Job specification Based on statistical analysis

Use this Statistician job description to advertise your vacancies and find qualified candidates. 

Feel free to modify responsibilities and requirements based on your needs.

Statistician responsibilities include:

• Interpreting statistical models and numerical data to help organizations plan and make decision-making processes
• Liaising with departments to obtain data, including production figures and costs, sales figures, as well as product supply and demand data
• Instructing departments on data submission requirements, including frequency and format

Job brief

We are looking for a Statistician to join our team and analyze data and improve our organization’s competitive edge by using mathematical data to help make better decisions for planning purposes. 

Statistician responsibilities include gathering numerical data, performing statistical analyses and preparing industry reports. 

Ultimately, you will work with various departments to assess industry trends and identify opportunities for our organization to improve our processes.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain databases using statistical software programs, such as SPSS, SAS or Stata
• Ensure data integrity by performing rigorous cleaning, error checking and validation
• Analyze data using statistical techniques, formulas and calculations
• Perform statistical tests to determine the reliability and soundness of results
• Contribute to strategic planning by identifying industry trends and preparing forecasts
• Describe, interpret and summarize conclusions
• Present statistical findings to management in reports that include executive summaries, charts, tables and graphs

Requirements and skills

• Proven work experience as a Statistician or similar role
• Proficiency in statistical software programs, including SPSS and R, or equivalent
• Advanced knowledge of statistical methods, techniques, formulas and tests
• Exceptional ability to interpret data and analyze trends, as well as preparing industry outlooks and forecasts
• Advanced business operation and industry knowledge
• Ability to liaise with other departments to coordinate data gathering
• Extensive experience in summarizing and presenting findings in reports
• Relevant training and/or certifications as a Statistician

Frequently asked questions

What does a Statistician do?

A Statistician collects different types of numerical data to identify industry trends and help organizations make better decisions throughout the year.

What are the duties and responsibilities of a Statistician?

A Statistician will need to complete various duties like collecting, analyzing and interpreting data to identify trends and relationships between data points. They may also need to convey their findings to stakeholders within the organization and other departments as needed.

What makes a good Statistician?

A good Statistician must have excellent analytical skills to find relationships between different data points and interpret the data for an organization’s needs. They must also have good communication skills, as they will be required to present information to stakeholders and other leaders throughout the organization.

Who does a Statistician work with?

A Statistician typically works alone as they collect different numerical data, and then they report their findings to the COO and other organizational leaders.

OBE 153 Quiz 2 Materials

Chapter 4: Job Analysis

PART 1: The Nature of Job Analysis

•  Job analysis

• The procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job and the kind of person who should be hired for it.

•  Job description

• A list of a job's duties, responsibilities, reporting relationships, working conditions, and supervisory responsibilities�one product of a job analysis.

•  Job specifications

• A list of a job's �human requirements,� that is, the requisite education, skills, personality, and so on�another product of a job analysis.

Types of Information Collected:

•  Work activities

•  Human behaviors

•  Machines, tools, equipment, and work aids

•  Performance standards

•  Job context

•  Human requirements

Uses of Job Analysis Information:

•  Recruitment and Selection

•  Compensation

•  Performance Appraisal

•  Training

•  Discovering Unassigned Duties

•  EEO Compliance

Steps in Job Analysis:

•  Step 1:    Decide how you'll use the information.

•  Step 2:    Review relevant background information.

•  Step 3:    Select representative positions.

•  Step 4:    Actually analyze the job.

•  Step 5:    Verify the job analysis information.

•  Step 6:    Develop a job description and job specification.

Charting the Organization

•  Organization chart

• A chart that shows the organization-wide distribution of work, with titles of each position and interconnecting lines that show who reports to and communicates to whom.

•  Process chart

• A work flow chart that shows the flow of inputs to and outputs from a particular job.

Process Chart for Analyzing a Job's Workflow

PART 2: Methods of Collecting Job Analysis Information: The Interview

•  Information sources

• Individual employees

• Groups of employees

• Supervisors with knowledge of the job

•  Advantages

• Quick, direct way to find overlooked information.

•  Disadvantages

• Distorted information

•  Interview formats

• Structured (Checklist)

• Unstructured

Interview Guidelines

•  The job analyst and supervisor should work together to identify the workers who know the job best.

•  Quickly establish rapport with the interviewee.

•  Follow a structured guide or checklist, one that lists open-ended questions and provides space for answers.

•  Ask the worker to list his or her duties in order of importance and frequency of occurrence.

•  After completing the interview, review and verify the data.

Methods of Collecting Job Analysis Information:

Questionnaires

•  Information source

• Have employees fill out questionnaires to describe their job-related duties and responsibilities.

•  Questionnaire formats

• Structured checklists

• Opened-ended questions

•  Advantages

• Quick and efficient way to gather information from large numbers of employees

•  Disadvantages

• Expense and time consumed in preparing and testing the questionnaire

Observation

•  Information source

• Observing and noting the physical activities of employees as they go about their jobs.

•  Advantages

• Provides first-hand information

• Reduces distortion of information

•  Disadvantages

• Time consuming

• Difficulty in capturing entire job cycle

• Of little use if job involves a high level of mental activity.

Participant Diary/Logs

•  Information source

• Workers keep a chronological diary/ log of what they do and the time spent in each activity.

•  Advantages

• Produces a more complete picture of the job

• Employee participation

•  Disadvantages

• Distortion of information

• Depends upon employees to accurately recall their activities

Quantitative Job Analysis Techniques

•  The position analysis questionnaire (PAQ)

• A questionnaire used to collect quantifiable data concerning the duties and responsibilities of various jobs.

•  The Department of Labor (DOL) procedure

• A standardized method by which different jobs can be quantitatively rated, classified, and compared.

