Senior Research Fellow in Cardiff

The Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) invites applications for a Senior Research Fellow to take on a leadership role within the Centre, replacing the current Director of Policy and Practice (Public Services). The successful candidate will join the management group in the Centre and share responsibility for shaping its future direction.

Working closely with ministers and senior public service leaders, you will be responsible for leading and supporting research teams within the Centre, as well as commissioning and collaborating with leading external experts. You will provide independent, high-quality evidence and expertise to address some of the most pressing economic, environmental and social challenges facing Wales. This is a distinctive opportunity to operate at the interface of research and policy, ensuring that robust evidence is translated into practical insights that inform decision making and improve public service outcomes.

This is a senior role within the Centre, offering the opportunity to lead programmes of research and engagement, manage teams and partnerships, and contribute to the strategic direction of WCPP’s work. You will work at the heart of current policy debates, building strong relationships with policymakers and practitioners, and shaping the development and delivery of impactful research and policy activity.

Co-funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and Welsh Government, the Wales Centre for Public Policy bridges the gap between academia and policy by generating, synthesising and mobilising evidence from research. We are a member of the What Works Network, have been recognised internationally for our pioneering demand-led approach to evidence use and knowledge mobilisation.

WCPP offers a stimulating, collaborative and supportive working environment. We provide flexible working arrangements, a generous pension scheme and benefits package, and access to a wide range of training and development opportunities. The role is based at SPARK, the world’s first Social Science Research Park, located within Cardiff University’s £300 million Innovation Campus.

The role is full time and is fixed term until the end of the current grant term on 31 March 2028. We are open to a job share and flexible working arrangements, such as compressed hours.

Cardiff Business School is a leading business and management school in the UK, holding AACSB and AMBA accreditations and ranked 1st for its Research Environment and 2nd on Research Power (REF2021). The School has a Public Value purpose and focuses on the co-creation of high quality, interdisciplinary education and knowledge that delivers economic, social and environmental value. The School’s activities are oriented towards five Grand Challenges: decent work, fair and sustainable economies, future organisations, good governance, and responsible innovation.

Closing date: Sunday, 6 September 2026.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. We especially welcome and encourage applications from those from under-represented groups within the University workforce, such as those who identify as LGBT+, Ethnic Minority or those with disabilities.

In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements. Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at: Responsible research assessment - Research - Cardiff University.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO CANDIDATES: It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing and we only invite candidates to interview who clearly evidence that they meet (or partially meet) each of the essential criteria. During the application process you will be asked to attach a supporting statement. This statement must outline how you meet the criteria below and we recommended formatting this by using each criterion as a sub-heading and providing your relevant experience/evidence below each sub-heading. It is crucial that you save your supporting statement with the vacancy number (e.g. ID:468) in the filename as failure to do so may result in it being omitted from your application.