Policy Researcher (Maternity Cover)

Join to apply for the Policy Researcher (Maternity Cover) role at Citizens Advice.

Salary: £31,105, plus £3,520 London allowance if applicable

Employment type: Maternity Cover Contract

Duration: 12 months

Location: Blended between office and home (England and Wales). Time in office negotiable.

We’re an organisation with a relentless focus on making society fairer. Each year we help millions of people to solve their problems across Great Britain. We have a unique insight into emerging trends and issues affecting those we help, and we use it to influence government, regulators and industry to improve people's lives. Citizens Advice offers confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. Through our national network of charities, we give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward – whoever they are, and whatever their problem.

You’ll use a wide range of research methods and create outputs including blogs, reports, presentations and events. The data and insight we gather helping millions of people across the UK and our strong brand will give you unique opportunities to engage with those who have the power to make change. You will feed into our work influencing parliamentarians, the civil service, regulators and industry and you will work closely with our world-class news, campaigns, public affairs, and data teams.

We are looking for an exceptional individual with strong research, analytical and communication skills who has the curiosity and ambition to achieve real change on behalf of our clients and consumers. Please provide details in your cover letter to evidence the following essential criteria:

• Excellent experience of research methodologies and their application in situations when resources are limited.
• Good ability to think creatively and pragmatically about policy at both big picture and detailed implementation levels to identify authentic and empowering solutions.
• Understanding of what really makes decision makers change policy and practice, using both formal and informal routes.

Do you want to work for an organisation that makes a difference, every single day, to people from all walks of life? The people that turn to Citizens Advice need help overcoming an obstacle in their lives – from debt to evictions to trouble at work – and you can be key to them getting the support they need in the quickest, easiest, and most effective way.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is of strategic importance within the organisation and recognised as integral to all we do as a service. Central to pursuing our EDI mission is building diverse and inclusive teams in which everyone has a sense of belonging. We believe inclusion is a social justice issue - a principle that underpins our all EDI work. To that end, we particularly welcome applications from people we would like to see better represented in our organisation and sector - people of colour, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people.

We follow the social model of disability. We will offer an interview to disabled candidates who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident Interview Commitment where they meet our selection criteria in their application. Some of our roles attract a high volume of applications and in some circumstances where it is not practicable or appropriate, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled candidates. We will provide reasonable adjustments as needed.

We’re a flexible employer, so this role may suit anyone who’d prefer a flexible arrangement to help their work/life balance; many of our colleagues spend most of their time working remotely. Whilst we prefer a blended approach between a local office, if one is near you, and home, we’re open to being flexible on location. Occasionally a role may require you to be based in a certain location; if that’s the case it will be detailed in the advert or job description. This can be discussed in more detail during your interview.

The National Citizens Advice operates from offices in England and Wales, with 4 regional offices based in Cardiff, London, Birmingham and Leeds; therefore all successful applicants must be based within England or Wales. Please be aware that Citizens Advice is not a sponsoring organisation. Therefore the successful applicant must already possess the right to work in the UK or be able to secure the right to work in the UK independently.

We have been awarded the top charity in Third sector's employer index, where it's recognised that Citizens Advice is an organization that not only prioritises the people we serve but also values the wellbeing of its employees.