My career story: Emma Campbell
Job title and department or organisation
Emma is Director of Analysis and Chief Analyst at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Her role matches the role of Analytical Director on the Analysis Function Career Framework.
Grade
Emma works at Senior Civil Service 2 (SCS2) level.
Profession and entry route
Emma is a member of the Government Economic Service (GES).
She entered the Civil Service at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) grade through a direct recruitment drive into GES.
Emma’s career path
I gained my undergraduate Economics degree at the University of Nottingham. I was the second person in my family to get a university degree after one of my older brothers. I always knew I wanted to stay in education rather than going straight into work after school, like my parents did. I saw an advert for the Civil Service Fast Stream, but I was put off as it seemed like too much responsibility to take on for a first role! So instead, I applied for the Government Economic Service (GES) direct entry route. This was a provisional route which no longer exists, but it involved entering at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) grade as a Provisional Economist and passing the Economic Assessment Centre (EAC) within a year, which I was unaware of when I applied! Fortunately I passed, and I planned to stay for two years before moving to the private sector to make my fortune…but this never happened.
After I passed the EAC, I became a “proper” Fast Streamer. My first post was at the Department for Environment which later became the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) following a government restructure. I worked in Housing and Urban Economics. My second Fast Stream post in DETR working on buses and taxis policy, and my third was in the Office of the Chief Economist. Following this I completed a full time MSc in economics at the University of York. This was paid for by the department, which was a luxury I am eternally grateful for.
I returned from my studies and was promoted to Grade 7 in the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI). This role involved working on environmental regulations. I worked here for a few years before a lateral move into a policy role to work on consumer and competition policy. In this role I led on economic regulation and consumer issues and was thrown in at the deep end by being asked to lead some reforms to consumer representation through their policy development, to primary legislation and implementation. This included supporting the Bill through the House to become an Act, which was a worthwhile experience that increased my understanding of the legislative process, but definitely put me off future policy roles!
I then decided to move back to what I knew and loved best and made another lateral move to an analytical role within the Department for Transport (DfT) to develop our climate change strategy. I helped to draft the international transport elements of the Climate Change Act. It was a tricky balance to reflect differing ministerial preferences across the various departments with an interest.
I was then promoted to Grade 6 in the International Networks Analysis and Support team at DfT, working on international transport analysis. A few years into the role my Grade 5 Deputy Director retired, and after quite a bit of soul searching, I decided to apply and was fortunate to be successful. It was a great first Deputy Director role to have as the area was full of interesting complex issues and the analysis was valued with a real impact on the direction of policy. In this role, I brought together three separate analytical teams working on international transport stats, air passenger demand modelling and environmental analysis into one stronger division, to become the Environment and International Transport Analysis team. We then expanded the team still further to create a new EU Exit analytical team, so there was a lot to juggle in that role by the end of it!
I then moved laterally within DfT to join the Rail Analysis Team which included another exceptional team of analysts. Together we worked really hard at ensuring that the analysis had impact in a sector that receives a lot of stakeholder and political interest, with strongly held pre-conceived views.
I worked there for just under 4 years, before moving into another Deputy Director role at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with a fantastic job share partner. We were working on the energy sector, including decarbonisation, which is an area I am personally really interested in.
I was in this role for less than 2 years when I saw an advert for my current role as Director of Analysis and Chief Analyst at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The role really appealed to me, and I have had a bit of a loose theme of the environment and climate change running through my career, so I applied and was successful. I started this role in April 2022. My directorate is responsible for working across a wide range of issues, including:
- cross-cutting strategic analysis
- the Centres of Excellence for Social Research and Operational Research
- development of the Data, Analysis and Science Hub (DASH)
- the Emergency Response analytical team, and
- progressing the incredibly innovative Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment, which is a major investment in obtaining vital environmental data to assess progress against the UK’s environmental targets
There are a lot of different elements to my role. So, although I am officially badged to the GES profession I am first and foremost a government analyst. We are definitely stronger than the sum of our parts when we work together across the analytical disciplines.
The flowchart shows Emma’s career progression from achieving a degree in Economics to her current role as Director of Analysis and Chief Analyst. It shows the step-by-step journey Emma has taken to achieve her current grade and experience. Enlarge the flowchart.
Every day is a real mix of work. I need to be good at juggling various projects and tasks, and I have a lot of trust in the colleagues around me who help me to make important decisions as I cannot be in the detail for each area.
My days are generally characterised by back-to-back meetings on different subject areas. I might have a meeting on our new data strategy, another on a complex appraisal issue on a specific policy, then another on how to develop and support our analytical community, and then a senior leadership meeting – it is a real variety.
I am required to make decisions at pace and usually without much information, which I know for some can feel uncomfortable. Having a good team of people around you who you trust is vital to enabling you to make the right decisions.
I have never had a long-term career plan and I definitely have no aspirations for where I see myself in 5 years’ time. I just go for the jobs that seem interesting when they arise and when I feel ready. I have only been in my current role for a year, so I want to make the most of this role for a while yet before I think about changing roles. Even now, I am finding new areas of DEFRA that I didn’t know about! So I have no set plan going forward currently. I always think it’s dangerous to be too rigid in what you want to achieve by when, as life doesn’t always turn out that way!
Every team I have worked in have achieved something I am incredibly proud of, as all our analysis has had an impact in some way. It is so difficult to pick just one thing. A few things I would pick out include:
- some innovative modelling and appraisal which informed decisions around a new runway at Heathrow
- some highly influential analysis which ultimately led DfT to bring the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) back into public ownership as it demonstrated better value for money
- the highly complex analytical support for the Carbon Capture
- Usage and Storage Programme which we got off the ground after several previously unsuccessful attempts
- the recent work my team has been doing to push up the agenda and highlight the role that DEFRA plays in supporting economic growth, which is not something that has historically been well recognised, and the importance of natural capital in delivering sustainable growth for future generations
My greatest challenge across all roles has been ensuring that the analysis has had a real impact on policy decisions, and demonstrably influences the direction of policy. An important skill for an analyst is being able to communicate the analysis in an understandable way with direct application to the policy issue under consideration. And analysis that is timely, fit-for-purpose and proportionate will be much more impactful than perfect analysis that is late. It can be a mental challenge to remain tenacious and motivated when the analysis is not being used, or analysts are being brought in too late in the process to produce an impact assessment after the policy decisions have already been taken, for example. But it is well worth sticking with it and maintaining your resilience. I find it helps to remember that I’m doing this for taxpayers and the good of society!
Emma’s advice
Be proactive and slightly assertive! Invite yourself along to meetings, share your analysis, and speak up in meetings where you spot the opportunities for the analysis to add value. You need to make the right people know about your analysis, even if they do not necessarily want to listen.
I have championed the analysis throughout my career and as a result I have increased my own visibility with more senior colleagues too, which is generally positive when it comes to career opportunities. Policy colleagues may not ask for the analysis and insight, or possibly at not the right time, but they are generally very appreciative when the analysis helps them work through a tricky issue, convinces a minister of a particular policy approach, or enables them to defend that position externally. Being tenacious and resilient are both good qualities to have!
This career story was published on Tuesday 1 August 2023.