Policy/Research Jobs

At Care Rights UK, we are passionate about supporting and campaigning for the rights of older people needing care and their families. You would be welcomed into our small, dedicated, friendly team. You would provide research support to help the team improve our knowledge of care law across the UK and update our information resources.

This is a vital role for the charity, ensuring our work is underpinned by sound research and helping us to diversify and increase our reach across the UK. You would work alongside colleagues who are experts in their field, with dedicated time for co-learning and sharing knowledge and skills.

You would join the charity during an exciting period of change, as we invest in growing our advice and support service. You would work closely with our small team to ensure our research work aligns with our advice service, campaigns, policy and communication work, as the charity pushes for a better care system. 

The ideal candidate will be a positive, can-do person, with a passion for championing the rights of older people needing care, and an enthusiasm for using your research skills to affect change. 

We value equality and diversity. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith, disability, or carer status.

We are looking for a dynamic Senior Analyst to manage and deliver information, data, and analysis to help Youth Futures build evidence for impact.

You will work with the Head of Evaluation (Data Lead) and Principal Economist to support the design, delivery and management of data systems, and conduct analysis and research.  You will be responsible for ensuring evaluation data is in the correct format for uploading to the Secure Research Service. You will also use your analytical expertise to extract insights from data, identify trends, and liaise with policy and communication teams for external use. You will also support YFF's evaluation team in scoping opportunities for new evaluations, and critically review evaluation proposals to ensure designs are high quality and cost effective and that the most suitable evaluators are commissioned, Finally, this is also an opportunity to work on data visualisation projects to ensure the data and analysis is linked correctly and efficiently. This is an opportunity for an analyst with excellent analysis and data skills to work for a busy I&E directorate. 

This is an exciting opportunity to work directly with two teams in the Impact and Evidence Directorate. A part of the role will also be working with other teams, such as policy and communications, to translate complex analysis and evaluation findings into accessible, user-centred outputs and briefings for internal and external use.

This role can be based at any of our hubs located in London, Birmingham or Leeds.  We currently operate a hybrid model of two-days per week in the office and three-days from home.

For more information, please visit our website.

The young people we aim to serve – and the challenges they face - are all unique. We are looking to build a team that reflects this diversity. Our commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, class, religion, identity, and experience forms the cornerstone of our work. We are an equal opportunities, Living Wage and Disability Confident employer and encourage applications from a diverse range of backgrounds representative of our communities.  We offer a welcoming and inclusive workplace, where employees are encouraged to have a voice.

Housing Plus is a small established organisation based in North West London providing supported accommodation for young people aged 16-18 in and leaving care. We have a small, dynamic and diverse staff team who provide support to our young people across three houses where they live while they are supported to develop the skills they need to leave care and live more independently.

We are looking for a PA/ Office Manager-team administrator who is highly motivated to support the organisation. It is a varied role and no two days will be the same!  Additionally the role involves supporting the CRS/charity work in Brent Schools Football, which is something Housing Plus has supported for many years.

You will need to have strong organisational skills, excellent interpersonal abilities, a problem solving and “can do” attitude, a degree of flexibility and be an all-round team player. You will have some contact with the young people and will need to be supportive, understanding and sensitive to their needs.

Main Duties:

· Developing administrative systems across the organisation

· Day to day support to the team

· Maintaining paper and electronic records

· Scheduling meetings, taking minutes and following up on actions

· Supporting the recruitment process- following up references; DBS applications etc

· Generally assist colleagues in their day to day business

.       Adhoc duties as required

You will need to have excellent written and verbal English skills, be able to work on own initiative, liaise effectively with a range of professionals and maintain confidentiality.

Housing Plus is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and we expect all staff to share this commitment and all staff work to a code of conduct. Housing Plus operates stringent safer recruitment procedures. This post is subject to an enhanced disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

We are seeking an efficient, highly organised team member with excellent programme/project management skills, grant making experience, communication skills, relationship management skills, and a passion for our work.

This is an exciting time to work for the Foundation as we celebrate our 25th birthday in 2024. You will manage a portfolio of JPF Partnership grants and support the delivery of JPF’s annual internship grants and intern development programme. You will be responsible for maintaining positive and supportive relationships with our Jack Petchey grant partners and with our interns and their host organisations.

