Research Officer

Are you interested in using research to make a positive difference to education policy in England? The Gatsby Foundation is looking for a Research Officer with experience conducting and reporting mixed methods research as well as excellent communication and project management skills to join its Education team.

2-year fixed term contract

Location: Manchester (with some hybrid working)

Salary: £47,816-£51,718 + pension and benefits

Closing date: 9 a.m. Tuesday 21st January

Who we are

Gatsby Charitable Foundation is one of the 16 Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts (SFCT) established by individual members of the Sainsbury family.

Gatsby established a small team focused on education policy in England almost 40 years ago. While priorities have changed and evolved, our approach has been consistent: we aim to be more than a funder. We act as an enabler for projects, working with partners in designing, developing, and, in some cases, delivering activities. We take a long-term view as we do not think much can be achieved by short, one-off projects.

About the role

We are now looking for someone to join our education team as a Research Officer.

You will manage complex projects in support of Gatsby’s objectives in education, including undertaking quantitative and qualitative research and scoping and commissioning research from academics, consultancies and think tanks to inform Gatsby programmes. You will be expected to represent Gatsby at external meetings, organise meetings and events, and develop strong working relationships with key partners.

A primary purpose of the work is improving our understanding of the FE teaching workforce and teacher education in FE.

This role requires excellent research and organisation skills and the ability to collaborate to deliver high-quality outputs that support technical education. You will have (or be comfortable undertaking) training as an accredited researcher to be able to access appropriate public datasets. You will be confident communicating with a range of stakeholders at different levels.

This is an excellent opportunity to develop your research and influencing skills to influence education policy in England.

The key responsibilities for this role include:

• Undertaking quantitative and qualitative research, and scope and commission research from academics, consultancies and think tanks to inform Gatsby’s programmes to support technical education, in particular, further education (FE) workforce and introduction of T-levels.
• Working with the Director of Programmes to commission research on the supply of specialist teachers in FE and T-levels.
• Collecting and analysing public data on technical education (FE workforce, T-levels) and communicating the data through the website and other routes as appropriate.
• Providing day to day support for the Director on the oversight and communication of research programmes in FE workforce and T-levels implementation.
• Identify potential organisations and individuals who could support Gatsby’s research agenda.

Who are we looking for?

First and foremost, we are looking for someone with a strong interest in our areas of work, especially supporting improvement for technical education.

The specific experience criteria that we are looking for in the successful candidate include:

• Use of data and evidence in the development of projects or policy.
• Managed projects to achieve successful outcomes, including some budget responsibility.
• Managed external contracts or grants to deliver agreed objectives on time and within budget.
• Experience of using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methods in a professional or academic context.
• Have worked independently and within a team, contributing to the success of others as well as self.
• Written well-received documents (such as minutes, briefings, reports, articles).

As mentioned above, our work involves both qualitative and quantitative research, and it is important that the successful candidate feels confident reading, interpreting, discussing, and commissioning both.

Please note that you must also have the existing right to work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.

Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close at 9 a.m. Tuesday 21st January.