3 Researcher jobs in Edinburgh

Elrha is a global organisation that finds solutions to complex humanitarian problems through research and innovation. 

We are looking to recruit a Research & Innovation Manager (Maternity Cover) to join our Programmes team on a fixed-term basis. Funding for the role is currently secured until 28 February 2027. While we anticipate the maternity cover requirement continuing until the end of November 2027, any extension beyond 28 February 2027 will be dependent on funding being confirmed. 

In this role, you will have the opportunity to lead and shape Elrha's Readiness to Scale Pipeline, supporting innovative humanitarian solutions as they progress towards wider adoption and real-world impact. You will work closely with promising scaling grantees and technical partners, providing strategic oversight, strengthening quality and learning, and helping to navigate risks and opportunities. As a key member of the team, you will play an important role in advancing and evolving Elrha's approach to scaling and adoption, contributing to the future of humanitarian innovation globally. 

Your application will need to demonstrate: 

• Experience of managing complex grants, programmes or projects, including monitoring performance and impact. 
• Experience designing and delivering applied learning and capacity building activities, including needs assessments, learning journeys and strategy development. 
• An understanding of how innovations can achieve scale, adoption and sustainable impact. 
• Excellent stakeholder management and collaboration skills, with the ability to engage diverse partners and build effective relationships. 
• Proven ability to coordinate delivery, manage risk and drive high-quality outcomes. 
• An interest in the humanitarian or development sectors, ideally demonstrated through academic qualifications and/or paid or voluntary work.

Experience of donor engagement, systems and design thinking methods, mentoring innovators or working within humanitarian innovation would also be an advantage. 

If you want to be part of an organisation that creates positive change in the humanitarian sector, then join us and we’ll give you every opportunity to succeed. 

We offer: 

• Remote working as standard – staff can access office bases in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester if required/ appropriate. We expect staff to attend team meetings and away days in person as required. 
• As standard we work 35 hours per week. We are also happy to discuss flexible working patterns and many of our staff work non-standard working hours. 
• Our benefits include minimum 5% employer pension contribution (3% employee contribution), life cover, organisational sick pay, family friendly pay and leave schemes; 26-day basic annual leave entitlement with incremental increase depending on length of service, opportunities for learning and development, a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and retail discounts platform. 
• Please read through the Information for Candidates document for further information about working at Elrha including information about Our Values, Strategy, Benefits and Salaries. 

Note for applicants: 

• Candidates must have the independent right to work in UK, and be resident in the UK, at the time of appointment as we are unable to support visa sponsorship for this role. 
• This is a maternity cover position. Funding for the role is currently confirmed until 28 February 2027. Any extension beyond this date will be subject to the availability of funding and the ongoing requirements of the role. 
• Please read through the job description for a detailed list of requirements, and ensure you complete the personal statement to explain how you feel you meet the requirements of the role and why you feel this is next career move for you. Applications without this information will not be shortlisted. 
• Elrha is an independent subsidiary of SCUK and benefits from some SCUK systems and processes. 
• We reserve the right to close the advert early should we receive a very high volume of applications. 
• We do not use recruitment agencies.

Closing date: 20 September 2026 

Interview dates: w/c 5 October 2026 

Prospect Researcher

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.

Prospect Researcher

Salary - £33,201.00 (ROE) £36,924.00 (LON)

Location: Nationwide

Full-time

Our offer to you 

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive: 

• Competitive salary and pension scheme
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
• Hybrid, Flexible working
• Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme (subject to terms)
• Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping 

 About Us 

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,100 employees and over 20,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning. As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future. 

St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services (e.g. Ambulance response) and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them (e.g. our Volunteers and Community Advocates, and Young Responders programmes).

Job Summary 

At St John Ambulance, we're committed to saving lives through first aid, healthcare, and volunteering. To continue growing our impact, we're looking for an experienced Prospect Research Manager to lead and develop our prospect research function within the Philanthropy and Partnerships team. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of fundraising by identifying and qualifying high-value prospects, providing strategic insight, and ensuring our fundraising teams have the intelligence they need to build lasting relationships with donors, corporate partners, and trusts and foundations.