Closing date: 9.00 a.m. Monday 10th June 2024

Interview date: Likely to take place on Tuesday 18th June 2024 in person at the Jack Petchey Foundation offices

Science and Policy Project Manager

Permanent

Salary: £45,000 - £47,000 per annum, plus benefits

London N1

Full time – 37.5 hours a week 

We’re a hybrid working employer, meaning you’re required to come into the office 2 days per week, currently Tuesday and Wednesday or Thursday

Closing date: 5pm, Monday 17th June 2024

Interviews: 3rd – 11th July 2024

An exciting opportunity to work with WCRF International’s Science and Policy Departments

World Cancer Research Fund International is a leading authority on cancer prevention research related to diet, weight and physical activity. World Cancer Research Fund International is a not-for-profit organisation that:

·Commissions and analyses worldwide scientific research

·Influences public health policy at the highest level, and acts as trusted advisor to governments and other official bodies from around the world

·Leads & unifies a network of cancer prevention charities based in Europe and the Americas. 

We are seeking a Science and Policy Project Manager who will provide project management support across the science and policy departments for the core programmes and for cross cutting activities such as conferences and communications. You will report to the Director of Research, Policy and Innovation with the delivery of the science and policy strategies. You will also work closely with the Assistant Director of Research and Policy and there will also be interaction and communication with the Heads of Research Funding, Research Interpretation and Policy and Public Affairs as well as other colleagues in the network countries. 

You will be educated to MSc level in Public Health, Nutrition, Epidemiology or closely related field and have experience working in a research/public health setting and developing scientific/policy reports, summaries and presentations. You will have proven scientific project management skills with experience in monitoring progress, performance reporting and delivering projects on time and budget. You will have excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team environment, and with stakeholders at all levels.

Application Details:

If you are interested in this role and feel you possess the necessary requirements, please submit a current CV and covering letter (maximum 2 pages) by the closing date. You must have current right to work in the UK.

Please note: Your cover letter should highlight how your skills and experience will benefit WCRF International and equip you for the role, using specific examples to illustrate how you meet the job and person specifications. 

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are only able to provide feedback to shortlisted candidates. If you do not hear from us within 14 days of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. 

We are looking for a highly motivated, creative and energetic person with a passion and energy for politics to join our team and help us develop compelling policy solutions and advocacy campaigns to engage, inspire and influence decision makers in the run up to the 2024 General Election and beyond, to ensure nature’s recovery is kept at the heart of public and political conversation.

You will play a key role in securing nature’s recovery across Gloucestershire and beyond, helping to identify opportunities for and helping to shape campaigns, including working with partner organisations to ensure our work is as impactful as possible.

This is an exciting time for nature policy locally and nationally and you will be working to shape incoming policy and how it is delivered on the ground. You will work closely with GWT’s Evidence team to influence the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Partnership, and will work to ensure councils adopt nature-focused policies and best practice Biodiversity Net Gain.

You will also work closely with our Community Action team to empower our supporters to take action for nature through our advocacy campaigns and our wider Team Wilder work.

The role will sit within the External Relations team at GWT and will work with colleagues across the Trust and beyond, to develop and deliver compelling policy asks to influence our MPs and councillors, and support the development of the Trust’s advocacy campaigns, establishing us as leading experts and driving individuals and policy makers to take action for nature.

If you are interested in joining our team, please click below for a full job description and to apply.

Please note that we do not accept CV’s and application forms should be returned by midnight 9 June 2024. Interviews will be held in person w/c 17 June 2024 .

We aim to be an equal opportunity employer and are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment.

Being a charity we hope all recruitment agencies will appreciate that we want to save money where possible - so thank you, but unless we get in touch, we don't need you help with this role quite yet.

Health Equals is a collaboration of people and organisations who want equal opportunity for health and wellbeing for everyone. Through powerful and evidence-based campaigns, we want to start a conversation about health and wellbeing that recognises the importance of the building blocks of health – and together make sure action is taken to prioritise these in policy, to ultimately create better health for people.Whilst embedded in and funded by the Health Foundation, Health Equals members and supporters are central to our reach and credibility.   

Could you develop and maintain society-changing relationships across sectors, ensuring that Health Equals members are engaged and active in supporting Health Equals public awareness campaigns and policy goals? 

Could you lead on developing and implementing a strategy and engagement programme to ensure that Health Equals has a high-calibre membership that is balanced across sectors, and provides influence with policy makers and reach into the public?