•  Functional job analysis

• Takes into account the extent to which instructions, reasoning, judgment, and mathematical and verbal ability are necessary for performing job tasks.

PART 3: Writing Job Descriptions

•  A job description

• A written statement of what the worker actually does, how he or she does it, and what the job's working conditions are.

•  Sections of a typical job description

• Job identification

• Job summary

• Responsibilities and duties

• Authority of incumbent

• Standards of performance

• Working conditions

• Job specifications

The Job Description

•  Job identification

• Job title: name of job

• FLSA status section: Exempt or nonexempt

• Preparation date: when the description was written

• Prepared by: who wrote the description

•  Job summary

• Describes the general nature of the job

• Lists the major functions or activities

•  Relationships (chain of command)

• Reports to: employee's immediate supervisor

• Supervises: employees that the job incumbent directly supervises

• Works with: others with whom the job holder will be expected to work and come into contact with internally.

• Outside the company: others with whom the job holder is expected to work and come into contact with externally.

•  Responsibilities and duties

• A listing of the job's major responsibilities and duties (essential functions)

• Defines limits of jobholder's decision-making authority, direct supervision, and budgetary limitations.

•  Standard Occupational Classification

• Classifies all workers into one of 23 major groups of jobs which are subdivided into 96 minor groups of jobs and detailed occupations.

Is the Job Function Essential?

•  What three or four main activities actually constitute the job? Is each really necessary?

•  What is the relationship between each task? Is there a special sequence which the tasks must follow?

•  Do the tasks necessitate sitting, standing, crawling, walking, climbing, running, stooping, kneeling, lifting, carrying, digging, writing, operating, pushing, pulling, fingering, talking, listening, interpreting, analyzing, seeing, coordinating, etc.?

•  How many employees are available to perform the job function? Can the job function be distributed among other employees?

•  How much time is spent on the job performing each particular function? Are infrequent tasks less important to success?

•  Would removing a function fundamentally alter the job?

•  What happens if a task is not completed on time?

•  Does the position exist to perform that function?

•  Are employees in the position actually required to perform the function?

•  Is there a limited number of other employees available to perform the function?

•  What is the degree of expertise or skill required to perform the function?

•  What is the actual work experience of present or past employees in the job?

•  What is the amount of time an individual actually spends performing the function?

•  What are the consequences of not requiring the performance of the function?

•  Standards of performance and working conditions

• Lists the standards the employee is expected to achieve under each of the job description's main duties and responsibilities.

PART 4: Writing Job Specifications

•  Specifications for trained personnel

• Focus on traits like length of previous service, quality of relevant training, and previous job performance.

•  Specifications for untrained personnel

• Focus on physical traits, personality, interests, or sensory skills that imply some potential for performing or for being trained to do the job.

•  Specifications Based on Judgment

• Self-created judgments (common sense)

• List of competencies in Web-based job descriptions (e.g., www.jobdescription.com)

• O*NET online

• Standard Occupational Classification

•  Specifications Based on Statistical Analysis

• Attempts to determine statistically the relationship between a predictor or human trait and an indicator or criterion of job effectiveness.

•  Steps in the Statistical Approach

• Analyze the job and decide how to measure job performance.

• Select personal traits that you believe should predict successful performance.

• Test candidates for these traits.

• Measure the candidates' subsequent job performance.

• Statistically analyze the relationship between the human trait and job performance.

Writing Job Descriptions:

• Step 1.   Decide on a Plan

• Step 2.   Develop an Organization Chart

• Step 3.   Use a Job Analysis/Description Questionnaire

• Step 4.   Obtain Lists of Job Duties from O*NET (a very useful website)

• Step 5.   Compile the Job's Human Requirements from O*NET

• Step 6.   Complete Your Job Description

PART 5: Job Analysis in a �Jobless� World

•  Job

• Generally defined as �a set of closely related activities carried out for pay.�

From Specialized to Enlarged Jobs:

•  Job enlargement

• Assigning workers additional same level activities, thus increasing the number of activities they perform.

•  Job enrichment

• Redesigning jobs in a way that increases the opportunities for the worker to experience feelings of responsibility, achievement, growth, and recognition.

•  Job rotation

• Moving a trainee from department to department to broaden his or her experience and identify strong and weak points to prepare the person for an enhanced role with the company

• Systematically moving workers from one job to another to enhance work team performance.

Why Managers Are �Dejobbing� Their Companies�

•  Dejobbing

• Broadening the responsibilities of the company's jobs

• Encouraging employee initiative.

•  Internal factors leading to dejobbing

• Flatter organizations

• Work teams

•  External factors leading to dejobbing.

• Rapid product and technological change

• Global competition

• Deregulation,

• Political instability,

• Demographic changes

• Rise of a service economy.

Competency-Based Job Analysis

•  Competencies

• Demonstrable characteristics of a person that enable performance of a job.

•  Competency-based job analysis

• Describing a job in terms of the measurable, observable, behavioral competencies (knowledge, skills, and/or behaviors) an employee must exhibit to do a job well.

Why Use Competency Analysis?

•  To support HPWS

• Traditional job descriptions (with their lists of specific duties) may actually backfire if a high-performance work system is the goal.

•  Maintain a strategic focus

• Describing the job in terms of the skills, knowledge, and competencies the worker needs is more strategic.

•  Measuring performance

• Measurable skills, knowledge, and competencies are the heart of any company's performance management process.

Performance Management

•  Performance management

• Managing all elements of the organizational process that affect how well employees perform.

•  Types of competencies

• General competencies

• reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning.

• Leadership competencies

• leadership, strategic thinking, and teaching others.

• Technical competencies

• specific technical competencies required for specific types of jobs and/or occupations.