How to turn Data into Statistics - or why you should be our next Data Architect

We are the Office for National Statistics, so as you can imagine statistics are pretty important to us! But where do statistics come from?

The short answer: Data.

And what allows us to turn Data into Statistics? Amongst other things, reliable, efficient and bespoke Data Architecture, put together by our stellar team of Data Architects!

By sheer coincidence (it's definitely not the sole reason I'm writing this article), we're looking to expand our Data Architect roster right now, and you can step into this role without already being a fully fledged Data Architect. Did somebody say career opportunity?!

Fun fact: Data Architects are like buses... I went searching for one who would talk to me, then all of a sudden three came back to me at once!

Read on for Ritchie Davidson, April Frimpong & Lorraine Crichton's take on the role and life at ONS in general.

What is your current role, and how long have you been with ONS?

Ritchie: I am a Data Architect, I've been here 1 year.

April: I am a Data Architect and have been with ONS for 9 months.

Lorraine: I have worked in ONS since 1999 and I’ve been a Data Architect SEO for approximately 21 months.

Some people at ONS now weren’t even born back when I joined, although dinosaurs weren’t still roaming the earth! Y2k was one of the highlights in wondering if it was going to have an impact on our systems.

What was your background before taking your current role?

Lorraine: Previously I was a Business Profiler in ONS, working on the Inter Departmental Business Register investigating business structures and the various data sources from survey administrative data. This involved making comparisons with data across sources and identifying & reporting discrepancies or issues with the source data.

I was involved in the early development of the Business Index as a Subject-Matter-Expert working with Data Engineers & Data Scientists in building the system and quality assuring the outputs.

Ritchie: I was a Delivery Analyst in the Reference Data Team at Sky, providing back-end data solutions to the business to resolve issues and save/make money for the business.

April: I was a Data Engineer at the Bank of England. My responsibilities included automating processes and designing pipelines for ingesting and standardising data.

What does a typical day/week look like for you?

April: I work on the metadata service for Integrated Data Service (IDS), so this spans the information capture and working with other teams to understand the flow of how this information goes through the system and becomes accessible both internally and externally. So it’s a mixture between understanding the information, gathering and giving requirements alongside working with people from other roles and teams to agree the approach and document it.

Lorraine: I work on the IDS ‘Manage and Find’ workstreams.?It’s a very interesting and fast-moving work area.?As a team we ensure that the metadata is correctly captured, and documentation is in place to help users access and use the information. I work with the website and hub team involved in ensuring that the metadata relating to datasets is accurate and informative to users, which is then published for accredited researchers to have access to and to use for research (and the public good!).

Ritchie: I'm working within the Integrate MDT, investigating how best to incorporate data modelling into work carried out on IDS, alongside many other things like data design and transforming data from GCP (Google Cloud Platform).

What challenges & pressures should someone expect in the role?

Ritchie: More challenges than pressures. The greatest hurdle being that nothing is “BAU” (Business As Usual), so a lot of investigative work and trial & error is involved to carry out tasks. Sometimes even defining a task can be challenging!

April: Oooh, I’d say the challenge someone could expect in this role is working on a project like IDS where from the beginning you know it needs to scale up and out much more than where it is now, so you have to switch your mind between the ‘right now’ and what things will look like in the future. The architecture team are a supportive group so there’s no pressure per say, just challenges and learning opportunities.

Lorraine: A typical day or week can start off very structured in that I’ve got to do xyz, but then as part of project work priorities can take over and delivery of tasks to an unscheduled deadline can crop up. Being flexible, not taking yourself too seriously and having a can-do attitude is how I take my daily role! The team I work with on a project level are very professional and always there to discuss and talk things through.

What are your team and the wider department (Data Growth Operations) like?

Lorraine: I’m not just saying this, but the overall team of Data Architects are all the greatest! They're best group of people who are helpful, pragmatic and have a bit of fun and mischief about them. I’m not just saying that because it’s being printed! If you don’t know something or need help you can always rely on someone being there to chat it through and work through a work problem.

Ritchie: Data Growth Operations (DGO) contains a great bunch of people that are always keen to help and easy to get along with. Whenever I have felt lost on a piece of work, there is someone I can turn to who can shine some light on the situation.

April: Everyone in the team is really friendly and even though people can get quite busy and are all working on various projects, the team are always happy to take time out to explain things to you or have non-work related chats and check-ins.

What sort of projects are the team working on?

April: The team are working on a range of projects, the two that are quite high profile are:

• RDMF (Reference Data Management Framework) – a project to provide reference data that spans many classification groups for improved data linkage and higher quality analysis
• The project I am working on with other team members is IDS -? a project that will provide capability for internal and external data to be held on a cloud platform accessible by analysts to use for research and other purposes

Lorraine: The Data Architecture Team supports several projects including:

• Working on metadata standards for the IDS, wider ONS and working with cross government data architecture communities in collaborating on standards -?the Government Data Architecture Community (GDAC) is an excellent forum to learn from and be involved in making impact in the workplace and wider!
• Implementing an ONS Business Glossary which will provide definitions and meaning to terms and concepts used across the office, providing governance and ownership and consistency and a central point for all staff to navigate to and use.
• Providing data modelling on the RDMF used across the ONS allowing for the linkage of reference data, also used as part of the IDS project.
• Involved in Service Design with Design and Technology Team colleagues for business architecture.