We’re looking for an experienced policy professional who is excellent at stakeholder engagement across all levels.With a keen interest in delivering change through collaboration, this role includes engaging with members to develop well-evidenced policy asks, developing and delivering influencing plans and campaigns collectively, and informing the development of public facing campaigns to promote policies which will improve health and reduce inequalities across the UK.

To find out more about the role and what we are looking for, please click on the link below to be redirected to our careers website.

About Us

Inspire is a charity based in East London. We inspire children and young people across London and beyond, using data to understand the barriers they face and connecting them with a range of employers and opportunities to open doors to their success.

We have over 30 years of experience in delivering high quality services and programmes to children, young people, schools, local authorities and employers. Working alongside our large network of employer volunteers, we design and deliver programmes that inspire and support children and young people to create a positive future for themselves in their journey from the classroom to workplace.  We provide them with independent careers guidance, high aspirations and strong employability skills.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Partnerships Manager to join our team.  This is an exciting opportunity to join our Business Development Team and make a significant contribution to delivery of the charity’s high quality services to children and young people, providing them with opportunities and inspiration to enable them to achieve their potential, create a positive future for themselves and open doors to their success.

If you are self-motivated, enthusiastic and confident with experience in successfully securing, managing and developing partnerships from initial prospect research through to contracting and ongoing management, then this role is for you. Working alongside the Director of Business Development and Partnerships, you will support and contribute to the charity’s business development strategy with responsibility for managing activity including raising funds for Inspire from a range of sources including corporate partnerships, community fundraising, trusts and foundations.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

1. Writing and submitting applications for new funding to statutory bodies, trusts, foundations and corporates.

2. Researching funding opportunities, competitors and market trends.

3. Developing and maintaining an annual calendar of community fundraising activities.

4. Identifying new business development opportunities and developing a pipeline of opportunities and proposals.

5. Management and growth of Inspire's entry to mid-level corporate partnerships.

6. Working with delivery team colleagues to ensure funders’ reports are completed on time and to a high standard.

Benefits

29 days annual leave plus bank holidays

3 volunteering days per year

Family friendly policies

Hybrid working arrangements

If you have the skills and desire to join our team, please see our job description for further details.

How to Apply

If you wish to apply for this role, please provide your CV and a covering letter outlining why you are suitable for the role, clearly addressing the requirements of the person specification.

Closing date

Interviews will be held on a rolling basis. We will review applications as we receive them and aim to appoint as soon as we meet the right person.  We reserve the right to close the application process early if we find a suitable candidate.

Unfortunately, due to the number of applications we receive we are unable to contact unsuccessful applicants.

Inspire is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.  The successful candidate will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Northern Ireland Policy Adviser

CARE Office, Belfast (hybrid working options may be considered)

£33,000-£37,000 (FTE) and generous staff benefits

Full time

NB. Part-time applications (minimum of three days per week) for this role will be considered. A part-time role would focus solely on Northern Ireland-specific projects. Please specify your preference when completing the application form.

CARE (Christian Action, Research and Education) has been at the heart of research, advocacy, education programmes and social action projects that have sought to change perceptions of how the Bible can be the basis of effective public policy solutions to some of our biggest social and political challenges for almost 40 years.

This is an exciting time to join CARE! Following the appointment of our new Chief Executive in 2021, we have embarked on an ambitious new strategy for engaging with politics and policy development across the UK – speaking out for the vulnerable and the voiceless, informed by our conviction that the Bible tells a better story for human flourishing.

To help enable this, we are looking to grow our expert and high-achieving Public Policy Team. We are looking for an experienced, innovative, creative, skilled and energetic policy professional who is excited by the prospect of developing policy from the ground up, and building expertise in diverse areas such as poverty, strengthening families, children and young people, beginning and end of life, violence against women, disability, addictions, older people, and freedom of speech and religion.

This will probably be your second or third role in this field, and there is a real opportunity to make your mark. You will be passionate about the relevance of God’s word for the politics and culture of today and excited about bringing faith, good research and practical evidence to bear on public policy and legislation in both Northern Ireland and Great Britain. You will be comfortable speaking to politicians, academics and members of church congregations alike.

For further information, read the detailed Job Profile. There is a genuine occupational requirement for this role to be filled by a Christian – see CARE’s statement of faith.

