Economic & Labour Market Statistics (ELMS) branch - modernisation team

Economic & Labour Market Statistics (ELMS) branchResponsible for managing and publishing the quarterly Index of Services statistical output, which measures the private services sector of the NI economy.

In this role, I was commissioned to write a series of highly specialised reports for CollaborationNI on a series of policy symposiums that facilitated. The purpose of these reports was to not only capture the flavour of the discussions which took place but to produce a series of recommendations which were then used to lobby government and CollaborationNI’s funders. These reports had to be written to a very high standard and within a very short timeframe. In advance of attending the policy symposium I familiarise myself with the topic under discussion so that I better understand the concepts that will be discussed which greatly assists me in writing the report. I then had five working days to produce a first draft for CollaboratioNI which was an accurate reflection of the discussion, is well written, is properly formatted and meets the needs of CollaborationNI, in terms of being able to be used to lobby government departments and met the requirements laid down by their funders. The report was then circulated to government, funders and contributors to the conference and if they request any amendments be made it was my responsibility to ensure that their changes are incorporated into the final report.

Worked for former North Belfast SDLP MLA Alban Maginness• Statistical analysis, collection, and processing of election results, neighbourhood statistics;• Report writing and data interpretation, on a wide range of data• Election campaign planning and management;• Briefing and support for media interviews; • Extensive experience in producing press releases to publication standard;• Developed strong relationships with a range of media outlets;• Responsible for writing press releases for Mr Maginness and other public representatives;• Experienced in budget management and financial planning;• Dealing with constituents and government departments; • Representing Mr Maginness at public and private meetings; • Drafting Assembly Questions (AQs) for Ministerial answer and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests for departmental/ agency answer; • Extensive knowledge of how the NI Assembly and local government operates;• Briefing MLAs ahead of Assembly debates.

• Represented the Balmoral District Electoral Area of Belfast City Council for three years;• Served on a wide range of Council committees, dealing with a number of strategic issues such as the striking of the annual district rate and measures to stimulate economic development in the City. • Maintained a high media profile and received frequent coverage in local and regional print media, on television and radio, and online;• Lobbied government ministers to secure funding for the council on issues such as community safety, transport infrastructure and emergency response protocols;• Responsible for the introduction of live streaming of Council meetings on the website, by securing £60k of funding, as part of my commitment to making the Council more accessible;• Kept constituents informed of the work I was carrying out on their behalf, producing frequent newsletters and constituency reports;• A team player, working well with a wide and diverse group of individuals, in pursuit of an agreed goal.