Research Associate

1 month ago

London, Greater London, United Kingdom KINGS COLLEGE LONDON Full time

We are seeking a Research Associate to join the Evidence Development and Incubation Team (EDIT), within the Policy Institute. The Policy Institute addresses complex policy and practice challenges with rigorous research, academic expertise and analysis focused on improving outcomes. EDIT focuses on designing robust, pragmatic evaluations of complex social programmes, combining academic rigour with agility and pragmatism.

This role is an exciting opportunity to work with a high-performing team in a fast-paced research environment, to deliver evaluations with real-world impacts. We are seeking to appoint a Research Associate to contribute to existing projects in areas such as skills and education, and violence reduction. We are also seeking someone to focus on bidding for new projects and to develop our ability to deliver excellent, timely bids.

We deliver mixed methods evaluations, combining quantitative and quasi-experimental analysis, Randomised Controlled Trials, online and phone surveying, interviews, focus groups, and cost analysis. We also conduct some capacity-building work, helping organisations develop their own evaluation approach. We are seeking to strengthen our ability to work with programmes to understand their theory of change and the way they operate, and to help them establish their own evaluation activities.

As a small team, we work flexibly across projects, depending on the policy area and methodological requirements, so the Research Associate will work across a range of projects. The Research Associate will also have the opportunity to develop their own portfolio of evaluation projects, with the support of the Director and colleagues. They will have expertise or interest in social policy issues, particularly the subfields listed above, be a skilled project manager, and a strong written and verbal communicator with a demonstrated commitment to evidence-based policy, building evaluation capacity in organisations, and conducting research with real world impacts.

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract until April 2027

This is a full-time post.

Key responsibilities

Managing evaluation projects, including:

  • establishing and maintaining the project plan,
  • liaising with funders and other partners,
  • delivering programme theory workshops and writing up Theories of Change and Logic Models,
  • coordinating the development and documentation of the research approach in an Evaluation Plan or Trial Protocol,
  • developing training documentation and delivering evaluation training,
  • monitoring for risks,
  • ensuring projects are delivered on time and to the required standard, and
  • liaising as required with other King's functions (Post-Award, Information Security, Research Ethics) to ensure that King's processes and procedures are adhered to.
  • Delivering research activities, including:
  • Determining the most appropriate research methods,
  • Establishing topic guides, survey instruments and/or analysis plans, depending on methodological expertise,
  • Conducting and/or coordinating fieldwork, including recruitment, consent, data collection, transcription and storage,
  • Robustly and carefully analysing data in line with academic best practice,
  • Engaging in quality assurance and peer review of research activities carried out by colleagues,
  • Working with colleagues to write up research findings in a holistic and coherent manner across research strands.
  • Contributing to the development of EDIT's portfolio of projects, by monitoring for opportunities and bidding for competitive tenders that are appropriate and winnable, leading on the bid development process where required, and providing input to bids and proposals.
  • Developing strong relationships with key stakeholders within relevant policy domains, including government agencies, charitable organisations and funders.
  • Maintaining expertise in evaluation training and capacity building, keeping abreast of new tools or techniques, and training both colleagues and partners as required
  • Line management of junior colleagues.

    The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

    Skills, knowledge, and experience

    Essential criteria

  • Doctorate in a relevant field (such as social policy, psychology or research methods), or equivalent work experience (at least three years).
Experience of a relevant policy domain (e.g. school, further, higher or adult education, youth employment, violence reduction, homelessness, or other social policy areas) as a researcher or practitioner.
Demonstrated skills in managing a research/evaluation project through multiple stages including inception, delivery, analysis and reporting.
Demonstrated skills in conducting/managing research/evaluation activities in one or more of the following areas: schools, further education colleges and adult learning settings, higher education providers, youth support initiatives, homelessness support initiatives.
Strong skills and experience conducting empirical research using one or more of the following methods: randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, surveys, interviews and focus groups, participatory research designs.
Experience working with organisations to understand their programme theory; e.g. by developing and delivering Theory of Change/Logic Model workshops;
Excellent writing and communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with funders, delivery partners and collaborators, both in person and in writing.
Ability to work on own initiative and develop and implement plans for complex projects with many moving parts.
Ability to work flexibly on emerging priorities, across multiple projects, to tight deadlines.
Experience drafting or assessing competitive bids for evaluation projects.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our 'How we Recruit' pages.

We are not able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.

  • Research Associate

    4 weeks ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom BCNO Group Full time

    Hours: 35 hours pw, full time About UsThe BCNO Group brings together two well-renowned osteopathic educational institutions – the European School of Osteopathy and the British College of Osteopathic Medicine. Our Research team, led by Dr William Gowers, focuses on providing high-quality support for undergraduate and institutional research activities within...

  • Research Associate

    2 days ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom Imperial College London Full time

    Location: South Kensington, London Job Summary Applicants are invited to apply for a post-doctoral Research Associate position as part of the project "System Services in 100% Renewable Grids." The project is funded by the Leverhulme Professorship held by Professor Mark O' Malley and aims to investigate services needed in 100% renewable electricity grids. The...

  • Research Associate

    3 weeks ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom King's College London Full time

    Job DescriptionWe seek a talented, highly motivated and independent Postdoctoral Research Associate (fixed-term) to study antibody structure and function at King's College London. Work will be carried out in the laboratory of Professor James McDonnell in the Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics within the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine at...

