Senior Economist - Head of Information Management and Strategic Insights Unit

Ready to shape strategic decisions across Scotland's education system?
 

The IMSI Unit builds on the work currently undertaken by the Information Management and Insight and Evaluation Unit (IMIEU). The existing team is responsible for the delivery of key education statistical collections, GDPR and information governance compliance, management of data access requests, and the development and maintenance of school improvement tools and analytical dashboards. The team is also overseeing the transition from SEEMIS to a new Management Information System (MIS), a significant programme that will shape the future quality, availability and usability of education data.

The creation of the IMSI Unit reflects an increasing need for strategic analysis and insight generation. While continuing to oversee and evolve core information management and statistical functions, the new unit will expand its role in providing evidence-based insights to support Ministers, senior leaders and policy teams. This will involve a focus on economic analysis of public service reform and value for money assessment to inform the Scottish budget and spending reviews. It will also involve reviewing and building upon in-house economic modelling capability so that economic models can be deployed at pace to inform investment decisions.

The unit already delivers valuable products such as the National Improvement Framework Interactive Evidence Dashboard (NIFIER) and the Insights Tool, which provide schools and stakeholders with accessible performance and benchmarking information. The successful candidate will build on these foundations by developing innovative approaches to analysis, research, data linkage and performance reporting, generating new insights to support decision-making across the education system.

The postholder will lead a multidisciplinary team of approximately 10 staff, including direct line management responsibility for two C Band staff and one B Band staff member. The current team consists primarily of statisticians and data analysts, with plans to further strengthen multidisciplinary working through increased economic and social research capability.

As the senior economist within EAS, the postholder will provide professional leadership to economists across the division and ensure that economic evidence is effectively applied to support policy development, resource allocation and delivery decisions. The role offers significant opportunities to influence policy at a strategic level and communicate analytical evidence to senior officials, Ministers and external stakeholders.

The postholder will provide leadership across a broad programme of analytical work, ensuring that EAS continues to deliver robust, credible and independent evidence to improve outcomes across the education system.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Insight

• Lead the Strategic Insights and Information Management Unit, setting the strategic direction for analytical work and ensuring delivery of high-quality evidence, insight and analysis.
• Develop and deliver a programme of strategic analysis to support education reform, post-school reform, public service reform, spending reviews, budget processes and wider government priorities.
• Identify opportunities for analytical innovation, research and data linkage, maximising the value of existing evidence, data assets and analytical resources.

Analytical Delivery

• Oversee the delivery of statistical publications, research projects, data products and wider analytical programmes of work.
• Ensure the continued development and effective use of analytical tools, dashboards and performance reporting products, including NIFIER and the Insights Tool.
• Provide strategic oversight of information management and data governance activities, ensuring compliance with legislative and professional standards.

Leadership and People Management

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Ensure staff have clear objectives, development opportunities and appropriate support to deliver high-quality analytical outputs.
• Manage resources effectively, prioritising work and allocating capacity to meet changing business needs and strategic priorities.

Professional and Stakeholder Leadership

• Act as the senior economist within EAS, providing professional leadership and support to economists across the division.
• Communicate complex analytical and economic evidence clearly and persuasively to senior officials, Ministers and external stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships with policy, operational and analytical colleagues, public bodies- Education Scotland, Qualification Scotland, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, academia, and other UK Government departments to maximise the impact and value of analytical work.
• Promote the use of evidence in policy development, implementation and evaluation.