Quantitative Research Analyst in Edinburgh

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Quantitative Research Analyst to join an organisation focused on creating positive, lasting change and improving outcomes for people and communities. The organisation looks at some of the issues that can hold people and communities back, identifies where change is needed and works with others to help develop and facilitate solutions. The work is varied, meaningful and ultimately focused on making a positive difference, rather than simply generating insight for its own sake.

As part of this, they are now building a new Insight function to provide a stronger evidence base for the work they do. This role will provide the quantitative backbone of that function, using data to identify where the most significant problems exist, understand emerging trends and help determine where attention and resources should be focused. It's an exciting time to join, with the opportunity to help shape a new function and have genuine influence over the questions being explored, the analysis undertaken and the decisions that follow.

The organisation works to identify issues that are preventing people and communities from achieving better outcomes, and then brings together the insight, expertise and relationships needed to help address them. Rather than simply researching problems, they look at where meaningful change could be made and work with others to help develop and facilitate solutions. This can involve understanding an issue from different perspectives, identifying where intervention could have the greatest impact and building the evidence needed to decide what should happen next.

The new Insight function will bring greater structure and depth to this work, combining quantitative and qualitative research to identify the problems that warrant attention and help shape future priorities. It's an exciting time to join, with the opportunity to help build the function and establish how quantitative evidence is used across the organisation.

As the Quantitative Research Analyst, you'll be responsible for providing the quantitative research and analysis that underpins the wider Insight function. You'll work on varied and often complex questions, using data to understand what is happening, identify significant differences and trends, and assess what may happen next. The work will include predictive modelling and forecasting, segmentation and subgroup analysis, longitudinal analysis and working with large datasets from a range of sources.

The data won't always be complete, clean or straightforward. You'll need to be comfortable filling in the blanks, assessing the quality and limitations of the available information and making sound analytical judgements about what can reasonably be concluded. This is also a role with significant autonomy. You'll often need to take an initial question, refine it, determine what data is required, select an appropriate approach and then communicate the findings and their implications to colleagues across the organisation. The analysis will ultimately help inform where the organisation should focus its attention, which areas require further investigation and what questions should be explored next.

Key Responsibilities & Skills

• Develop predictive models and forecasts to identify potential future outcomes and emerging trends
• Applying Bayesian modelling, uncertainty estimation and statistical validation
• Carry out segmentation and subgroup analysis to identify meaningful differences and patterns
• Analyse longitudinal and time-series data to understand how outcomes change over time
• Work with large, complex and sometimes incomplete datasets from multiple sources
• Design appropriate quantitative research and analytical approaches
• Assess uncertainty, bias, data quality and limitations within the available evidence
• Validate models and test the robustness of findings
• Use Python or R for quantitative analysis, alongside SQL
• Translate complex analysis into clear findings and implications for non-technical stakeholders
• Work independently on ambiguous questions and use sound judgement to determine the best analytical approach
• Identify further questions that could benefit from additional quantitative or qualitative research

Candidates could come from a range of backgrounds including quantitative research, data science, applied statistics, economics, econometrics, epidemiology, population research, public policy, social research or risk modelling. The key requirement is strong quantitative and statistical thinking, combined with the ability to work with ambiguity, incomplete information and problems that don't necessarily have a predefined answer.

Their offices are in central Edinburgh and are commutable from both train stations where they support hybrid working (4 days in office, negotiable after probation period). In return they are offering a competitive salary and a strong benefits package (includes generous holidays and employer pension contribution).

If you're looking for a role where your analysis can have a tangible impact on people's lives, please apply or get in touch with Matt MacAlpine at Cathcart Technology. Cathcart Technology is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.