Research Insights Analyst

Grade UE07: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum

Corporate Services Group / Edinburgh Research Office

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Contract: open-ended

We are looking for an exceptional, motivated individual to join the Edinburgh Research Office's REF, Research, Planning and Performance Team as a Research Insights Analyst. The successful candidate will be the link between data and insight providing analysis to a range of stakeholders across the university and deliver ongoing training and support to improve the quality and interpretation of research funding data. These initiatives will align with the new Research & Innovation Strategy and will position the University to deliver outstanding quality in research and research funding success.

The Opportunity:

The Research Insights Analyst will support an ongoing data change project, provide meaningful insight and analysis into the funding environment and educate stakeholders across the university on how to interpret and understand data by supporting the production of a suite of training resources.

We want you to bring your enthusiasm, proactivity and communication skills to the role. We need your expertise in providing data analysis, research reporting and insights coupled with a commitment to education, data quality and integrity. Your ability to build relationships and communicate your work with colleagues from the senior leadership to researchers to professional services will be vital.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• Degree in relevant subject or equivalent formal training, plus demonstrable experience in a similar analytical role or related role(s).
• Experience with data visualisation tools such as Power BI, Tableau, R Shiny
• Experience using tools such as SQL, Python or R, or other equivalent business intelligence tools for the purposes of data analysis on large datasets and relational databases.
• Proven communication, discretion, negotiation and excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and persuade non-expert colleagues through excellent provision of training, guidance and trusted advice.
  Experience in working with non-specialist colleagues to specify and scope data-related projects and identify pathways to effective delivery.

Click to view a copy of the full job description (opens new browser tab)

Informal enquiries are welcome and can be made by contacting Abby McQueen via

Application Information

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:

• CV
  Cover letter

As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
  Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits.

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab).

On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 6th November 2025.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone

Interviews will be held week commencing 24th November 2025.

The Research Governance, Policy and Performance Directorate is responsible for driving research strategy and performance initiatives, initiating and delivering key initiatives to improve research performance. We work closely with the University Research Strategy Group, REF Board and stakeholders across the University to ensure the University is in the best position to respond to the research environment. Using insights and intelligence alongside horizon scanning, we inform strategy and planning. We lead the University's statutory research reporting, including the Research Excellence Framework (REF), ensuring the provision of high-quality data and analytics. We ensure the University of Edinburgh's compliance in a changing and increasingly complex research environment, engaging with the academic community to build understanding.

The REF, Research, Planning and Performance Team is responsible for initiatives designed to drive institutional ambition and deliver research excellence across the University in line with the Research & Innovation strategy. Our work is critical to effective and successful submissions to institutional research assessment exercises and gaining insight from our research data. Working in the team, you can expect your evidence-based analyses and recommendations to change the direction of planning for research across the institution. Working in the team will give you access to research data and systems from across the university and the Higher Education sector relevant to research performance. This is a new team, giving you the option to help define its identity.