The role is based in CARE’s Belfast Office, though hybrid working options are available. This role is designed to have a 3:2 split working on Northern Ireland-specific projects, and broader policy work across Great Britain. As noted above, Part-Time applications for the 3-day Northern Ireland aspect of the role only may be considered. Please specify your preference when completing the application form.

To apply, please click the link below. 

The deadline for applications is 11pm on Sunday 9 June.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted no later than Thursday 13 June, with interviews taking place the week commencing 17 June.

RAFT Research Programme Consortium Chief Executive Officer (0.6FTE)

Department of Disease Control

Salary: £51,299 to £58,723 per annum, pro rata.

Contract: Part Time, 3 days per week, Fixed Term until 30th April 2026

Job Reference: ITD-DCD-2024-06

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is one of the world’s leading public health universities. Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.

The LSHTM is searching for a CEO to help in the management of the ‘Resilience Against Future Threats’ (RAFT) Research Programme Consortium (RPC). RAFT is funded by FCDO, and its mission is research that will be of practical benefit to national programmes for the control of vector-borne diseases especially malaria. The Consortium partners are the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Centre for Research into Infectious Disease Cameroon, the Institut Pierre Richet in Côte d'Ivoire, the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in Tanzania, the Faculty of Tropical Medicine of Mahidol University in Thailand, and the Malaria Consortium. One strand of our work concerns the arms race against insecticide resistance in African malaria vector mosquitoes, and in particular the process of choosing the most cost-effective insecticidal interventions in the face of complex geographic variation in resistance and a limited amount of epidemiological trial evidence. The other strand is addressing the more strategic and longer-term threats facing vector control, including the rise of Aedes-borne viruses in Africa, and the effects of anthropogenic changes in the environments in which we live.

We are looking for a CEO who will join the leadership team based in the LSHTM. This is a senior role with operational responsibility across all of RAFTs activities, including its research, its governance structures and workings as a partnership, its relationship with FCDO and the intended users of the knowledge outputs. You will work closely with RAFT’s two Principal Investigators/Research Directors and provide support to all other Principal Investigators/Directors from partners in the Consortium. The CEO will manage the relationship with the donor (UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO) and be the primary point of contact. You will provide strategic Management of RPC governance structures; and actively participate in RPC management meetings with Management Group and running of the Consortium Advisory Group (CAG). You will work closely with the Programme Manager to ensure best practice in budget management, financial probity, forecasting expenditure, and financial reporting to donors, Management Group and CAG.

The CEO will oversee and report on detailed progress against the agreed workplans and logframe, including on risks to programme success and make changes and recommendations as required. You will lead on Lead on active engagement with RAFT’s primary external stakeholders (i.e. the main intended users of its knowledge outputs), including National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs) in countries with high burden of mosquito-borne disease, World Health Organisation (WHO), UK Government FCDO etc, so as to understand their research and technical priorities and to coordinate RAFT’s role and contribution. Finally, the CEO will also oversee the development and implementation of the RAFT Communications Strategy and together with the Research Uptake Manager, oversee all RPC communications, data management procedures and engagement of users and policymakers with the research outputs, representing the RPC in public debate and other media.

Candidates must have a higher education to degree level, or equivalent, or substantial relevant experience, experience of managing and reporting on programme grants from funders such as FCDO, EU etc, significant proven experience of financial planning and management including creating and monitoring budgets

The post is part-time 3 days per week, 0.6 FTE and fixed-term until 30 April 2026. The post is funded by the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and is available immediately.

The salary will be on the Professional Services salary scale, Grade 7 in the range £51,299 - £58,723 (SP 38-43) per annum pro rata (inclusive of London Weighting). The post will be subject to the LSHTM terms and conditions of service. Annual leave entitlement is 30 working days per year, pro rata for part time staff. In addition to this there are discretionary “Wellbeing Days”. Membership of the Pension Scheme is available. The post is hybrid in the UK at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, or alternatively in an appropriate location in Africa.

Applications should be made on-line via our jobs website. Online applications will be accepted by the automated system until 10pm of the closing date. Any queries regarding the application process may be addressed the email displayed on our website job posting. Please quote reference ITD-DCD-2024-06.

The supporting statement section should set out how your qualifications, experience and training meet each of the selection criteria. Please provide one or more paragraphs addressing each criterion. The supporting statement is an essential part of the selection process and thus a failure to provide this information will mean that the application will not be considered. An answer to any of the criteria such as "Please see attached CV" will not be considered acceptable.

