Research manager jobs in London, greater london

Thank you for your interest in this role!

Greenwich Hospital is the lead charitable funding organisation for the Royal Navy and wider Royal Navy Community. As such, we are able to facilitate the identification of needs and the setting of strategic priorities, build capacity, deliver significant impact and encourage enhanced collaboration within the Naval charity sector.

We have undertaken significant reform in order to generate increased income for grant making – which has risen from £5m in 2023 to £10m in 2026.

Part of this revision has been the implementation of a new grants strategy in 2024, which seeks in particular to evidence need in order to guide the current and future funding of charitable support, with the expansion of our proactive and preventative funding to support education, young people and families. Our grants now encompass more preventative and wellbeing-enhancing education delivery not covered by public funding. 

Following a review of our education and employment funding strategies, we are now focussing on widening our funding support beyond the longstanding bursary scheme for the Royal Hospital School. We are funding new educational programmes (such as free tutoring support) and developmental extra-curricular programmes with varied activities for children in order to enhance social mobility, compensate for the disadvantages of service life and enhance retention in service. This is undertaken in partnership with the Naval Children’s Charity, Royal Naval Sailing Association and Andrew Simpson Foundation. These funding streams also include increased focus on supporting partners of serving personnel with life opportunities and employability programmes.

Engaging with the research community to fill knowledge gaps has been key to the identification and balancing of current against future need, enabling accurate financial forecasting and income generation. We have recently completed our first long-term study of the welfare needs of the RN/RM community with granular demographic and qualitative data running through to 2040, and have now developed a sustainable funding strategy out to then.  

This work has been led and overseen by our current Research and Education Grants Manager over the last two years. She will be going on maternity leave in mid-September, so we seek to recruit maternity cover for a fixed-term period of 14 months to join our charity team of four. The expected start date will be the beginning of September, but we hope the successful candidate will be able to meet with the current Manager occasionally before then.

Working alongside strategic partners, we will keep our grant priorities under regular review and adjust according to evidenced need. The Research and Education Grants Manager plays a significant role in this life enhancing work.

It is expected that the current Research and Education Grants Manager will return to work, therefore this maternity cover role will be made redundant at the expiry of its term.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION:

RESPONSIBILITIES

· Assist in the delivery of GH’s charitable output to RN/RM beneficiaries in accordance with the Hospital’s objectives, governing legislation, policies and budgets.

· Help shape GH’s charitable work in education and the Life Opportunities programme. This will include direct delivery of support and delivery with/through others in order to ensure high impact and effectiveness. This will also include the development of new projects and programmes together with funding strategies to tackle unmet need.

· Strengthen current charity partnerships and establish new ones.

· Strengthen and assure impact monitoring and reporting across the applied grants, using best practice in current research methodology.

· Coordinate available research to identify gaps and focus GH spend.

KEY TASKS

1. In consultation with the Director of Grants and Finance staff, commission, track and manage the Hospital’s Education and Life Opportunities grants programme and budget, making sure it keeps within approved limits, reflects agreed payment schedules, and ensures the budget is spent in year or agreed as part of a roll over plan.

2. Oversee a portfolio of grants at various stages of the grant life cycle, including assessment of new applications, issuing Grant Agreements and managing awarded grants, applying established policies and processes. The process includes presenting grant applications and their assessment to our Charity Scrutiny Panel and Charity & Education Committee.

3. Ensure grants awards are authorised, paid and reviewed promptly.

4. Oversee and manage educational bursaries and grants, liaising and co-ordinating with the relevant educational organisations, applying established policies and processes. This includes bursaries for children attending the Royal Hospital School and university bursaries for serving personnel, working closely with the RN Learning and Development Organisation.

5. Collect, evaluate and report on the impact and effect of charitable giving and outcome of awards and, as required, collate and submit appropriate data and information to partner organisations.

6. Undertake the co-ordination and administration of cross-charity groups and meetings chaired and hosted by GH; represent GH in discussions and negotiations with stakeholders and other charitable partners and beneficiaries and represent GH at internal and external meetings.

7. Work alongside the Director of Grants to develop and implement GH’s new funding stream focused on supporting the naval charity sector in strengthening organisational capacity building and implementing effective impact measurement frameworks.  

8. Identify, co-ordinate and where necessary scope commissioning of new research to inform present and future grants planning and spend, liaising with FiMT, MoD, SCiP Alliance and other appropriate bodies.

9. Work with the Communications Manager to ensure suitable publicity is given to GH charity activity internally, on the GH website and social media, in national publications and by grant recipients.

10. Assist the Director of Grants in the production of impact reporting to inform the GH Advisory Board and Charity & Education Committee.

11. Ensure and promote adherence to good charity governance practice; assist in the periodic review of funding guidelines/ policies and delivery.

12. Develop and apply good understanding of RN ethos, personnel and beneficiaries.

13. Assist in the development and delivery of a Communications Strategy for the Hospital’s charitable activities including website and social media.

14. Draft appropriate contributions to the Annual Review/Impact Report.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Expertise and experience

1. In-depth and evidenced knowledge and experience of charitable and financial support to beneficiary groups; ability to empathise with and advocate imaginatively on behalf of beneficiaries.

2. Knowledge and experience in grant-making processes.

3. Evidence of working effectively in co-operation with other charities and organisations.

4. Evidenced ability to imagine and develop vision into designed, costed, project-managed and delivered programmes.

5. Understanding of the research landscape and ability to make it work for GH.

6. Familiar with introducing new, improved processes and developing joint working and grant giving mechanisms.

7. Excellent proven communication skills, written and oral.

8. Stakeholder management skills are essential; proven ability to develop creative and sustained collaborative relationships; ability to navigate multiple stakeholders who sometimes may have entrenched positions.

