Associate Director, Devolution and Local Government in London

The Institute for Government is pleased to be recruiting for this exciting role at the heart of our growing Devolution and Local Government (DLG) team, one of three large research teams around which our new work programme is structured.

The DLG team is focused on the powers, funding, capacity, leadership and performance of devolved, regional and local government across the UK, as well as on constitutional questions relating to the future of the Union.

You will join at a pivotal moment for this policy area, given the emphasis the Burnham government has placed on devolution - in particular to mayors - as a route to delivering growth, creating jobs, accelerating house-building and improving a range of other policy outcomes.

As one of two Associate Directors in the team, you will report to our Director for Devolution and Local Government.

You will work closely with the rest of the DLG research team as well as colleagues from other teams, in line with an organisational culture that encourages working collaboratively across the Institute.

You will have the opportunity to lead projects; to have an impact on government and policy; to develop a public profile as a spokesperson for the Institute; to lead on cross-cutting priorities for the organisation as a whole; and to be an important part of an organisation focused on improving government to the benefit of the population of the UK.

We are creating this role at a moment of great importance for the Institute, and for our DLG programme.

Identifying the right candidate will be vital to our success in delivering our exciting new strategy, making us bolder, and more focused on what we want to change about how UK government works.

• As an Associate Director, your role will include
• Developing and leading projects as part of our overall Devolution and Local Government programme, shaping them to take account of the wider context, including external events and government priorities.
• Identifying and creating opportunities to establish new work, to disseminate our existing work and to achieve impact.
• Communicating our conclusions and recommendations credibly and persuasively to a wide range of audiences inside and outside government, as well as in broadcast, press, online and social media, with a consistent focus on achieving change and impact.
• Working with others, alone and leading teams to generate high-quality outputs with minimal input from senior staff, to agreed deadlines, showing flexibility and responsiveness to fast-moving events.
• Convening and leading public events, private roundtables and workshops, to develop new insights about good government and to increase our impact.
• Producing clear, jargon-free and compelling products that maintain the Institute’s reputation for high-quality research, and embody our non-partisan stance and independent approach.
• Using qualitative and quantitative evidence to make an argument, and maintaining a high standard of intellectual rigour and clarity.
• Participating in cross-cutting projects with other teams, including our UK Government and Public Services research teams, our cross-cutting Economics function, and the If G Academy, which delivers training.
• Building and maintaining a wide and varied network across government and other sectors - including at the devolved, regional and local level - and confidently maintaining relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Developing partnerships with external organisations to support our work and further our impact, including working with our partnerships team to secure funding for elements of our work.
• Making a strong wider contribution to the Institute - through developing others, leading corporate activities and contributing to our research and impact strategy.
• What are we looking for
• The successful candidate will have several years of relevant professional experience, for instance of working within government at the central, devolved or local level, or of engaging with government and the policy process, for instance in a think tank, consultancy or other sector.
• You should have a demonstrable interest in - and good knowledge of - devolution and local government, and a desire to shape the government's policy agenda in these domains.
• We are keen to identify candidates who can help us strengthen our evidence base for whether and when devolution 'works', for instance in improving economic outcomes, public service delivery, or the health of democracy.
• You will be a collaborative team player, motivated by the If G mission and strategic priorities, and the opportunity to make a direct contribution to them.
• You will have good research skills - ideally both quantitative and qualitative -and the ability to extract relevant insights from evidence, and turn these into actionable recommendations for decision makers.
• You will have strong project management skills, and attention to detail, with the ability to deliver high-quality work to tight deadlines.
• You should be a strong and persuasive communicator, able to articulate and explain complex ideas to a wide range of audiences - both orally and in writing, in formats ranging from research reports to blogs.
• You will demonstrate credibility and good judgement, including as a representative of the Institute in engaging with senior stakeholders from across the government and policy sector.
• You should be intellectually curious, eager to identify and answer complex questions about the nature of government, especially at the devolved level within the UK.
• You should have some relevant professional networks in government and the wider policy sector, ideally including at the regional and local level.
• Ideally, you will be able to demonstrate experience of partnership and fundraising work, and at a minimum the willingness to build skills in this area.

The If G is committed to supporting greater diversity and inclusion within our workforce, and to fostering an environment in which everyone feels welcome, supported and valued.

We welcome applications from anyone who is interested in government and how to make it more effective, and particularly encourage applications from candidates who belong to groups currently underrepresented in the think-tank sector.

This includes but is not limited to ethnically diverse candidates, disabled candidates, and candidates from low-income backgrounds.

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