The closing date for this job has now passed.

Job reference: 163326
Salary: Band 6 (£37,831 - £46,100)
Job closing date: 20/09/2023
Job Type: Administrative Services
Location: Flexible Location
Employment type: Fixed-term or Secondment
Hours Per Week: 37.5
Job posted date: 07/09/2023
Employer (NHS Board): NHS Education For Scotland
Department: Data Group (NES Technology Service)

Job Advert

Flexible Location: Based throughout Scotland, NES is a remote friendly employer supporting office, remote and hybrid working (within the UK). We’re happy to talk about how you want to work. 

Work Pattern: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week 

Fixed-term or Secondment** until 31/03/2024 

**For NHS applicants, only a Secondment will be made available. For non NHS applicants, a fixed-term or secondment would be considered.  

You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment 


Who We Are 

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.  

NES Technology Service has created a strategic programme for the transformation of digital based services to allow NES to become a leading digital organisation in Scottish Health, digital by default and fully aligned with the Scottish Government’s technology strategies. 


Our Technology 

We are in the business of providing safe, secure and innovative technology products and services that aim to improve outcomes across education, training, workforce, health and care in the public sector in Scotland. 


The Opportunity 

We are looking for two Data Scientists (Information Analyst Business Partners) to join our small, but highly talented and growing team to collaborate and solve some of the most complex challenges in health and social care.  

Do you want to play a key role in delivering statistics to the NHS and the wider public in the form of Official Statistics reports? 

Do you want to improve the evidence base for workforce planners and other professionals involved in ensuring that NHS Scotland has the right staff, in the right place with the right qualifications? 

Do you enjoy working in a small team, using data science to make workforce data available and understandable to a wide range of stakeholders across the Health & social care sector? 

Do you enjoy working at pace and being adaptive to an ever-changing environment? 

Working within the Data Group you will have the opportunity to work with new and innovative technologies to deliver data and intelligence that will directly inform the development and delivery of data for workforce planning for health and care professionals, and the general public. 

Does this sound like you? 


What We Love to See 

Data Scientists offer a broad range of skills and experience, if you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:  

  • Significant experience of analytical, research and evaluation methods 

  • Experienced in using R and SQL or similar analytical coding languages e.g. Python 

  • Knowledge of current frameworks of information and statistical governance 

  • Customer focussed, with a helpful, flexible attitude 

  • Aptitude for excellent attention to detail  

  • Highly effective communicator knowing how to make complex data and analysis accessible for a diverse range of stakeholders 

  • Ability to work on own initiative and to work closely with colleagues in small team, to organise and prioritise workload and to meet strict deadlines 


Benefits Which Matter 

As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:  

  • Life-work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and remote working 

  • Generous NHS pension scheme  

  • Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review  

  • Annual Leave - 27 Days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday  

  • NHS discounts and more 


Diversity and Inclusion 

Developing a successful national service for Scotland is impossible without ensuring we consider the diverse needs, perspectives and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland in our work.  

We are focused on hiring the very best talent available for NES, and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and aim to ensure everyone is treated fairly, with respect and has a positive recruitment experience – regardless of the outcome.  

It’s not essential to be in a data science role right now. You may be returning from a career break (e.g. maternity, paternity, caring for others) or returning to after working in another field.  Your experiences elsewhere can bring a fresh perspective to our work. 

If you are considering applying and feel it would be helpful to discuss this initially, please contact Ben Tait ben.tait@nhs.scot 


Next Steps 

**NHS applicants will only be considered on a secondment basis, and so are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current employer at the earliest opportunity 

Our recruitment process is currently 100% remote and if successful you would initially work remotely, working from our offices as operationally required. 

All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. 

Online interviews (including a short presentation) will take place between 2nd and 5th October 2023. 

For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below. 

Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date. Please note, CV’s will not be accepted.


You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment. Evidence of this must be produced upon request.  

We actively encourage applicants from a range of backgrounds, regardless of gender, age, disability, race, sexual orientation, religion or belief. https://www.careers.nhs.scot/about/who-we-are/ 

If you have any queries regarding the application portal or the recruitment process, please contact us at:  NES HR Recruitment: EoS.ERRS@nhs.scot  

Take a look around the company https://jobs.scot.nhs.uk/