Research Assistant

Join a landmark study following 8,500 children across the UK

Anna Freud is seeking 2 Research Assistants (6 and 12-month contracts) to join our world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about Anna Freud is available on our website.

Our EDI commitment

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and being an equal opportunities employer, whereby equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to our recruitment practices. All candidates who meet the job criteria will be considered for employment, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities and care experience.

We ask candidates to share their diversity dimensions with us to help us identify, tackle and prevent bias across the employee lifecycle. We believe a diverse workforce enhances our ability to support mental health and wellbeing, allowing us to better meet the needs of the children, young people and families we serve.

As a Disability Confident employer, disabled candidates meeting our criteria are guaranteed an interview. Applications are submitted anonymously and assessed using a fair evaluation process based on the criteria set out in our job profiles.

What we offer

We offer a range of staff benefits, including wellbeing offers such as free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme. We are proud to have staff-led Diversity Networks offering unique opportunities for learning, connection and impact.

This unique opportunity will offer exposure to longitudinal studies and experience in how research interacts with policy. You will join a busy research team of 4-8 people working to tight deadlines with partners including University College London and Department for Education.

What you’ll do

Be part of a pioneering study following children born in the 2020s. You'll support research delivery through data management, study coordination and analysis activities. Your work will help improve understanding of children's development and wellbeing.

What you’ll bring

Essential skills and experience:

• Degree in Psychology (or related discipline) or significant research experience, ideally within child development.
• Experience of collecting, managing and working with quantitative research data, alongside a good understanding of research methods.
• Knowledge or experience of observing and coding parent-child interactions or working with similar observational research data.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a range of stakeholders.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to coordinate research activities independently, while working collaboratively as part of a team.

Key details

Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week). Usual working hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00.

Salary: £29,545 per annum FTE, plus 6% contributory pension scheme.

Location: hybrid working (a mixture of onsite and home/remote working). Staff are working onsite for at least 40% of their working hours at our London office (4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH).

Contract type: Fixed-term, 6 months and 12 months - 2 posts available.

Next steps

Closing date for applications: midday (12pm), Wednesday 30 September 2026. Please note: we are expecting a high level of interest, so this vacancy is likely to close earlier than the advertised date. We encourage you to apply promptly and to keep an eye on our future vacancies for more opportunities.

Notification of interview: shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Monday 5 October 2026. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Interviews: will be held remotely on Friday 9 October 2026.

How to apply: click on the 'apply now’ button to apply online. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.

Questions?

Please email Recruitment with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.