Senior Research Fellow

IPPR North – the leading think-tank based in the North of England – is recruiting a Senior Research Fellow (or Research Fellow) to join the team. In a year with local, regional and national elections, it couldn’t be a more exciting time to join us. If you haven’t worked in a think tank before don’t worry (most people haven’t) – we’re interested in your potential and your ideas.
Our mission – to reduce place-based inequality and enable people in England’s regions to live a good life and to thrive – could not be more urgent.​ Insufficient progress in our regions holds back our economy and our society.
We provide fresh perspectives to explore the challenges and opportunities for the North and England’s regions. To help realise our mission as a team, we undertake research, develop policy, convene people and advocate and communicate ideas. We need your potential, ideas and creativity to help us develop the bold ideas that will help realise our mission.
We know that applicants will bring very different skills and levels of experience – and we’re as interested in where you’re going, as much as where you’ve been. This role is being advertised at IPPR’s Senior Research Fellow level, but with the possibility of appointment at a more junior Research Fellow level with opportunities for progression later.
To be successful as the Senior Research Fellow you will be an experienced researcher with budding communication skills and a willingness to fundraise. For more junior applicants, we will be focused on your potential in these areas.
The successful candidate will lead our regional work in the North East of England in particular, so should have a very good understanding of the region, and a keen interest in its devolved governance and politics. You will be willing to work across a range of projects and policy themes as part of a friendly and ambitious team. You will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, be able to manage a varied workload to meet deadlines and have a clear commitment to the ethos of IPPR.
IPPR North is part of the IPPR family across the UK, alongside IPPR Scotland based in Edinburgh and the IPPR team in London. We are a charity and cross-party. By joining us you will have a chance to help shape future economic and social policy for our regions at a critical time for the agenda and political debates.
IPPR is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community, and from applicants with a range of professional and lived experiences. As an organisation engaging in critical debate about a wide range of progressive policy issues, we value the creativity and range of perspectives that a diverse team can provide.
As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant to fill the post, including secondment, job-share and part-time working. All options can be discussed at interview stage.
The ordinary place of work for this post is in the North East of England. The role will require some travel to Newcastle and twice monthly travel to our offices in Manchester. Ideally you will be based in the North East but we are open to alternative proposals, as long as you can fulfil these travel requirements.
Before applying, go to the IPPR website to read the information pack with the job description and person specification
A CV with a separate 2-page personal statement addressing each element in the person specification under separate heading and why you want this position. The CV and statement should be combined into one PDF document and returned to applications@ippr.org
In order to complete your application please also complete IPPR’sdiversity monitoring form