About this role
Job summary
The Biomedical Statistician and Statistical Programmer is a senior technical specialist within the Strategic Value Unit (SVU) of Central East ICB. The postholder will provide expert statistical design, analysis, programming and assurance across evaluation, health economics and population health management.
The postholder will lead the selection and application of statistical methods to complex health and care questions, including evaluations of programmes and pathways, analysis of linked routine data, causal inference, risk and outcome modelling, health economic analysis and assessment of inequalities. The postholder will ensure that statistical conclusions are valid, transparent and proportionate to the available data and the decision being supported.
The postholder will also lead the development of reproducible statistical code and analytical pipelines. This will include establishing standards for programming, validation, documentation, peer review, testing and reuse of analytical assets.
Working alongside a multi-disciplinary team, the postholder will translate complex analytical questions into robust statistical approaches and communicate findings, assumptions, uncertainty and limitations clearly to decision-makers.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will provide senior statistical expertise within the Strategic Value Unit, supporting strategic commissioning through analysis of healthcare activity, utilisation, outcomes, costs, inequalities and population need.
The postholder will lead complex statistical workstreams from problem definition through study design, data specification, analysis, validation, interpretation and reporting.
The postholder will work autonomously, exercise substantial professional judgement and provide authoritative advice where methods, evidence or conclusions are complex or contested.
The purpose includes:
To provide senior statistical and statistical programming expertise across the SVU and wider ICB.
To lead the design and delivery of complex statistical analyses that support strategic planning, commissioning, evaluation and population health management.
To develop statistical analysis plans and select proportionate methods.
To provide expert advice on observational study design, causal inference, model development, uncertainty and interpretation.
To establish reproducible, maintainable and quality-assured statistical programming practices.
To provide statistical assurance, peer review and constructive challenge across multidisciplinary analytical work.
To translate complex statistical findings into clear, actionable evidence for decision-makers.
To develop statistical capability across the SVU.
About us
We are committed to promoting equal opportunities to achieve equity of access, experience and outcomes and to recognising and valuing people's differences. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity; we see this as a strength and part of our founding mission, values and behaviours. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers patient outcomes.
We are committed to creating the best place to work, where your contribution is valued, your wellbeing is supported and all our colleagues can reach their full potential. We welcome and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of their protected characteristic. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone, including making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition and support with the recruitment process for people with lived experience.
We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles.
We operate a Carer friendly working environment that is supportive and inclusive. We actively encourage Carers to self-identify themselves.
We are a Disability Confident Employer and commit to shortlisting suitable applicants who meet the essential criteria for an interview. Please inform us of any adjustments you may require.
Job description Job responsibilities
A. Statistical design, analysis and evaluation
Lead the statistical design and analysis of complex evaluations and health and care studies, defining appropriate populations, outcomes, comparison groups, analytical approaches and sensitivity analyses.
Apply advanced statistical methods, including regression, survival, longitudinal, time-series, causal inference, predictive modelling and simulation approaches where appropriate. Identify and address confounding, selection bias, clustering, missing data, measurement error and other sources of uncertainty.
B. Statistical programming, data quality and reproducibility
Develop and maintain robust statistical code and analytical pipelines using R, Python, SQL, Stata or equivalent tools.
Work with data engineering and analytical colleagues to specify data requirements, define cohorts and variables, and assess the completeness, validity and fitness for purpose of linked health and care data. Apply reproducible analytical practices, including structured code, version control, testing, documentation, peer review and automated reporting.
C. Modelling and decision support
Develop, validate and interpret statistical, prognostic and predictive models, assessing their validity, calibration, stability, equity and operational usefulness.
Provide statistical input to economic evaluations and decision models, including estimation of effects, parameters, uncertainty and outcomes. Ensure consistency between statistical evidence, model assumptions and the decisions being supported.
D. Reporting, governance and assurance
Develop proportionate statistical analysis plans and produce clear technical reports, methodological appendices, visualisations, automated outputs, committee papers and presentations.
Establish and maintain statistical quality-assurance standards, including code review, validation of key outputs, review of assumptions and transparent documentation of methods, limitations and material departures from agreed analysis plans.
E. Professional advice and communication
Provide authoritative statistical advice to multidisciplinary colleagues and senior decision-makers.
Explain methods, findings, uncertainty, limitations and generalisability clearly to technical and non-technical audiences. Provide constructive professional challenge where analytical approaches or conclusions may be misleading or unsupported.
F. Leadership, capability and delivery
Lead a portfolio of complex statistical work, managing priorities, risks, dependencies and delivery timescales in proportion to the importance and complexity of the decision.
Provide professional leadership, supervision, peer review and coaching to analysts, statisticians and multidisciplinary colleagues. Develop reusable code, methods guidance, templates and training resources that strengthen statistical capability across the ICB.
Evaluate emerging statistical methods and analytical technologies where these may improve quality or efficiency, ensuring appropriate governance, testing and professional oversight.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Educated to Master's level in medical statistics, biostatistics, statistics, applied statistics, epidemiology, mathematics or a closely related quantitative discipline with substantial statistical content. Significant specialist experience applying statistical methods to health, biomedical, epidemiological, public sector or health services data. Evidence of continuing professional development in applied statistics, statistical programming, causal inference, health data science or related methods.
Desirable
Doctoral-level training or equivalent advanced specialist experience in statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology or a related discipline. Chartered Statistician status, relevant Royal Statistical Society membership or equivalent professional recognition. Evidence of peer-reviewed publications, methodological reports, conference presentations or contributions to externally funded research.
Knowledge Essential
Advanced knowledge and practical experience of statistical modelling and the analysis of observational health, care or administrative data, including methods for addressing confounding, selection bias, clustering, missing data and uncertainty. Experience designing and delivering complex evaluations or statistical studies, including developing statistical analysis plans, data specifications and sensitivity analyses. Advanced statistical programming experience using R, Python, Stata, SAS or equivalent software, including reproducible and quality-assured analytical workflows. Experience analysing large, complex or linked datasets and assessing data quality, limitations and fitness for purpose.
Desirable
Experience of specialist applications such as quasi-experimental evaluation, prognostic or predictive model development, model validation, or statistical input to health economic and decision models. Experience using SQL, Git-based workflows, cloud analytical environments, automated testing or other analytical engineering tools. Understanding of NHS commissioning, population health management, inequalities and resource-allocation decisions.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details Employer name NHS Central East ICB
Address Gemini House
Bartholomew’s Walk
Ely
CB7 4EA
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.centraleast.icb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)