Senior Research & Policy Officer in Bristol

Location: Remote (UK based) / Bristol / London

Salary: £34,200 (Grade 4) per year (plus Inner London Weighting of £3,483.94, if eligible)

Length of contract: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Closing date: We reserve the right to adapt the advert at any time per organisational circumstances and to close this vacancy early for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Interviews: Interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis

Who are Women’s Aid?

Women’s Aid is the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children. We are a federation of just under 180 organisations which provide over 300 local lifesaving services to women and children across England. For 50 years we have campaigned on behalf of our members and survivors to shape policy and practice, and to raise awareness of domestic abuse. Our support services help thousands of women and children every year.

Purpose of the Senior Research and Policy Officer role

As a Senior Research and Policy Officer, the successful candidate will play an integral role in providing specialist research and policy analysis for Women’s Aid, identify and manage evidence to support the organisation’s priorities and strategic direction, and take responsibility for coordinating and delivering specific short‑ and long‑term research projects, including the Women’s Aid Annual Survey of all domestic abuse services in England.

Key duties and responsibilities of the Senior Research and Policy Officer:

• Co‑ordinate and carry out primary research (with domestic abuse survivors and with professionals responding to domestic abuse) and secondary research in line with the organisation’s research strategy.
• Co‑ordinate the Women’s Aid Annual Survey of all domestic abuse services in England.
• Maintain an overview of current and past research in the field of domestic abuse, and provide statistical and qualitative data to support the work of Women’s Aid and its member services.
• Produce reports, briefings, articles and other materials on domestic abuse research, to support the delivery of Women’s Aid projects and the information needs of Women’s Aid, member services and survivors of domestic abuse.
• Identify and support opportunities for Women’s Aid to undertake research into key areas of domestic abuse, including collaboration with external researchers or commissioning research.
• Analyse public policy and policy proposals, legislation and statutory guidance pertinent to domestic abuse, identifying the relevance for Women’s Aid’s work and the work of its members.
• Ensure effective strategies for information management on domestic abuse within Women’s Aid, in consultation with key staff and stakeholders.
• Identify and provide relevant evidence for a range of resources including media releases, communications with member services and supporters, blogs, and support the content development of Women’s Aid websites and other relevant resources.
• To maintain clear and adequate records of work done and to produce reports on work programmes and activities as required by management.

What we are looking for in our Senior Research and Policy Officer:

• Experience of social research and data collection (including using qualitative and quantitative methods).
• Experience of designing, delivering and analysing surveys.
• Experience of carrying out literature or evidence reviews.
• Able to demonstrate a commitment and understanding of the aims and objectives of Women’s Aid.
• An extremely high standard of writing skills, including producing reports and briefing papers.
• Ability to identify and summarise evidence to inform research, communications, campaigns or policy work.
• Ability to analyse complex information and identify the implications for women and children affected by gender-based violence.
• Ability to prioritise confidentiality and work with empathy on highly sensitive topics.

Benefits of joining us as our Senior Research and Policy Officer:

• Generous Annual Leave: 25 days + 2 Company Holidays + 8 UK Bank Holidays, with an extra 1 day per year after 1 year of service, up to a maximum of 5 additional days.
• Valuable Pension Benefits: a generous 7% employer contribution.
• Flexible Working: remote working, a generous TOIL scheme, and family-friendly policies.

NB Women only need apply under schedule 9 (Part 1) of the Equality Act 2010. All posts, including remote posts, must be based in the UK. Women’s Aid is committed to quality, equality, and valuing diversity. Applications are particularly welcome from Black and minoritised women. Please see the Reasonable Adjustments Statement on Job Description. Please read our Single Sex Statement on the Women’s Aid Website. Please note that applications will be reviewed, and interviews arranged, on a rolling basis, so for the best chance of success, please apply ASAP.