My career story: Robyn Smith
Job title and department or organisation
Robyn is Demand Analysis Team Lead at the Department for Transport (DfT). Her role matches the role of Grade 6 Operational Researcher on the Analysis Function Career Framework.
Grade
Robyn works at Grade 6 level.
Profession and entry route
Robyn is a member of the Government Operational Research Service (GORS).
She entered the Civil Service at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) grade on the GORS Fast Stream programme.
Robyn’s career path
I completed a degree in Mathematics at the University of Surrey which was an integrated master’s with a 6-month industry placement. I graduated in 2014 and joined the Government Operational Research Service (GORS) Fast Stream programme in October 2014.
My first role was with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the Youth Justice Analysis Programme. It was mainly a policy facing role and I did a lot of modelling on specific policies. I then moved to what was the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) which is an Arm’s Length Body (ALB). In that role I was part of a team modelling the new prison system. The prison system was going through a reform, and I had to make sure their plans were robust enough for the future. It was an operational facing role, and this is when I fell in love with supporting operations.
My final Fast Stream role was with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This role involved looking at fraud, error, and debt analysis. I was doing modelling to support operations, looking at benefit fraud, and benefit error. The analytical set up in DWP was very different to MoJ, so it was good to experience something different. I enjoyed working at DWP.
In 2018 the Fast Stream programme ended, and I joined the Home Office as a Grade 7 Operational Researcher. I was working for the UK Visa and Immigration Team. I worked there for three years, and my role changed a lot in that time, although I did not formally move roles.
In June 2021 I moved to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the new hospital programme. I worked with the NHS, and we were looking at how big hospitals should be in the future. It was a much more programmatic and strategic way of working than what I had been used to. It was a very high-pressured role as there was a lot of media coverage too.
In July 2022 I gained a promotion to become a Grade 6 in the Department for Transport (DFT). I am the lead for the Demand Analysis Team, and I love it. I work on national level modelling and the fact I get to talk to transport modellers is so interesting. My team looks at how many people are going to travel and what method of travel they will be using. We then take policies and run them through transport models to understand the possible impacts. We do both policy and public facing analysis and publish a lot of our work which supports the whole transport industry.
I chose a career in analysis because I always loved maths, but did not want to be a teacher or a banker. I chose Operational Research after completing a module at university and the experience I had during my placement.
The flowchart shows Robyn’s career progression from achieving her master’s degree to her current role as Grade 6 Operational Researcher. It shows the step-by-step journey Robyn has taken to achieve her current grade and experience. Enlarge the flowchart.
My team produce the National Road Traffic Projections which estimate how busy the roads are going to be. This work then helps policy professionals understand what policies might need to be made or changed. We conduct analysis which helps people understand what might happen in the future of transport. We’re looking at how to make sure our next round of analysis is as efficient as possible, using new automation methods if possible.
I want to stay in this role for the time being as there is still loads to learn. I have generally moved from roles quite quickly and have not spent time building a large background knowledge in those areas, but I would like to build up my knowledge and expertise in this role before I progress further. I especially want to do this because I am really enjoying working in DfT.
I am proud of the fact that I have managed to help other people in the teams I have worked in. At the Home Office I helped my unit to become a lot more equipped to support mental health. I have also supported colleagues to recognise sexism and ageism in the workplace and call it out to promote a positive change in this space.
My biggest challenge is that people sometimes make assumptions about me because of my gender and age, and because I have progressed quite fast within the Civil Service. It can be tough to work around biases, but I have used it to my advantage by promoting positive changes in the departments I have worked in to overcome this for myself and for others. There is an amazing support network within the analytical community, and I have had some really supportive co-workers and mentors during my career which have helped me to overcome these challenges.
Robyn’s advice
Do not underestimate the skills you learn at the start of your career. This is when you need to concentrate on developing your technical and communication skills which will support you as an analytical leader. Do not rush it. I always knew I wanted to progress to Grade 7 and beyond, but I was very aware that I needed gain skills and experience in my Fast Stream roles so I would be able to support the people I would go on to manage.
This career story was published on Tuesday 1 August 2023.