Working as part of the Fundraising, Brand and Communications Directorate, you'll develop a strategic roadmap for prospect research, oversee due diligence to help protect the charity's reputation, and work closely with colleagues across fundraising and data to maximise the potential of our Microsoft 365 CRM. Your expertise will help drive sustainable income growth while ensuring our data, processes, and practices meet the highest standards of quality, compliance, and data protection.

About You 

You'll be an experienced and strategic prospect research professional with a strong understanding of how insight, data, and relationship-building can support successful fundraising. You'll combine excellent research skills with a proactive approach, using your expertise to identify opportunities, provide valuable intelligence, and help shape fundraising decisions.

To be successful in this role, you'll bring:

·Significant experience of undertaking prospect research and due diligence within a charity, fundraising, or commercial environment, with the ability to identify and assess new opportunities.

·Strong research and analytical skills, with experience using a range of research tools, databases, and CRM systems to produce accurate, insightful reports and recommendations.

·The ability to develop and implement effective strategies, systems, and processes that improve ways of working and support organisational goals.

·Experience building strong relationships and collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels, including briefing and influencing senior leaders.

·Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly, produce high-quality written reports, and tailor messages for different audiences.

·A thorough understanding of data protection principles, fundraising compliance, and ethical approaches to prospect research and donor engagement.

·Strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, work independently, and deliver high-quality work to deadlines.

·A proactive and opportunity-focused approach, with the ability to spot potential, contribute positively to a team environment, and demonstrate St John Ambulance's HEART values.

You will also have strong IT skills, including experience using Microsoft Office applications and CRM databases. A good standard of education, including GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths (Grade 4/C or above), is required.

About the Role 

·Lead the development and delivery of St John Ambulance's prospect research strategy, creating a roadmap that supports fundraising priorities across philanthropy, corporate partnerships, trusts, and foundations.

·Manage the prospect research function, identifying and qualifying high-value funding opportunities while providing strategic insight to help maximise fundraising income.

·Conduct high-quality prospect research, network mapping, and due diligence, ensuring all recommendations align with the charity's ethical fundraising policy and protect its reputation.

·Build and manage fundraising pipelines by identifying new prospects, tracking opportunities, and working closely with fundraising colleagues to move prospects successfully through the cultivation journey.

·Develop and embed effective processes for prospect referral, research, and data management, ensuring accurate CRM records, GDPR compliance, and the adoption of fundraising best practice.

·Collaborate with colleagues across St John Ambulance and The Order of St John, presenting research findings, sharing expertise, and helping to build prospect research capability across the fundraising team.

Please see the job description for more detail (this can be viewed on our website or once you click apply) 

If you are a current St John Ambulance employee, please apply here: Click here 

For all other candidates, or St John Ambulance volunteers wishing to apply: please apply below 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive high volume of applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

St John Ambulance are committed to increasing the diversity of our team and making sure we best reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.At St John, everyone is valued and supported to thrive, we have seven networks including The Armed Forces Network, The Disability & Accessibility Network, The Family & Carers Network, The Heritage & Ethnicity Equity Network, LGBTQIA + Equity, The Multifaith Network & The Women’s Network. We do nottolerate any form ofdiscriminationandengendera sense of belonging for all, by creating an environment of mutual respect, where we value unique differences and demonstrate authentic allyship.We believe passionately in equality, diversity and inclusion.

St John Ambulance is proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. We are committed to supporting current and former members of the Armed Forces, reservists, veterans, cadet force adult volunteers, and military families, ensuring they are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged in their recruitment or employment with us.

St John Ambulance is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice. Therefore, all successful applicants will undergo pre-employment checks, including DBS Clearance, as part of the onboarding process, if applicable to the nature of the role'. 

Please note: St John does not accept speculative CVs and will only review CVs sent in application for an advertised vacancy.