Please note that if you are shortlisted and are unable to attend on the interview date it may not be possible to offer you an alternative date.

Closing Date: Wednesday 5th June 2024

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. We believe that when people feel respected and included, they can be more creative, successful, and happier at work. While we have more work to do, we are committed to building an inclusive workplace, a community that everyone feels a part of, which is safe, respectful, supportive and enables all to reach their full potential.

This entry level role into a humanitarian sector charity will support the planning, delivery, and evaluation of UK- and overseas-delivered surgical, anaesthesia, obstetrics/gynaecology, and nursing courses, will administer our medical teaching faculty, and will support all other aspects of the Foundation’s business as they relate to its international programmes. 

We recognise that the right person might come from a background that has not enabled them to gain the advantages sometimes available to others.  We therefore choose not to specify precise requirements but believe that this role will suit people whose qualifications, skills, attributes, interests, and experience include some or all of the following:

· Knowledge of, and keen interest in, public health, current affairs, the humanitarian sector, and international relations.

· Ability, personal resilience, and willingness to travel to high-risk countries to facilitate programme delivery, which – as things stand – involves approximately 7 weeks of international and 2 weeks of national travel per year.

· Willingness to travel outside of normal office hours.

· Proven ability to manage own workload, organising and prioritising tasks to meet deadlines.

· Good communication, interpersonal and writing skills.

· An ability to manage time-sensitive work in a fast-paced environment.

· Excellent organisational skills with an ability to establish tools for effective workload management.

· Willingness to grow with the role.

Placement Manager 

£35k p.a. FTE part-time 

Part-time 15 – 20 hours per week Location: initially remote working but to be hybrid based in W/NW/SW London.)

We are looking for a Placement Manager to join our enthusiastic and friendly team. Help Counselling Centre is a small Mental Health charity providing one-to-one counselling, both in person and online.  We are also a well-established training placement provider for trainee counsellors and psychotherapists studying with prestigious training providers in London.

About Help

Help Counselling is well-established Mental Health Charity with a heritage of over 50 years. We provide training placements for clinical supervisors, counsellors and psychotherapists who need to gain clinical experience to qualify (or further qualify) and be registered with one of the industry professional bodies such as, BACP or UKCP. For ethical reasons, the work trainee counsellors / psychotherapists do is unpaid, i.e., they must volunteer their time.

This volunteer model enables Help to fulfil its charitable aim of providing low-cost counselling services. It can take between 3-5 years to qualify, and our training placements are for minimum of 12 months meaning we can also provide clients with long-term help. The blend of low-cost and long-term talking therapy is much needed in a time of increasing demand for mental health support and increasing complexity of presenting issues.

About the job

Reporting to the Help Director, the job is to ensure the smooth and effective running of the training placement process in line with BACP requirements.

This will include providing clinical support and expertise to the Help Director; managing and assuring the quality of the counsellor recruitment process; handling counsellor issues; overseeing weekly client allocations and reallocations; handling queries and managing relationships with clients, counsellors and supervisors; reviewing and enhancing clinical policies.

Currently our client volumes are between 250-350, we have approximately 90 counsellors and clinical team of approximately 20. 

We operate a number of cloud-based IT systems and have outsourced HR and Finance functions.

 Key responsibilities

· Provide clinical support and expertise to the Help Director as required.

· Manage and oversee process of new counsellor recruitment, ensuring all new counsellors are interviewed and vetted against a suitable set of standards and controls. 

· Manage paperwork required by Training Organisations in relation to Trainee Counsellors at the beginning and during their placement. 

· Being available to support Trainee Counsellors on clinical placement with Help.

· Manage the Cause for Concern’ procedure with Trainee Counsellors and Supervisors as and when they arise. This will include ensuring appropriate record-keeping and taking appropriate action to ensure counsellors are working safely and within the BACP ethical framework. 

· Provide a point of escalation for client, counsellor or supervision queries. 

· Manage and oversee weekly client allocations and reallocations. 

· Manage any queries raised from Assessments and manage any declined clients 

· Assist in the periodic review and creation of appropriate clinical policies and procedures. Provide input into policies and procedures based on changes to best practice guidelines issued by professional bodies. 

The Candidate

Education & experience: Counselling or Psychotherapy Qualification, BACP or UKCP professional membership, 3-5 years' post-qualification experience. Experience of working within a training environment within the same industry highly desirable.

