Deputy Director, Policy Research and Evaluation

This exciting new role is an opportunity to be a strategic leader at the forefront of social and economic research, developing IES’s research on employment, skills and education policy, to achieve tangible impact on employment policy and practice. 

The Institute

The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) is a leading independent centre for research and evidence-based consultancy. We can provide you with an unparalleled opportunity to be involved at the forefront of social and economic research to help improve public policy, employment and human resource management.

We work closely with government departments, agencies, professional bodies and employers, with an emphasis on applied research and related consultancy. This ranges from major empirical investigations, through focused policy or HR management evaluations to advice on policy formation and implementation. Projects and assignments may last from a few weeks to major research programmes spanning several years.

We are a registered charity, with around 50 multidisciplinary staff plus UK and international associates.

Our values infuse our work. We strive for excellence, to be collaborative, and to bring curiosity to what we do. We work with integrity and treat people respectfully and with compassion. For more information on the work that we do and clients we work with, please visit https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/.

The role

Due to growth in our public policy research, we are recruiting to a new senior leadership role to support our Director of Public Policy and Research to co-lead our multi-million pound programme of research across employment policy collaboratively ensuring it is delivered effectively and to clients’ satisfaction. The postholder will be a credible and experienced researcher, motivated to support our team of policy researchers across the full breadth of our work and will play a critical leadership role in supporting and managing the policy research team. They will support and delegate for the Director of public policy in building, developing and managing a broad array of client and partner relationships across policy areas. They will be a representative and advocate for IES policy research, able to disseminate and influence across the themes we cover.

The postholder will also play a leadership role in developing the Institute more widely, leading strategic projects to build our capacity and capability, facilitating others to do likewise. They will be able to engage and motivate staff and capable of clear and transparent decision-making. Alongside, they will grow and develop their own programme of employment policy research.

In particular, the role involves:

Research development and thought leadership

• Generating substantial, annual income for self and others;
• Becoming a known thought leader for the IES portfolio, regularly disseminating and advising IES clients and policymakers, to increase IES’s profile;
• Managing and directing significant projects consistently to an excellent standard, achieving client satisfaction and maintaining client relationships to build potential for further work;
• Advocating for high quality research and evaluation to build the evidence for what works in improving employment outcomes;
• Being a conduit for IES values within IES and in the external context;
• Developing and maintaining effective links with existing and potential clients and partners, monitoring market trends, identifying new opportunities for IES, and proactively suggesting new lines of work for us;
• Promoting evidence-based policy and practice to lead towards sustainable improvements in public policy.

Internal leadership and development

• Co-develop the policy business plan with the Director of Policy Research and support the delivery of the Institute’s annual business plan;
• Play a leading role in operational management meetings and chairing other internal meetings, particularly related to effective project and programme delivery;
• Be effective in directing and managing a programme of research, being a role model for excellent project delivery and client relationship management;
• Leading researcher development through effective line management of senior and principal researchers and supporting the development of early careers researchers through project work and L&D sessions.
• Strong capabilities in risk management and mitigation, identifying emergent issues and able to intervene early and effectively to control these;
• Play a leading role in the development of the IES policy research programme, encouraging a culture of leadership and support across our team;
• Lead continuous improvement activity, engaging staff to realise improvements in their own and the institute’s practice;
• Be committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, encouraging all staff at IES to achieve their best;
• Other duties as required by institute directors.

What we are looking for

The successful candidate will have leadership potential, be a highly skilled, credible researcher, known for subject expertise related to employment matters. They will have a strong understanding of high quality and robust programme delivery to time and budget and be able to mentor and coach others to achieve the same. In addition, successful candidates will possess the following:

• Capability to co-lead and co-deliver a multi-million pound programme of research related to public policy research.
• Commercial awareness and business acumen, with understanding of working styles within a small, charitable business.
• Proven track record of generating substantial portfolio of income, to build work portfolio for self and others.
• Experience in effectively managing and developing people for high performance and a focus on professional growth for self and others.
• Exceptional self-organisational and presentational skills, with the ability to lead a programme of work, direct projects and support teams to work well with clients.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent a range of employment topics and convey complex concepts and findings accessibly to a variety of different audiences, including policymakers, the media and the wider public.
• The skills and expertise to develop new income, and/or to lead high quality bids, with aspects of innovation within commissioned briefs to ensure IES is a preferred supplier.
• A track record of research related to a detailed understanding of UK employment and social policy.
• Demonstrable research capability, and understanding of methods and implications for reliability of findings.
• Excellent academic qualifications in social sciences or related field or evidence of equivalent experience.

Working at IES

We support flexible working and will consider applications from candidates seeking to work flexibly or part-time. The post will be based in our office in central Brighton, although we work in a hybrid way. We would expect the postholder to be prepared to travel to Brighton or London for group meetings on occasion.

Salary: will be within a range of £70,000-£72,000 (full time equivalent) based on skills and experience. The salary will depend on the expertise and experience that the successful candidate brings to the job.

To view our full range of benefits, please see the IES benefits guide.

IES offers a friendly workplace culture and has an active social committee. Brighton and the surrounding areas offer a superb location in which to live with easy access to the sea, countryside, and plenty of culture and nightlife. Brighton is close to Gatwick airport (30 mins), London (1 hour) and France (2.5 hours).

Our research and practice are guided by our values and our staff act in accordance with these. Our values centre on: respecting others, acting with integrity, collaboration, curiosity, excellence and compassion. You can learn more about what it’s like to work at IES by looking at our Glassdoor profile.

Because of the nature of our work, appointments will be subject to a report from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or Disclosure Scotland.

The Institute for Employment Studies is a registered charity (no. 258390). IES strives to be an equal opportunities employer.

How to apply

Please provide a written application letter (no more than three pages) and CV (no more than three pages) addressing the person specification for this post.

Please apply via the ‘Apply’ button above or alternatively send you application to: careers@employment-studies.co.uk or post to Careers, IES, City Gate, 185 Dyke Road, Brighton BN3 1TL (Telephone: 01273 763456).

If you wish to have an informal discussion about this post prior to submitting your application please contact Becci Newton, Director of Public Policy and Research on Becci.newton@employment-studies.co.uk.

The Institute for Employment Studies seeks to be an equal opportunities employer. We actively seek to improve the diversity of our workforce and welcome applications from all under-represented communities and groups. We are particularly keen to attract candidates from ethnic minority groups given their under-representation within applied social research.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and are happy to make adjustments to accommodate the individual requirements of candidates with disabilities.

The Institute for Employment Studies encourages career development at all ages. Join us and work for an employer that values your experience. #AgeFriendlyEmployer

We are committed to supporting our staff at every stage of their career. That’s why we have signed up to the Menopause Workplace Pledge. Find out more about this campaign from the charity Wellbeing of Women.