Research Director

Research Director

Final date to receive applications: 7 March 2026

Department: Policy Research Centre

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: London, UK

Compensation: GBP 43,000 - GBP 54,000 / year

• Contributing to new business generation in policy areas relating to Communities, Work & Income, identifying new business opportunities and leading on bids.
• Managing and delivering mixed method, survey or qualitative research projects to budget and timetable.
• Supporting the leadership of the team with line management responsibility.
• Playing an active role in the wider life of Nat Cen, contributing to its success and development.
• Promoting Nat Cen, maintaining a visible presence in external networks.

• Have a proven record of delivering high quality social research and leading on multiple projects at any given time;
• Have a proven record of working independently and autonomously to lead research projects with minimal oversight;
• Be a mixed-methods researcher; with direct experience designing and leading qualitative and quantitative projects;
• Be a strong proposal writer, with demonstrable experience of winning work;
• Be excellent at analysis, report writing and communicating research outputs in different formats, including presenting to senior audiences;
• A proven track record of managing and delivering high-quality studies and helping to ensure their delivery to time and budget;
• Have strong project management skills and be able to work well under pressure and to manage competing deadlines effectively;
• Have line management experience and the ability to effectively lead project teams;
• Be a good communicator and work well as part of a team;
• Have a track record of building positive relationships with customers, funders, and/or partners.

• An undergraduate degree;
• Experience of directing social research projects and programmes, ideally within Communities, Work or Income;
• A track record of securing funding for high quality social research;
• Strong methodological skills in one or more of the following: surveys, quantitative analysis, qualitative approaches or evaluation and ability to lead mixed-methods research projects;
• Experience of leading and managing teams and developing the skills of junior colleagues;
• Excellent project management skills and the ability to manage project budgets;
• Ability to work flexibly and proactively on multiple concurrent research projects;
• Commitment to building and maintaining good relationships with partners and customers;
• Ability to communicate clearly, in different styles and for different audiences (including reporting)

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Holiday 25 days' holiday (three of which must be taken during Christmas closure) plus 8 bank holidays. Leave increases to 30 days after 3 years' employment.

Pension All new employees will be automatically enrolled on the pension scheme 3 months from their start date unless stated otherwise. The minimum employee contribution is 3% and the maximum employer contribution is 5% of salary. If the employee does not wish to contribute to the pension scheme, there will be a process that will be in place for them to follow to opt out of the scheme for a limited period.

Staff can also join our defined contribution pension scheme. The minimum employee contribution is 4% and the maximum employer contribution is 7.5% of salary. You can join this pension from when you start working with us.

Life Insurance All employees are eligible for a lump sum benefit payable to the named beneficiary (this does not have to be a spouse, partner or dependent, and can be split between beneficiaries) on the employee's death of 5 times their annual salary. Beneficiary form must be completed - further details can be found when you start working with us.

Nat Cen Rewards This is an online employee benefits scheme featuring discounts at over 800 retailers and service providers in the UK, both online and in store.
Health Cash Plan
Employees can sign up to healthcare cash plan which lets you claim back the cost of treatments, such as laser eye treatment, dental treatment, physiotherapy, hospital scans etc. You can pay as little as GBP 1.20 per week, and…