Research & Participation Programme Officer

For over 60 years the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) has been building a better childhood for all.

Research & Participation Programme Officer
Contract: Fixed-term, 24-months
Work Pattern: Full Time, 35 hours per week (1.0FTE) (We are open to flexible hours and working patterns, including accommodating part-time and compressed hours (0.8 FTE) where possible).
Salary: £34,408 per annum
Location: Northern Ireland. (NCB promotes a hybrid, flexible way of working with 2 days working in the Belfast BT15 office).

The Vacancy

This role will work across NCB’s Research and Participation teams, ensuring children and young people’s voices and lived experiences are embedded in the organisation’s evidence generation and implementation work.

Working across these high-performing teams, this role brings together research skills involving designing and undertaking primary, secondary, qualitative and quantitative research and analysis, combined with strong youth participation practice that supports seldom heard children and young people to be part of influencing systems change.

The successful candidate will work with senior colleagues in the Research and Participation teams to deliver a range of projects and programmes on topics including social care and the transition to adulthood; education; mental health & wellbeing; child poverty; youth violence and early years.

About NCB

For more than 60 years, the National Children’s Bureau has championed the rights and amplified the voice of children and young people in the UK. We interrogate policy and uncover evidence, blending in lived and learnt experience to shape future legislation and develop more effective ways of supporting children and families.

Bringing people and organisations together is fundamental to how we improve the systems that babies, children, young people and their families rely on to thrive. We push boundaries, even looking beyond childhood itself to consider transitions into adulthood and the impact of childhood issues on an entire lifespan. We are united for better childhoods and brighter futures.

The Benefits

• 30 Days Annual Leave
• Winter Holiday Closure & Break
• Generous Pension Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Flexible Working
• Employee Assistance Programme

Closing date: 8:00am on Wednesday 27th May 2026.
Assessment and interviews to be conducted on 4th and 5th June 2026.
Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage interested candidates to submit their applications as soon as possible.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We are actively seeking to broaden the diversity of our staff group and warmly welcome applications from candidates underrepresented in the charity sector, including those from Black and Global Majority communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with lived experience of the issues NCB works on.

N.B. Unlike other new roles posted during our period of organisation change, this role will be advertised both external and internally from the outset, rather than internal only for 1-2 weeks. This is due to the requirements of the funder and grant conditions. If you have any questions on this, you will be able to contact the NCB People Team.

No agencies please.