Head of Research

We’re looking for a Head of Research to establish and lead our new research function, setting our organisation’s research agenda and strategic direction from the very beginning, embedding a culture of rigour, ethics and inclusivity. Leading a team of research professionals, you’ll design and deliver in-house research projects, commission independent studies, and collaborate across our organisation to translate evidence into recommendations. Your work will deepen our understanding of the profession we regulate and support our mission to protect the public. This is a unique opportunity to create something new and different, for a national organisation at the cutting edge of regulation and developments in social work.

The Organisation Social Work England is the specialist regulator for social work in England, focused on enabling positive change in social work. Every day, social workers support millions of people to improve their chances in life. We believe in the power of collaboration and share a common goal with those we regulate – to protect the public, enable positive change and ultimately improve people’s lives.

What you will do

In this role, you’ll create, develop and lead a high impact research function that is insight led, innovative and aligned to our strategy. Key responsibilities include:

• Developing, commissioning and delivering research that supports effective regulation and organisational priorities.
• Using quantitative and qualitative approaches to generate robust evidence, balancing rigour with resources and competing priorities.
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with regulatory partners, research organisations and academic institutions; representing us in national research forums.
• Leading and developing our new team, setting clear priorities, and fostering a culture of performance, curiosity, learning and continuous improvement.
• Overseeing research commissioning with strong governance, ethics, co-production and inclusivity embedded throughout.
• Monitoring developments in social work and regulation; analysing findings and advising leaders on implications, risks and opportunities.
• Producing and presenting concise, accessible research outputs, suitable to a wide range of audiences.
• Driving strategic decision-making, role-modelling our values, and playing a leadership role in our directorate and organisation more broadly, including deputising for senior leaders as needed.

About you

At Social Work England, our values are at the heart of everything we do. We are fearless, independent, ambitious, transparent, collaborative and we act with integrity. We’re looking for colleagues who live these values every day. In addition, for this role you will need:

• Significant experience of designing and delivering research, including commissioning independent studies.
• Significant experience of defining research questions and using quantitative and qualitative methods to generate actionable evidence.
• Excellent stakeholder and relationship management skills, with evidence of working in a complex, multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary environment.
• The ability to build and develop connections across networks within the research and regulatory sectors.
• Experience of strategically leading teams, setting clear priorities and objectives.
• A track record of co-production, creativity, and delivering benefits through strategic programmes of work.
• A clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in both research practice and service delivery.

Sound like you? We’d love to hear from you. Apply now to lead a research function that supports effective regulation and makes a real difference to people’s lives.

The Benefits

In addition to your salary, we also offer:

• Hybrid working, with a minimum of two days per week in the office.
• 25 days annual leave, rising with service to 30 days per annum, plus bank holidays.
• The option to purchase up to an additional 5 days of annual leave per annum.
• A TIDE award-winning inclusive culture, with staff networks, social events and forums.
• A contributory NEST pension, life insurance, an employee recognition scheme and cycle to work scheme.

Details

• Job type: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full time. We offer flexible working subject to business need.
• Salary: £63,526 per year, rising to £65,924 per year after successful completion of a 6-month probationary period.
• Location: Sheffield/Hybrid

During the application process, you will be asked to provide answers to three questions from the job description. These answers will be what your application is scored on, please answer in as much detail as possible using examples where necessary.