Digital Sociologist

Location: National*

Closing Date: 6th March 2024

Interviews: Expected from 13th March 2024

Grade: Grade 7

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)

Salary: London: £58,847 - £66,670 (which may include an allowance up to £4,828)

             National: £54,358 - £61,585 (which may include an allowance up to £2,517)

Working pattern: Full-time, part-time & flexible working

Contract Type: Permanent

Vacancy number: 84630

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role:

We’re recruiting for a Digital Sociologist here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative Office of the Public Guardian  (OPG) digital team.

We use cutting-edge agile approaches and outcome-based cross-functional teams to make rapid but meaningful improvements to public services that live up to the unique challenges of MOJ's responsibility to society.

As a Digital Sociologist, you will work at the intersection of policy, technology and society; planning, designing and carrying out research activities to deeply understand how technology and data are changing society by identifying social and cultural trends, and changing behaviours and attitudes in response to technological change.

This research will inform OPG & MoJ digital, data and innovation strategies, and the design of policies and services so they reflect social norms and expectations, work well for users and achieve policy intent.

To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide social research to cross functional teams and a wide range of stakeholders.
• Support/lead on co-design with external stakeholders.
• Advocate for ethical practices or policies within the organisation.
• Provide socio-technical ethnographic research around subject areas which impact society (for example - identity).
• Understand the changing relationship that society has with data and technology, and communicate its impacts.
• Understand and influence data flows, and promote the ethical use of data across the organisation.
• Effectively collaborate with different disciplines in analysis and synthesis of data to increase consensus and challenge assumptions.

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!

Benefits:

• 37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
• We are committed to nurturing our staff and provide lots of training and development opportunities with learning platforms such as: Linux Academy, O’Reilly, Pluralsight, Microsoft Learning, Civil Service Learning, GDS Academy, etc.
• 10% dedicated time to learning and development with a budget of £1000 a year per person

• Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates)

• 25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the Kings’ birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.
• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
• Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app. 
• Nurturing professional and interpersonal networks including those for Carers & Childcare, Gender Equality, PROUD and SPIRIT
• Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)
• Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
• 5 days volunteering paid leave.
• Free membership to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
• Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.

Person Specification:

Essential

• Qualifications - Digital Sociology or Digital Anthropology qualification at degree or masters level.
• Analysis and synthesis - Expert
  • help an organisation to adopt a wide range of analysis and synthesis techniques, and to continually assure, improve and innovate their practices to generate clear and valuable findings
  • draw together, analyse and evaluate qualitative and quantitative data and information
  • quickly read and interpret complex documents from a range of sources and distil to what is relevant
  • turn research data into clear findings that inform decisions
  • effectively involve colleagues in analysis and synthesis to increase consensus and challenge assumptions
  • advise on the choice and application of techniques, and can critique colleagues’ findings to assure best practice
  • help teams to define their project outcomes and ethical considerations, and to integrate ethical diagnostics and assessment
• Society and technology - Expert
  • align user research activities to help the organisation understand changing user behaviour, and the challenges and opportunities for government policy and service proposition
• Applied knowledge of social sciences - Expert 
  • demonstrate expert knowledge of social sciences (such as anthropology, economics, sociology, philosophy, psychology or race theory)
  • apply various social science theories to the strategic oversight of data projects, products and policies, and to evaluate and challenge assumptions made in data science projects
  • demonstrate expert knowledge of existing schools of thought and best practice in data ethics
  • work with academics and external researchers and you seek to publish research on applied digital ethics
• Empathy and inclusivity - Expert
  • incorporate a wide variety of views from underrepresented groups into product and policy work, using in-depth consulting and outreach strategies
  • be involved in the wider organisational diversity and inclusion plan
  • draw on your multidisciplinary background and personal experience to understand the consequences of data systems on a diverse range of stakeholders
  • demonstrate a thorough understanding of social issues, types of bias and discrimination different groups can face, and you can use this knowledge to inform your data ethics work
• Ethics and privacy - Practitioner
  • show an awareness of the legislation applicable in this area, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA)
  • show an awareness of existing data and AI ethics frameworks in and outside government
• Inclusive research - Expert
  • help an organisation adopt a wide range of user research methods
  • help teams understand the diversity of users of government services
  • effectively include all kinds of users in appropriate research activities
  • advocate inclusive practices and help teams design and deliver accessible services that work for all users
• User-centred and agile practices - Expert
  • understand and demonstrate extensive experience in a range of user-centred and Agile approaches
  • help government organisations adopt user-centred practices and embed them into Agile service design and delivery
  • effectively advocate for user research across an organisation

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate on the basis of culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.

Our values are Purpose, Humanity, Openness and Togetherness. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.

How to Apply:

Candidates must submit a CV and Supporting Statement, up to 750 words (Any words over this may not be considered). It should describe how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above and details of your Digital Sociology or Digital Anthropology qualification. A portfolio of previous work would also be desirable.

In Justice Digital, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:

• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Leadership

A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above.

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference, which will include a portfolio presentation section. 

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on Qualifications will be conducted prior to the sift. You will need a Digital Sociology or Digital Anthropology qualification at degree or masters level, please detail this on your CV/Statement of Suitability.

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for, but demonstrated the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and potentially offer you the position without the need for a further application.

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.

Terms & Conditions:

Please review our Terms & Conditions which set out the way we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact recruitment@digital.justice.gov.uk