Director, Terrorism and Conflict

Salary range: £77,000 - £90,000 dependent on experience

Location: London Office

Contract: Permanent, Full time

About RUSI

The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) is the world’s oldest, and the UK’s leading, independent think tank engaged in cutting edge research in defence and security. Its mission is to inform, influence and enhance public debate on a safer and more stable world. RUSI is a research-led institute, producing independent, practical and innovative analysis to address today’s complex challenges.

About the Role

RUSI’s Terrorism and Conflict team is looking to recruit an expert in the field of terrorism to become the new Director. The successful candidate will be a self-starter who can generate funding and lead the team’s diverse terrorism- and conflict-related work portfolio, while reporting directly to RUSI’s Director of Research. We are particularly interested in candidates with an interest in developing funded research projects in the following areas:

• The intersection between violent extremism and conflict including integrated P/CVE, stabilisation and peace building programming.
• State threats, including information manipulation tactics, extremism, misinformation, disinformation and the transnational connections of these threats both on- and offline.
• International terrorism related to jihadi groups, the far right and other relevant groups, networks and movements.
• Ensuring that gender equality, social inclusion and respect for human rights inform counter‑extremism and terrorism work, as well as conflict resolution.

These areas will complement the team’s existing portfolio of work, which includes research, policy advice, capacity building, training and implementation. We work in the UK, Europe and a number of global ‘hotspots,’ including East and West Africa, Central and South Asia and the Balkans. Our team encompasses 8 staff in London, Brussels and Nairobi and we work closely with an extensive range of consultants and associate fellows from the academic, diplomatic, development and practitioner worlds in the UK and internationally.

The role offers an exceptional opportunity for an individual with proven experience in the field of terrorism and conflict as a researcher, policymaker and/or practitioner. It is essential that the successful candidate has a strong track record of business development and of securing significant funding. The role involves significant management responsibility including oversight of RUSI’s office in Nairobi and management of T&C’s team in RUSI Europe, as well as the team members based in London. We are therefore particularly interested in candidates with significant management experience as well as an ability and willingness to travel between our London, Brussels, and Nairobi offices.

Key Tasks

The Director will report to the Director of Research, and will be responsible for the following:

• Management responsibilities: Much of the role is focused on management-related activities including management of the team’s portfolio of work and income, and responsibility for meeting financial budgets set by RUSI; line management of staff in London, Brussels and Nairobi, management of the RUSI Nairobi Office; and other management related responsibilities where relevant.
• Business development and fundraising: All T&C’s work is project funded. Business development is top priority in line with the topics identified, as well as finding new and relevant adjacent areas of work. The requirement will be to develop concepts for new research projects; identify potential customers, stakeholders and sources of funding; write applications/proposals for research funding and manage the business development efforts of the team; and develop a network of potential funders and beneficiaries.
• Team development: responsibility for developing the capacity and expertise of all team members, particularly junior researchers, to improve their knowledge base and develop their skills in designing and writing research proposals; overseeing and implementing research projects; research skills; academic and policy writing; public speaking; and event organisation.
• Conducting research on terrorism, counter‑terrorism and conflict resolution: conducting primary and secondary research on terrorism for a range of customers/clients in the UK, EU and overseas; writing and communicating research outputs (published papers, analytical reports, commentaries, conference papers, presentations etc.); editing, supervising and quality control of the outputs of other researchers (within RUSI and/or partner organisations); projecting RUSI’s research in academia, government, industry, and in the media (print, broadcast, social media).
• Project management: ensuring that research projects are run effectively and efficiently and achieve their desired outcomes while keeping in line with budgets; conducting project risk assessments; liaising with beneficiaries, partners and funders; supervising the organisation of events and publications.
• Developing skills; expertise and profile: maintaining and developing knowledge in relation to the evolving fields of terrorism, CT and PCVE, conflict, stabilisation and peacebuilding; and developing a network of relevant experts.

The above list of duties is not exhaustive; the post-holder will be required to undertake such duties that may reasonably be expected within the scope and grade of the role.

Person Specification

Essential skills and experience

• Evidenced and nationally recognised expertise in terrorism and conflict, and at least 10 years of demonstrated experience working on these topics in a research, practitioner, or policy role.
• Demonstrated ability and track record in winning and delivering major projects in the UK, EU and/or internationally, with the ability to lead major research project bids and identify new funding opportunities for RUSI.
• Proven experience leading and managing diverse teams and budgets.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing research projects with robust monitoring, reporting, evaluation and learning frameworks and demonstrated applied risk management experience.
• Demonstrated experience of working with governments or multilaterals in one of the following fields: civil service, advocacy, think tanks, the private sector or academia.
• Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders from a variety of professional and cultural backgrounds and with broad variations in seniority and function.
• Excellent analytical and methodological skills, and an organised approach to research.
• Willingness and ability to contribute to the public understanding of your field, including through media engagements, and ability to present complex issues in an engaging and clear way.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills and an existing network of key stakeholders in the field of terrorism.
• Experience of working in a not-for-profit sector organisation.
• Experience conducting research or managing projects in a range of locations worldwide including risk management in context of programming in FCAS.

We expect all staff to abide by and promote our RUSI’s Vision and Values and Equal Opportunities Statement.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave (rising with service)
• Generous pension contributions at 6% employer contribution
• Access to 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to free access to RUSI's world leading programme of events and conferences, research materials and library
• Discretionary closure days over Christmas
• Trained Mental Health First Aiders
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Application Process

To apply, please use the link above. You will be asked to include:

• Your CV
• A covering letter

The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 24th November 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the closing date brought forward if needed. Early application is strongly encouraged. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Please DO NOT submit multiple applications for this vacancy. We no longer accept applications to our recruitment mailbox, applications received in our mailbox will not be processed.

Equal Opportunity and Values

At RUSI you will be appreciated and valued. Our stakeholders, transactions, and projects are international and diverse, so we work hard to create inclusive teams that support our efforts and each other. We are committed in promoting equality and diversity in our workforce and make it as diverse as the communities we serve. Our recruitment data helps us monitor the effectiveness of our recruitment practices in order that we can continue to improve on creating a more diverse workforce.