Senior Analyst (Inclusive Communities)

We’re looking for a Senior Analyst (Public Service Innovation) to turn data into meaningful change across the West Midlands. This is a high-impact role at the heart of inclusive growth, shaping insight across homelessness, and Employment, Skills, Health and Communities. You’ll combine strong analytical expertise with outstanding communication skills, translating complex data into clear, compelling insight for senior leaders. Working in a matrix environment, you’ll build trusted relationships across government, partners, and communities to influence policy, drive collaboration, and deliver real-world impact.

What you will be doing:

• Present, communicate and disseminate data appropriately and with influence and persuasion to a range of WMCA and external stakeholders using written, verbal and interactive visualisation tools, including communicating the limitations of data.
• Provide input and guidance to colleagues for the effective design and implementation of programme-specific outcomes and impact evaluation approaches.
• Encourage colleagues to embed good data capture practices into their own programmes to enable effective reuse and implementation of best practice.
• Champion social research across the West Midlands system to ensure the intelligence and analysis needs are met, including inclusive growth; diversity, equalities, and inclusion; homelessness; environment; and other strategic priorities as required.
• Work flexibly and with integrity to meet the needs of the WMCA and the SENZ function.
• Listening to the needs of stakeholders, for instance, the Homelessness Taskforce and Race Equalities Taskforce, and interpreting them into research and analytical questions.
• Host difficult conversations with diverse senior stakeholders, managing expectations of stakeholders as to what is achievable, and managing active and reactive communications as appropriate.
• Advocate good data governance and data management standards and guidelines in line with the hub-and-spoke approach to research, intelligence, analysis and data in the WMCA.
• Seek to automate data management activities and develop processes to enable good data management practices and compliance with data governance policies.
• Apply a range of methods to collate, analyse research, intelligence, analysis and data from a range of sources and synthesise findings relating to the Office for Public Service Innovation and Homelessness.
• Use data integration tools to integrate and store evidence from multiple sources, ensuring that data is of good quality and is interoperable with other data sets, enabling reuse.
• Lead and manage complex analytical projects using appropriate project management techniques.
• Oversee budget planning and resource allocation for programme delivery, ensuring value for money and alignment with funding conditions and appropriate financial management and governance processes.
• Support the development of blended finance approaches and investment-readiness initiatives to unlock social finance and grant opportunities.
• Create mechanisms for monitoring financial performance of funded initiatives, ensuring accountability and sustainability.
• Ensure Value for Money and follow the appropriate governance processes for dealing with any financial activities.

What’s essential:

• Conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Producing reports, advice, and briefings for senior stakeholders.
• Ensuring relevant legal, ethical, procurement, and quality assurance practice are followed.
• Working with stakeholders to gather requirements and deliver findings.
• Strong ICT and mathematical skills demonstrated through relevant qualifications and/or work experience.
• Applied knowledge of statistical methods and data analysis techniques.
• Use of appropriate tools and techniques for the analysis and synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data and evidence.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to senior stakeholders.
• Modelling, cleansing and enrichment of data and evidence.
• Applied understanding of data quality assurance, validation, and linkage.
• Ability to identify gaps in the evidence base and to make sound recommendations for how this can be managed.
• Ability to identify salient points and trends from research and analysis or other information and draws out sound, logical inferences.
• Understanding of the legal and ethical compliance needs of research projects.
• Ability to navigate complex governance, political sensitivities and communications requirements.

Location: The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD with at least 2 days a week spent in the office.

Salary and benefits:

• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory days.
• EV car benefit scheme.
• Healthcare plans.
• Discounted gym membership, will writing, and mortgage advice.
• An option to buy a bicycle, including e-bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
• Interest-free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology.
• Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big-name retailers.
• Costco membership through the WMCA.
• Boundless unlocks unlimited entry to top-rated UK attractions.
• Eye Care Scheme, offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses.

Creating an inclusive workplace: WMCA holds diversity accreditations and is committed to creating an inclusive environment. We encourage individuals who are passionate about the role to apply, regardless of whether they meet all the requirements.

Right to Work in the UK: Proof of Right to Work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements.