https://governmentscienceandengineering.blog.gov.uk/gse-professional-categories/
GSE Professional Categories
We have developed the following categories to demonstrate the diversity in the roles that exist across the GSE profession
Deep Specialist:
They are individuals with deep specialist skills, knowledge and expertise, in a niche domain or subject area, which may have been built up within their organisation, academia or industry. They will usually have a strong affiliation to a professional body or institution and good ties to academia and industry.
Roles can include lab based research, senior technical supervisory roles, designing, building developing, testing new products and systems. Depending on their field of expertise, they may also identify with operational research, government social research and other analytical professions.
Specialist:
They are individuals with specialist knowledge and expertise in a particular area, they could in principle become deep specialists if they continue to work in their chosen subject area or could perhaps use their transferable skills to work in a range of government science and engineering organisations. Depending on their background and expertise, many will have an affiliations to a professional body or institution.
Roles include: as above for deep specialist, technical project management & performing intelligent supplier and customer functions. They may identify with project management, security, operational research, government social research and other analytical professions.
Affiliate:
Affiliates use their scientific understanding or domain knowledge to add value to the areas they work in. Depending on their background and expertise, some will have an affiliation to a professional body or institution, but, many will not, for example, those work in cross-disciplinary areas.
Roles include: "policy for science" working on policies for things like research funding, universities and innovation policy and "science for policy", where research evidence can help to deliver better policies in a wide range of areas. They may strongly identify with the Policy Profession.
Generalist:
Those who have qualifications in science/engineering, but do not necessarily use them in day-to-day work. They undertake roles across the whole of the Civil Sevice in corporate services, operational delivery, policy, and regulatory organisations, they may identify with several of other Civil Service professions. Depending on their background and expertise, some will have an affiliation to a professional body or institution, but, many will not, for example, those working in cross-disciplinary areas.
