Position title: Research Assistant (potentially two positions)

Place of work: Remote working / London Spitalfields office / Belfast office

Type: Fixed term, for 9 months

Hours: Full-time (35 hours a week)

Remuneration: £20,000 p.a. pro rata

Start date: Late November / December 2020

nfpSynergy delivers research, insights and expertise to help non-profits understand their audiences and make informed strategic decisions.

We use a range of research and consultancy skills to help charities find out exactly what they need to know. We speak to over 30,000 people a year about non-profits. With over 15 years of experience and vital trend data, we help charities collate, analyse and understand the opinions of their key audiences and integrate them into their work. We have already helped over 150 charities in a vast range of ways, including understanding supporter journeys, segmenting their audiences and evaluating and improving services for the people who need them.

Non-profits of all sizes and areas have benefited from our work, including three quarters of the UK’s top 50 fundraising brands. We have also written over 100 popular free reports and presentations on the major issues facing the sector.

The role

We are a small, dynamic, values-driven research company that works exclusively for the non-profit sector, looking for a Research Assistant to join our hard working team. We are based in Spitalfields, near Liverpool Street, and Belfast, though the offices are currently only partially open due Covid-19. Given we do not know when we can all safely return to the office, we are also accepting applications from candidates who will work remotely and will not be based in the London or Belfast office.

The Research Assistant will provide support to the Public Audiences team, the Influencers team and on bespoke projects. In practice, this means working on a wide variety of topics and using many different research methodologies to help charities make better decisions. Key topics we cover in our research and outputs include brand, communications, fundraising, reputation and trust. Many charities subscribe to our regular tracking research, which primarily focus on research with the general public and MPs. Some charities need more bespoke research, which would involve the team working closely with clients to help understand their needs and to design research projects to meet their objectives. This type of work could include: online surveys to measure people’s attitudes on social issues to influence the development of a campaign; interviews with service users to explore the impact of their services; focus groups to test awareness of a charity’s brand and communication; or supporter satisfaction surveys to understand the motivations and retention of supporters.

Description of responsibilities and opportunities:

• Opportunities to work on the research we conduct for a whole range of charities in the UK and further afield
• Working on the Charity Awareness Monitor, as well as on other trend research, including the Charity Parliamentary Monitor or the Charity Brand Evaluator
• Provide support on bespoke projects, ranging from assisting with qualitative projects such as focus groups/interviews to quantitative projects such as supporter surveys or segmentations
• Supporting the research team on tasks such as preparing client presentations, compiling and proofreading reports, setting up and scripting of online surveys, data entry and invoicing
• Attending, and eventually presenting at, client and pitch meetings
• Dealing with client requests, including additional data analysis
• Organising review meetings and project feedback which takes place after each project
• Some tasks involving more complex statistical analysis of data
• Assist in marketing and raising the profile of the team/company, and take on sales responsibilities, such as phoning potential clients and talking about the benefits of our research
• Providing core administrative support for the team and across the company. Assisting the Office Manager in tasks such as nfpSynergy event preparation, covering the front desk and keeping the library in good order

Who we are looking for:

This post would be ideally suited to a graduate who wants to gain knowledge and experience in market/social research and has an interest in the not-for-profit sector.

The post holder could have skills and experience in a variety of different areas. Some of the things we like to see in our staff:

Hard skills / previous experience:

• Previous research experience, whether quantitative or qualitative
• Special interest in analysing data (quantitative and qualitative)
• Strong numerical skills, experience of statistical analysis (for example using excel or SPSS)
• Experience of support/administration roles
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Excel and especially PowerPoint
• An interest in, and preferably experience of, charities and not for profits
• Experience of the public, private or voluntary sector
• An interest in some of the areas covered in the work, e.g. public opinion, charity branding or political campaigning

Softer skills:

• Strong oral and written communication skills and an attention to detail
• Good time management and organisational skills
• Self-motivated, hardworking and proactive, able to deal with periods of heavy workload, and stay motivated during quieter periods
• Enthusiastic, personable and with a sense of humour
• Ability to work collaboratively and flexibly as part of a team

What nfpSynergy delivers to you:

• A varied and interesting role in a well-respected research consultancy working exclusively in the not-for-profit sector, providing the chance to gain considerable insight into the sector
• The chance to be an integral part of a small but dynamic company
• 19 days paid holiday over the 9 months
• During your time at nfpSynergy we will work with you to polish your CV and help prepare for job interviews
• We will provide training in research skills

Testimonials from Research Assistants

"The research assistant programme at nfpSynergy was a great way to start my career. I was given all the support and training I needed to develop my research skills, and working with a wide variety of charities gave me a broad knowledge of the Third Sector. The office is full of dedicated, passionate and fun colleagues, and I was quickly encouraged to take on meaningful responsibility. I would recommend the experience to anyone looking to work with charities or in market research."

Debbie Hazelton, Former Senior Researcher

"The research assistant programme at nfpSynergy was the perfect start to my career. I was given all the support and training I needed to develop my research skills, and working with a wide variety of charities gave me a great understanding of the third sector. Coming in to work alongside such dedicated, passionate and fun colleagues everyday was a pleasure, and I was quickly encouraged to take on meaningful responsibility. I would recommend the experience to anyone looking to work with charities or in market research."

Jonny Harper, Former Researcher

• Send a cover letter and CV to Berni White stating why you’re right for this position and why you would like to work with us.
• Please note the deadline is midday, Wednesday 28th October and we intend to interview from week commencing 2nd November
• Please note, at the time of starting employment, the successful candidate must have permission to work in the UK.
• No agencies please.
• A copy of our recruitment policy and our GDPR Compliance Statement is available on request.