  • Research Associate

    3 weeks ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom Queen Mary University of London Full time

    About the RoleApplications are invited for a fully funded position at the Research Associate level within the Centre for Advanced Robotics (ARQ), School of Engineering and Material Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. The project is funded by NERC, under the supervision of Dr. Ketao Zhang and Dr. Paul Balcombe. The project will investigate...

  • Research Associate

    5 days ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART Full time

    Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world's largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world's number one art and design university for a remarkable ten consecutive years, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject the...

  • Research Assistant/Associate

    4 weeks ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom Imperial College London Full time

    Location / Campus: South Kensington Campus - HybridThis exciting post is funded by Autoliv Development AB (Autoliv Research) to develop a new evidence-based method for testing solutions designed to protect against facial impacts in road traffic collisions.Face is a commonly impacted area in cyclists, motorcyclists and e-scooter riders during road traffic...

  • Research Associate

    3 weeks ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom King's College London Full time

    Job DescriptionThis is an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate to join a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded project led by a midwifery lecturer/researcher. The post will be based in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care.This research study will provide the necessary developmental work...

  • Research Associate

    2 days ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom Imperial College London Full time

    Location: South Kensington, LondonJob SummaryApplications are invited for a Research Associate (RA) position within the Control and Power Research Group in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The RA will lead the technical effort on modelling and control of power systems with high shares of inverter-based resources (IBRs). The post is...

  • Associate Research Director

    1 month ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom Resources Group Full time

    DLRJF5761Associate Research Director - Global Communications & Public AffairsCentral London (Hybrid) £50 - £60, days annual leave + private health + other great bensBrilliant career move to take your research agency experience into an insights-driven global strategic communications and advocacy group Part of a global research network, the UK based research...

  • Research Associate

    4 weeks ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom Royal College of Art Full time

    Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world's largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world's number one art and design university for a remarkable ten consecutive years, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject...

  • Research Compliance Associate

    3 days ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom AlphaSights Full time

    About the roleThe Research Compliance team is a dynamic, external and internal-facing function which enables the expansion of our fastest-growing business segments globally. As the Research Compliance Associate you will report into the Research Compliance Manager based in London and work closely with the Legal, Client Protection and Research teams as well as...

  • Research Associate

    1 week ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom KINGS COLLEGE LONDON Full time

    Job descriptionAIMS-2-TRIALS is the largest autism study in the world, led by the Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences (FANS) department at KCL. We conduct deep phenotyping and drug challenge studies of infants, children and adults to better understand the aetiology, emergence and maintenance of autism and co-occurring conditions, with the aim of...

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate

    1 month ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom KINGS COLLEGE LONDON Full time

    We are seeking to appoint a postdoctoral research associate with an excellent track record in knowledge graphs and machine learning. Topics of interest in this area include, but are not limited to: natural language processing, large language models, graph learning, general pre-trained transformers, prompt engineering, knowledge graphs, knowledge...

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate

    4 days ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom King's College London Full time

    Business unit: Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sci.Contact details: Tim Nott. Location: Guy's Campus. Category: Research.Job descriptionThe Nott group is looking for a skilled and motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate with a strong background in structural biology, cell biology, or biophysics. The project will combine novel methods for studying...

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate

    1 month ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom King's College London Full time

    Job descriptionWe are seeking to appoint a postdoctoral research associate with an excellent track record in knowledge graphs and machine learning. Topics of interest in this area include, but are not limited to: natural language processing, large language models, graph learning, general pre-trained transformers, prompt engineering, knowledge graphs,...

  • Research Associate in Genomics

    2 days ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom Imperial College London Full time

    Location: Silwood Park Campus Job Summary We are actively seeking a passionate and dedicated individual to join our research team in the pivotal role of conducting evolutionary genomic analyses. This position offers a unique opportunity to delve into diverse genomic datasets, focusing on elucidating key insights into stress tolerance mechanisms in coconut...

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate

    4 days ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom KINGS COLLEGE LONDON Full time

    The Nott group is looking for a skilled and motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate with a strong background in structural biology, cell biology, or biophysics. The project will combine novel methods for studying membraneless organelles with structural strategies for characterising molecular conformations, interactions, and enzyme activity.Applicants...

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate DERISK

    1 month ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom KINGS COLLEGE LONDON Full time

    Job descriptionThe Department of Political Economy is seeking to appoint two Postdoctoral Research Associates to work full time on the research project DERISK with Steven Klein. The Systemic Risk and the Transformation of Democracy (DERISK) project is funded by a UKRI Frontier Research Grant (successfully evaluated for the ERC Starting Grant and funded by...

  • Research Associate in Optical Imaging

    1 month ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom Imperial College London Full time

    Job SummaryWe are seeking an outstanding Research Associate in Optical Imaging to contribute to a Leverhulme Trust funded project across the Aprile, Kuimova and Vilar groups in the Department of Chemistry based on the development of molecular rotors to study aggregation and liquid liquid phase separation (LLPS) of alpha-synuclein, a key protein in...

  • Research Associate on Methane Emissions

    3 weeks ago

    London, Greater London, United Kingdom Queen Mary University of London Full time

    About the RoleApplications are invited for a fully funded postdoctoral position on the topic of methane emissions measurement at the Research Associate level within the School of Engineering and Materials Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. The project is funded by NERC, under the supervision of Dr.Paul Balcombe. This project will be to design,...