Researcher

Contract type: Permanent

Salary: £25,780 - £34,910

We’re Learning and Work Institute, an independent policy and research organisation focused on lifelong learning and better work.

We're focused on the big questions. How do we help more people find work and build careers in a changing jobs market? How do we help people to be active and engaged citizens? How can more adults develop their skills over their lifetime?

This is a key role within Learning and Work Institute, with responsibility for delivering high quality research, analysis and evaluation across learning, skills and employment.

Day to day duties:

• Design and deliver high quality research, analysis and evaluation, to time and budget. Researchers will work on a wide range of mixed methods research and evaluation projects across the learning, skills and employment sectors.
• Manage small projects and lead on elements of large projects.
• Develop and implement appropriate research methodologies and methods, evaluation strategies and research tools. Projects generally include a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods, such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, evidence reviews, surveys, analysis of management information and secondary data analysis.
•  Develop and manage systems for gathering, recording, analysing and presenting data from a range of projects for maximum impact.
• Contribute to the production of high-quality research, policy and evaluation reports, interpreting evidence in a way that is accessible to a wide range of audiences.
• Disseminate research findings through written reports, media articles, blogs and presentations. Communicate the work of L&W through print and broadcast media. Represent L&W at events and external meetings. 
• Support income generation by contributing to the preparation of funding proposals and responses to tenders.
• Undertake project administration and coordination tasks related to research activity.
• Supervise interns, associates and temporary staff, as required, including possible line management responsibility for research interns.

The ideal candidate will bring strong knowledge and experience of a range of social research methods and an interest in the policy context for learning, skills and employment.

Essential criteria:

• Relevant degree, equivalent qualification(s) or evidence of equivalent experience.
• Understanding and application of a range of research, analysis and evaluation methodologies and methods.
• Ability to develop and use appropriate methods and tools to support high quality research.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills, that ensure work is effectively prioritised to meet deadlines.
• Strong track record of organising, co-ordinating and managing a range of activities against competing deadlines and priorities.
• Ability to work, unsupervised, under own initiative with a proactive approach to problem solving.
• Well-developed communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to engage a range of audiences, stakeholders, funders and partners.
• Ability to write for and speak to a range of audiences to ensure impact.

Desirable Criteria:

• Ability to use a range of quantitative research methods with minimal guidance, such as survey design and analysis, data management, summary and descriptive statistics and the use of software for data analysis and visualisation (e.g. Excel, SPSS, Stata, R.
• Understanding of learning, skills and/or employment policy and/or practice across England and/or Wales.

A full job description and person specification is available on our website.

Salary of £25,780 - £34,910, depending on experience and location

- 31 days' holiday increasing to 33 days after 5 years’ service, of which 3 are shutdown days in addition to public holidays.

- Generous company pension scheme with 8% employer contribution

- Group Life Assurance 3*salary

- Hybrid working (with 40%-60% of your time in the office)

- Flexible working practices

- Employee Development Scheme

- Retailer Discounts

- Enhanced occupational maternity, adoption, paternity and shared parental pay

- Enhanced occupational sick pay

- Eye care scheme

- Employee Assistance & Wellbeing Programme

- Gold award in Investors in People

To apply, please upload your CV and a short supporting statement answering the 4 questions below (no more than 250 words per question please) and a cover letter.

1. Please tell us what attracted you to the researcher role at Learning and Work Institute. When answering this question, explain why you are interested in L&W in particular, and the attributes you bring to this specific role and the organisation.
2. Please outline your key research and analytical skills and capabilities, providing examples of how you have used them. When answering this question, explain how your skills and capabilities meet the job description and person specification. Examples should be detailed and include key considerations that you took into account when applying your skills and capabilities.
3. Please describe a time that you had to work as part of a team to deliver a project, and your role in delivering the project. When answering this question, explain the aspects of the project that you had responsibility for, how this related to the wider project and the steps you took to ensure there was effective teamwork and the project was successfully completed. Consider the key aspects to effective teamwork, and how these are demonstrated by your example.
4. Please tell us about a time you managed/coordinated a project or piece of work. How did you ensure that it was completed to time and quality expectations? When answering this question, explain the steps you took when managing/coordinating the project or piece of work, how you planned and prioritised tasks and the time required to complete them, and the outcome you achieved by doing this successfully.

Applications will only be considered when submitted with a CV and Cover letter

The closing date for applications is: 25th July 2025

Should you require any adjustments to participate in this recruitment process, please make this clear when you apply.

L&W is passionate about equality and diversity, it drives our organisational values and mission, and we are particularly keen to receive applications from all under-represented groups in society.

Should you need to get in touch please contact the HR team: [email protected]