Skills:

· Excellent facilitation.

· Strong task and time management.

· High standard of verbal and written communication skills.

· Highly organised.

· Ability to provide challenging feedback to others, managing and responding professionally and appropriately to conflict and risk. 

· Interpersonal and influencing skills, especially the ability to engage with counsellors.

· Stakeholder management.

· Adaptability.

· Analytical and problem-solving skills

· Knowledge of MS Office suite and ability to learn new systems quickly. 

· Working understanding of HR-related policies and procedures including EDI and working with competency frameworks is highly advantageous.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is a grassroots movement working for nature’s recovery and to bring people closer to nature.

‘Our vision for a wilder future is beautiful and vital!’

Our future has to be wilder!

We are seeking a Policy & Advocacy Officer to join our cause.

We are looking for a highly motivated person with a passion and energy for politics to join our team and help us develop compelling policy solutions and advocacy campaigns to engage, inspire and influence decision makers in the run-up to the 2024 General Election and beyond to ensure nature’s recovery is kept at the heart of the public and political conversation.

You will play a key role in securing nature’s recovery across the two counties and beyond. Our recent campaign, such as our joint Tipner West Campaign with the RSPB successfully mobilised over 30,000 people to take action to oppose a development on legally protected habitats. We are soon launching an advocacy campaign to get legal protections in local and national policy for all our iconic chalk streams.

This is an exciting time for nature policy locally and nationally and you will be working to shape policy and how it is delivered on the ground, for example working on the Local Nature Recovery Strategies and driving councils to integrate the Strategy into their plans, policies and delivery.

Wild About Inclusion!

As an inclusive employer we recognise that our workforce needs to better reflect the communities in which we live and work.  We encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly those underrepresented within our sector, including people from black, Asian, minority Ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a Movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.

We are happy to discuss the possibilities of hybrid and flexible working

This role will be based at our office in Curdridge, however, we are happy to accommodate a hybrid working routine, and discuss a pattern of work which is mutually suitable for the right candidate. Officially, office hours are Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm with an hour lunch break.

We offer a wide range of benefits including a competitive salary, generous annual leave allowance, a contributory pension scheme, life assurance, learning and development support, 24-hour access to our employee assistance programme and more.

Closing date: 31 May 2024

For more information and to apply, please visit our website. 

Salary: £29,500 - £33,500 DOE

Location: Hybrid working to include Tyseley, Birmingham and home working and national travel when required

Hours: Full time 36.5 hours per week to include occasional evening and weekend working.

Contract type: Permanent

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research and Evaluation Specialist to join our Research and Performance department at The Active Wellbeing Society. Our head office is based in Tyseley (Birmingham) and we are offering this as a hybrid role, including working from the head office, across Birmingham and home working, with national travel when required. This role is responsible for research and evaluation across all areas of the organisation to support strategic and operational decision-making. This includes primary research (surveys, interviews, focus groups, participatory research etc.) and data analysis skills to produce recommendations and actionable insights to drive behaviour change, and adapt and improve our practice.

You should have experience of designing and leading mixed method research projects (quantitative and qualitative), using a range of tools to analyse and evaluate a variety of datasets and interpreting your findings into robust recommendations. You should have excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to adapt these to different audiences. The role will support the Research and Insight Manager.

Ideally, you will bring a high level of expertise across all the knowledge and skills we are looking for, as set out further below. We will consider candidates who require some development in areas of their knowledge and are willing to learn whilst in the role.

The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) is a community benefit society and cooperative working to develop healthy, happy communities living active and connected lives. 

Our vision is for a society where people have the autonomy, capacity, resources and skills to become the architects of their own destiny; where our individual wellbeing is recognised as being bound up in our collective responsibility to and dependency on each other; and where all of us feel empowered as agents of social change to make a difference – whether at an individual level or more widely. 

Main duties

1. Design, manage and deliver multiple community-based research and evaluation projects.
2. Use a range of research methods such as interviews, surveys, focus groups, case studies, participatory research, journey mapping, literature reviews, case studies and stories.
3. Use a range of data analysis tools to interrogate mixed method research data (quantitative and qualitative) and produce robust findings. This will include the use of NVivo, SPSS and Microsoft Excel.
4. Turn primary and secondary research findings into actionable insights, providing evidence and recommendations for problem solving, critical thinking, decision making and innovation.
5. Identify, analyse and interpret relevant local and national data sources and evidence to provide actionable insights and contextual understanding.
6. Use excellent written communication skills to produce outputs including reports, briefings, profiles, presentations and infographics, and tailoring these to a variety of audiences.
7. Work collaboratively with the team, other directorates and stakeholders to understand their research needs, to implement research processes and procedures, in-line with organisational priorities and the needs of funders.
8. Understand and adhere to information management policies, research ethics and governance legislation, including, data privacy and data protection legislation, including GDPR.

