIC does, helping develop and present the evidence that underpins HMIC’s inspection work and ongoing monitoring processes. We collect and analyse data covering a wide range of activities, from operational processes and outcomes, through to financial and workforce plans. Operational Research skills are central to this, and we are seeking candidates who can apply a rigorous analytical approach to problem solving, as well as being able to work proactively as part of a wider team of colleagues and stakeholders to ensure that analysis forms a central part of high quality inspection products.
HMIC is a relatively small organisation, and the individuals in our small team can expect to work on a variety of different challenging areas, and will benefit from close contact with senior colleagues on a routine basis.