9. Familiarity with the Royal Navy and the Service charity sector would be an advantage but is not essential. Empathy with the military community essential.

10. Confident using IT including Microsoft Office, charity management and HR software; knowledge of a grants or other CRM would be desirable.

Personal qualities

· Adherence to GH’s values.

· Integrity, honesty and professionalism at all times.

· A strong ambassador with the ability to make internal and external contacts.

· Able to treat all people with respect and dignity.

· Willing to take responsibility for actions and remain accountable.

· A team player.

REPORTING TO Director of Grants

This job description is not contractual. Tasks may change over time by negotiation with the postholder.

Research and insights manager

When registering to this job board you will be redirected to the online application form. Please ensure that this is completed in full in order that your application can be reviewed.

About the role

Sense has a fantastic opportunity for someone to join our team as our Research and insights manager. This is a full time, hybrid role, working 37.5 hours per week based at our offices in Kings Cross, London.

This is an exciting time to join Sense, as we develop and embed our new organisational strategy and strengthen our approach to evidence-led decision making. The role will play a central part in ensuring that insight, data and stories are brought together into a coherent, trusted and accessible evidence base, supporting learning, influencing, bold communications and decision-making across Sense and driving our purpose to break down barriers alongside disabled people with complex needs.

The successful candidate will join a team that is ambitious about using insights, lived experience and stories to drive change, alongside disabled people with complex needs. This is a pivotal role in strengthening how Sense understands what is happening for disabled people with complex needs and their families, and in ensuring that this insight consistently informs strategic decisions across the organisation, as well as providing a bedrock for our influencing work.

Key responsibilities

• Manage Sense’s research, insight and evidence work, setting clear priorities and ensuring delivery against organisational objectives.
• Line manage and develop research and insight staff (where applicable), creating a high-performing, collaborative and inclusive team, working closely with teams across social change.
• Build strong working relationships across Sense, ensuring insight and evidence informs strategy, services, influencing, fundraising and communications.
• Work with external partners, research agencies and sector bodies to strengthen Sense’s evidence base and credibility, as well as design fundable insight projects with colleagues.
• Ensure delivery of high-quality, ethical and inclusive insight, drawing on quantitative data, qualitative research and lived experience.
• Commission and manage surveys, research and evaluations through external agencies and partners, from brief development through to final outputs.
• Manage Sense’s insight, evidence and story assets, including research, surveys, evaluation findings and lived experience insight.
• Work with team members to develop and maintain systems and processes that enable insight, data and stories to be stored, accessed, shared and reused across the organisation.
• Synthesise insight from multiple sources into clear themes, narratives and messages that support strategic decision-making.
• Ensure that Sense takes a stewardship approach to storytelling, so that lived experience stories are not repeatedly extracted for individual outputs, but are cared for, contextualised and built into a growing, reusable body of organisational insight

Key skills and experience:

• Significant experience in insight, evidence, research, evaluation or learning roles, with a strong focus on how insight is used to inform organisational decision-making and social change.

• Demonstrable experience of working with lived experience insight, including gathering, analysing and applying qualitative insight in ethical, inclusive and empowering ways.

• Experience of commissioning and managing external research, surveys or evaluations through agencies or consultants, from brief development to final outputs.

• A passionate commitment to take on the barriers disabled people face in society

• A demonstrable commitment to delivering positive change in the lives of disabled people and their families. 

• Knowledge of data protection, consent and ethical standards, particularly in relation to lived experience and storytelling.

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence and support senior leaders and teams to use insight confidently and appropriately.

For a full Job Description and Person Specification please see the link on the left hand side.

About Sense

Sense is here to break down barriers alongside disabled people with complex needs. That's why we're committed to increasing the number of disabled people working across our organisation and creating an environment where everyone can thrive.

We actively encourage disabled people to apply for our vacancies and believe that a diverse range of perspectives, experiences and talents makes us stronger.

We know there's always more we can do to become a truly inclusive employer, and we're working together to achieve that. Join us and help create the change thousands of disabled people with complex needs and families told us they want to see: a world without limits.

If you need us to adjust our recruitment process to help you access our vacancies, then please get in touch with a member of the talent acquisition team. We are a Disability Confident Leader and commit to interviewing disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for a role. More information on this can be found here Our commitment as an employer | Sense Careers

Our Values

Our values shape the way we behave and work alongside disabled people with complex needs to break down barriers:

• We’re creating change
• We’re always learning
• We’re better together

To apply:

Please use the link below to complete your application. Managers will use your application to shortlist candidates for interview; in relation to the Personal Specification. Therefore, it is very important you complete this section thoroughly.  We would recommend that you read the candidate guidelines, job description and person specification (found at the base of this advert) before applying.

Please note to avoid disappointment, we advise you to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close posts at any time.

Sense is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. Therefore, all offers of employment, where appropriate, are subject to a DBS check; level dependent on the nature of the role.

For this role we particularly welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented ethnic minority backgrounds and candidates with disabilities. Sense is committed to equality of opportunity, and to promoting and celebrating the diversity of staff, volunteers and the people we work with. Everyone's contribution is valued and we ensure they're given the opportunity to realise their potential. We welcome applications from talented people from all sections of the community who share our values and belief that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. 

No agency submissions please: any submissions without prior authorisation from the Sense Recruitment Team will be treated as our own and as such no fee will be payable.