Ritchie: The biggest project we are working on at the minute is IDS, where we are working on providing data to analysts via cloud technologies. It is coming on leaps and bounds, but still has a way to go.

What have you learned since starting this role?

Ritchie: I have gained many new skills while in this role, over what someone could say a rather short period of time. I came in with much technical knowledge, and have added to that in terms of modelling data, writing scripts and loading to database environments, and documenting technical processes to list a few.

April: In my previous role as a data engineer I worked with data architects and seeing how they were able to have a ‘birds eye view’ of a system or project is what drew me to the role.

I can say that since being here I’ve gained the ability to have many conversations with people across many roles (business analysts, service owners, data engineers, developers and service designers) to understand their need in the situation and relay how other roles feed into their outcome for a more holistic and efficient outcome.

I’ve also been honing my data modelling skills using software such as Sparx: Enterprise Architect and Erwin Data Modeller. The team have a selection of data modelling books which I’ve recently borrowed to enhance my knowledge further. A training programme/pathway is also being developed for those in them who would like an opportunity to upskill too.

Lorraine: I’ve learnt that everyone likes to be communicated to differently, from having a technical diagram to a more logical diagram, for example.?Communication is key in the role in ensuring that you present and explain information that all actors involved can understand, relate and feedback on. I've also learned about data governance and how it applies in the role and across the project.

One of the biggest things on the IDS project is metadata management and understanding and learning the various types of metadata and how they are captured in the various processes. Also having key documentation to ensure that teams involved in the various workstreams understand what their role is in capturing information and having streamlined processes.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your role so far?

Lorraine: I have been accepted into a team that has helped me learn and continue to grow and learn new skills. No question is stupid, and we work in a safe and comfortable environment to share ideas and talk through work and using various tools e.g. whiteboards, MS Teams and good old-fashioned pen and paper work together.

Ritchie: Reward comes in different ways. I feel an enormous sense of reward when I do a good job and that is recognised. You’ll never run short of that at the ONS!

April: I would have to say hearing from people that my input as a data architect has helped them have a better grasp of the situation at hand and to also be able to identify people who should be part of the conversation and that hadn’t been identified as a stakeholder initially. Being a data architect gives you the ability to bring people together and unlock areas that help the project or task run more efficiently.

What’s your favourite thing about working for ONS?

April: It may sound cliché but honestly the people make the job! To be thrust into a new role in a new company where are a lot of moving parts can be stressful, so to have the opportunity to talk to your team members openly about what you don’t know without feeling like you are bothering them is a big deal and something I’m really grateful for. The ONS also has a rewards and recognition scheme where you can be commended and receive a reward for work you have done, this also goes towards your objectives and goals for the year.

Lorraine: Where to start! It is an inclusive workplace which allows you to learn new skills, work with other multi-disciplinary team members e.g., Data Architects, Data Engineers, Project Managers and Support Team.?You get to use various software for managing your workflow and displaying your work in the form of Erwin Data Modeller Tool and Visio, Jira. You can take responsibility for how you plan your day and the work to be delivered.? You have a feedback mechanism in place in the form of colleagues to circulate documentation and ensure that your outputs are of quality assured consistency for users.?The people make it and if you are having one of those days you know that there will always be someone to talk to and provide that sounding board you need. It’s the small things like having that support that has the big impact in your day-to-day work.

Ritchie: My favourite thing about working here is the people I work with. Everyone helps one another in times of need and you can have some good conversations around work, or other!

Why should the person reading this apply?

Ritchie: Being a Data Architect at the ONS is great for many reasons as mentioned in my previous answers. The amount of training offered to you is literally ridiculous, in the best way. If you can explain why you need more tooling to do your job better, there’s no question about it, you’re getting it. The projects you work on are innovative and you will always have something to be working on, but only as much as you’re comfortable to take on. Overall, working in this role has been a positive experience for me, gaining new skills, making new friends, and learning from one another.

April: You should apply because being able to work in a place that allows you to grow your skillset, work with people around the country and a company whose main aim is to collect, process and disseminate information amongst the public whilst learning about data processing and modelling is a win-win many times over. It’s in the teams’ best interest for you to upskill and become your best self by learning from each other and doing training so it’s whole heartedly encouraged!

Lorraine: What’s to stop you applying for a job that provides variety in the role, support on training and learning & development.?We have regular team weekly meetings, as well as team stand-up session on projects promoting good communication and ways of working.

If you want a job that you know is going to make a difference to others and provide the tools and information to make a difference, if you like to be challenged and don’t want a job that has a step-by-step manual but that requires you to think outside of your comfort zone at times this is the job for you!

I'd like to thank Lorraine Crichton, April Frimpong & Ritchie Davidson again for their time & insights, and for giving us such a comprehensive understanding of the role and how it fits into ONS!

If you're feeling as sold on the role as I am then click here to apply, for full details and for the candidate & benefits packs.

If you've got a question that these three haven't answered then please do get in touch ??