My career story: Michael Leonard
Job title and department or organisation
Michael is a Senior Operational Research Analyst at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Grade
Michael works at Senior Scientific Officer grade, which is equivalent to Senior Executive Officer (SEO).
Profession and entry route
Michael is a member of the Government Operational Research Service (GORS).
Michael joined the profession at Executive Officer (EO) grade as part of a mainstream GORS recruitment exercise.
Michael’s career path
I was not a mathematical genius at school. I did not enjoy college either, so I left and started working in retail and administrative roles for several years. I chose to study a degree at the Open University as it meant I could study from home. The course also had more relaxed entry requirements.
I graduated from the Open University in October 2020 with a degree in Physics. I was looking at entry level jobs for graduates when I came across the Civil Service Fast Stream. I applied for the Government Operational Research Service (GORS) Fast Stream and got to the final selection stage, but did not get a place. By this point I knew I wanted to work in a GORS role. Shortly after this I applied for the GORS mainstream recruitment scheme and started my first Civil Service role in October 2021.
I thought I had been unsuccessful at my GORS interview as I had no experience in applying for analytical roles and the technical style of questions involved. Despite this, I passed the board and entered the profession as an Analyst at Executive Officer (EO) grade.
In July 2022, I passed a recruitment round to become a Higher Executive Officer (HEO) after being encouraged to apply by my Grade 7. Another analyst suggested I also apply for the Senior Executive Officer (SEO) promotion rounds as it would be good experience for me. A month after becoming a HEO analyst I passed the SEO recruitment and I have been a Senior Operational Research Analyst since August 2022.
My fast progression has been helped by having a supportive framework of people to work with, a Grade 7 who encourages me, and a good directorate that supports me to apply for roles. I have been able build my skills quickly because of the depth and breadth of my work. There are lots of opportunities to learn too. When I first joined GORS I had no coding experience and little experience with Microsoft Excel, but I have been able to learn these skills on the job. I currently work full time.
The flowchart shows Michael’s career progression route starting from his university degree to his current grade. It shows the step by step route he has taken in his department to achieve his current grade and experience. Enlarge the flowchart.
I am working on the Restart Scheme, which is a £3 billion government employment programme which aims to get hundreds of thousands of people back into work. It was designed after COVID-19 and is a huge programme to help long term unemployed people back into the workplace. My role is to look at numbers, specifically:
- how many people go on the programme
- the performance of the programme
I then hand the data over to Performance Managers who use the evidence to make decisions on how to manage the suppliers.
I want to become an expert in my area of work, which is currently contract provision.
I am also looking to build my leadership experience and develop my GORS behaviours in delivering through others and seeing the big picture. I would like to progress to Grade 7 soon.
Our team produced the first statistical publication for the Restart Scheme in December 2022. Setting up a new statistics series is a lot of work, and we were working as a small team. We had to get approval from across the department all the way to the Secretary of State and had to produce materials very quickly. We worked with No. 10 and managed to pull together as a team to produce the publication successfully.
It can be difficult when you have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. The fluctuation of work and conflicting priorities can be difficult to balance, and it can become very stressful. If you have a supportive team and Grade 7 then that can help to lessen the burden and share the workload. I am lucky to have a supportive environment and I can always ask for help.
Michael’s advice
Do not count yourself out if you come from a different educational or socio-economic background. If you are willing to put in the work and try your hardest you can succeed. Do not be put off by not having the “normal” requirements or experience for a role and apply anyway.
This career study was published on Tuesday 1 August 2023.