Knowledge, skills and experience 

1. Experience of carrying out community-based research using qualitative research methods, including, interviews, surveys, focus groups, case studies, participatory research, journey mapping, literature reviews, case studies, stories. (Essential)
2. Skills and experience in cleaning, organising, manipulating and analysing data, data interpretation and data visualisation. (Essential)
3. Experience of designing, delivering and managing multiple research and evaluation projects. (Essential)
4. Experience of turning primary and secondary research findings into actionable insights and providing evidence-based briefings and recommendations. (Essential)
5. Experience of using a range of analytical tools and software that will allow you to apply your skills in mixed method research (quantitative and qualitative), to produce robust findings. This will include the use of MS Office, SPSS, MS Excel (advanced) and NVivo (transcription and coding). (Essential)
6. Excellent written communication skills with experience in producing outputs including reports, briefings, profiles, presentations and infographics, and tailoring these to a variety of audiences. (Essential)
7. Experience of building and maintaining strong working relationships, including working collaboratively with teams across an organisation and with external stakeholders (Essential)
8. Knowledge and experience of information management, research ethics and governance legislation, including, data privacy and data protection legislation, including GDPR. (Essential)
9. Experience and understanding of behavioural research, behavioural insight, and/or, the COM-B Model. (Desirable)
10. Experience of sourcing, analysing and interpreting existing national and local data to produce trends and comparisons. (Desirable)

Staff benefits

We offer our team members a comprehensive staff benefits offering to include:

• Annual Leave – 25 days FTE (increasing to 29 days with service) plus 5 wellbeing days.
• Nest Pension – 8% employer contribution - 3% employee contribution.
• Heath Cash Plan – giving you discounts on everyday healthcare such as dental, optical, physio, prescriptions & more.
•  Employee Assistance Programme (counselling and DRs on call 24hrs a day).
• Life Assurance – x4 your salary paid to beneficiary.
• Flexible working.
• Fantastic volunteering opportunities within The Active Wellbeing Society every month.

Application details

Please submit a Cover Letter and CV addressing the experience you have had relevant to the 'Main Duties' and the 'Knowledge & Skills' sections of the advert, but as a minimum please address how you meet the the following criteria which will be weighted highly in the first sift of shortlisting:

1. Experience of carrying out community-based research using qualitative research methods, including, interviews, surveys, focus groups, case studies, participatory research, journey mapping, literature reviews, case studies, stories
2. Skills in cleaning, organising, manipulating and analysing data, data interpretation and data visualisation, and turning primary and secondary research findings into actionable insights and evidence-based recommendations.
3. Experience of designing, delivering and managing multiple research and evaluation projects
4. Experience of turning primary and secondary research findings into actionable insights and providing evidence-based recommendations6. Excellent written communication skills with experience of producing outputs including reports, briefings, profiles, presentations and infographics, and tailoring these to a variety of audiences.
5. Excellent written communication skills with experience of producing outputs including reports, briefings, profiles, presentations and infographics, and tailoring these to a variety of audiences.

Closing date: Sunday 26th May 2024

Interview date: W/c 3rd June 2024

Due to the high numbers of applications we received for our job vacancies, we may close application windows early, so we would encourage you to submit your application ASAP

We will provide all applicants with an outcome on your application, this will usually be within 1 week of the application window closing.

Successful applicants will be required to be DBS checked prior to starting.

Our customers come from all walks of life and so do we, in recruiting for our team we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring. The Active Wellbeing Society is committed to being an equal opportunity employer, we recruit based upon capability and all applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. At The Active Wellbeing Society we are searching for people who share the passion for what we do with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, collectively making a difference.

If there is anything we can do to assist you in your application or preparations to be interviewed for one of our job vacancies please let us know and we can ensure you have a positive and comfortable experience.

Thank you for your interest in working for The Active Wellbeing Society, we look forward to receiving your application.