Senior Enterprise Manager

The Youth Endowment Fund  

Senior Research Manager  

Reports to:Head of Toolkit and Synthesis 

Salary: £51,300  

Contract: 2 years Fixed term  

Location:Central London, Hybrid*  

Closing date: 9:00am Monday 25th March 2024

Interviews: w/c 2nd April 2024 

About the Youth Endowment Fund  

We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.  

In recent years violent crime has risen significantly. Homicides, assaults, robberies and offences involving weapons have all seen growth. We have also seen increases in violent crime involving children and young people. This is a tragedy. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them.  

The Youth Endowment Fund exists to try and permanently change things. To succeed, we must build a fantastic body of knowledge about violence affecting young people and how we reduce it. This knowledge has to be both rigorous and highly relevant to those making decisions about how to support vulnerable young people. We need to find out what works and what doesn’t through evidence synthesis, data analysis and qualitative research into children’s lives. We then need to convert this into highly accessible content on what works, how delivery organisations need to change their practice and how the systems they operate in need to be reformed. 

About the Toolkit team  

The Toolkit team is at the heart of our efforts to learn what works and put it into practice. We do this by creating free, highly accessible research summaries and actionable recommendations for policy makers, commissioners and practitioners.  

We’re a high-performing team which values intellectual rigour and getting to the truth, compassion for children, ambition about what we can achieve and humility about what we know. We love to discuss the latest developments in research methods, but we’re not just interested in research for its own sake. We want research to lead to actual changes in outcomes for children. 

Our team is responsible for a range of activities, including: 

• Developing the YEF’s view on the changes that need to happen and making the case for these changes in accessible reports. This could include changes to government policy, improvements to regulation and inspection, or the adoption of evidence-based interventions. For example, we recently published these recommendations on improving support for children when they are arrested. We develop our recommendations using the best available research and expert insight.  
• Creating evidence-based guidance for practitioners. We summarise the research on what teachers, police officers, social workers and others can do to keep children safe. For example, we’re currently working on a guidance report for schools.  
• Developing the YEF’s funding strategy across our eight focus areas. We make sure our £200m endowment is focused on the evidence gaps that matter and our decisions are based on rigorous research. We identify opportunities to fund research that will have an impact.  
• Expanding a new workstream dedicated to understanding the drivers of violence and which children are the most vulnerable. We’ll fund innovative research on the causes of violence and create useful resources that make this research useful and accessible.  
• Developing a new workstream of cutting-edge projects looking at how systems of support are working to keep children safe. For example, we’re funding projects examining access to psychological therapy and the role of key workers in effective agency collaboration. 
• Communicating the findings from YEF-funded evaluations. We make sure that evaluation insights are accessible to all and lead to an impact on children’s lives.  

Key responsibilities 

The Senior Research Manager will be an essential part of the YEF team and will develop a portfolio of impactful projects.  

This will involve:  

• Leading the development of the YEF’s strategy in one or more of our priority areas. This could include policing, youth work, youth justice or psychological therapies. This is a great opportunity to influence large amounts of funding and direct it towards the most impactful projects.  
• You’ll become the YEF’s expert in this area. You’ll make sure we understand the key issues, stay on top of the latest research and are connected to the right people.  
• You’ll set the YEF’s research agenda for this topic. You’ll make sure we invest in research that fills important gaps in knowledge and leads to important changes. You’ll ensure that our strategy and decision-making are informed by the best available research. 
• You’ll develop great relationships with experts and represent YEF in external meetings and events. You’ll promote evidence-based policy and practice by speaking at conferences and events. 
• You’ll lead the development of evidence-based recommendations in your focus area. You’ll draw on research and expert insight to identify potential changes. You’ll design and develop innovative and impactful resources which support the application of your recommendations.  
• You’ll work with our Change team to identify opportunities for our recommendations to influence policy and practice, and bring about positive changes that will keep children safe.  

About you  

You are this sort of person:  

• You want to play a significant part in reducing the level of violence affecting young people. You care about having an impact. This might mean you’ve worked directly with young people at risk of becoming involved in crime, for organisations that fund or deliver relevant programmes, or have conducted research on this topic. 
• You share our belief that an evidence-based approach is our best hope of preventing violence. You’re fascinated by research, but you’re not just interested in research for its own sake. You want to achieve actual changes in outcomes for children. 
• You know a lot about at least one of these topics: policing, youth work, youth justice or psychological therapy. You know the key ideas and debates, recent policy developments and key people. You’re comfortable talking about this topic with experts.  There are many ways to acquire this knowledge. You might have worked in one of these fields, conducted research on them or learnt about them during a degree.  
• You’re a confident reader of research and have strong critical appraisal skills. You know when research can be trusted and when it can’t, and can confidently articulate your views on the strength of research. You might have gained this expertise through your academic studies, research or professional experience. 
• You have at least three years’ experience working in a role that required you to think about research. This could include a range of roles in policy, academia, funding or practice.  
• You write in a way that people easily understand. You have that rare skill of writing in plain English. You have experience of translating complex research findings into plain writing that everyone can understand.  
• You have excellent project and time management skills. You can work independently, quickly and to a high standard. You have experience of managing contractors or budgets.  
• You are good with people. You’re comfortable working with a wide range of people, including senior academics and other research experts, children and their families, practitioners and policy makers. You’re able to provide constructive challenges when required. 
• You learn fast but remain humble. You like learning. You’re very good at synthesising information. You know how much you don't know and that you can always learn more.  
• You work well in a team. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit. You support your colleagues to produce excellent work.  
• You’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. You believe and act in a way that celebrates and encourages a range of experiences, views and values.  

While it’s not a criterion, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of youth violence.  

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.  

Additional benefits include   

£1,000 professional development budget annually, 28 days plus Bank Holidays, four half days for volunteering activities.   

Hybrid working details   

The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month.    

To apply  

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter, and complete the monitoring form click on "Apply for this" button by 9:00am Monday 25th March 2024.  

When applying for this role, please ensure that your cover letter can answer, within a maximum of 1000 words, the following questions:  

1. Why are you motivated to apply for this role? 
2. Give clear examples where your experience directly relates to the “About You” section in the JD. 

You should also include the contact details of two referees, one of whom must be your current or most recent employer. Referees will only be approached with your express permission.  

You will also be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. As part of our commitment to flexible working, we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at interview stage.    

Interview process  

Interviews will take place in the week commencing the 2nd of April 2024.  

There will be a task to prepare for in advance.  

Personal data  

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.