Senior Assistant Statistician - B3

This opportunity is only open to applicants who are currently 'Priority Movers'. Applications from individuals not currently on the Priority Mover list will be rejected and not considered.   

The Learning Analysis Unit within Education Analytical Services is a mixed profession unit of 16 people across 5 teams. The unit provides analytical support and advice on a wide range of school education policies and issues.

This post sits within the team responsible for managing Scotland’s participation in international education surveys. The post-holder will report to the Principal Research Officer team leader and will be supported by other statisticians in the unit and the Senior Statistician unit head. 

This post will lead on development and implementation of a data analysis strategy for international education survey results. 

Scotland has participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA0 since 2000 and has recently rejoined the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). 

A key part of the role is working directly with international organisations – the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) – to ensure Scotland’s data processing and analysis align with agreed international standards and quality assurance processes. 

The post holder will be expected to attend international technical meetings and survey specific training delivered by the OECD and IEA for each survey cycle. These meetings are largely online but may also require some international travel. 

Responsibilities 

• User engagement with internal and external stakeholders to understand  data and evidence needs and shape analytical priorities.
• Develop and publish a public-facing data strategy for Scotland’s international education survey data. 
• Conducting data analysis and producing high quality analytical outputs, including statistical publications, technical reports and briefings. 
• Undertaking secondary analysis and data linkage of international education survey data to produce new insights and inform policy development.
• Attending training and technical meetings related to PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS.
• Applying a strong understanding of survey design and methodology and explaining results clearly to non-technical audiences.    
   

Availability during key delivery periods

This role supports the delivery of time-critical outputs with fixed external deadlines. The post-holder will be expected to be available during key peak delivery periods, particularly during peak statistical analysis following international database releases (typically March–June 2026) and during the main drafting and publication phase (typically mid-July to early September 2026).

During these periods, extended periods of annual leave can be challenging and would need to be carefully managed, given the concentration of analysis, quality assurance, drafting and publication activity. The team will aim to be as flexible as possible, with leave requests considered in the context of workload and delivery requirements, and with early discussion encouraged to support planning.