Senior Economist or Senior Research and Policy Analyst

The Resolution Foundation is looking for a thoughtful and committed individual to lead our work on the UK social security system and help drive the production of high quality, innovative economic analysis and associated policy recommendations. This role is a central part of the team focused on the challenges to, and answers for improving, the living standards of those on low-to-middle incomes.

What does the role involve?

The successful candidate will lead the Resolution Foundation’s research programme on the UK social security system, with a focus on how it affects children and working-age adults. This will involve designing, managing and leading quantitative research projects, and developing appropriate policy proposals. As with all positions in the Foundation, there is a strong emphasis on disseminating our research through written reports, media articles, blogs and presentations, and communicating the work of the Foundation in print and broadcast media.

The candidate will also need the technical skills required to conduct distributional analysis of working-age welfare policy, and so knowledge and experience of using key datasets such as the Family Resources Survey is essential.

What kind of person are we looking for?

We are interested in hearing from candidates with excellent quantitative research skills and a thorough knowledge and understanding of public policy issues relating to the UK social security system.

The successful candidate will have a detailed knowledge of UK social security system, with a focus on that part affecting children and working-age adults, the skills to situate research findings in the policy context, and the ability to communicate the results to a wide range of stakeholders, verbally and in writing. A proven track record for delivering research impact or policy change is also essential.

We are a fast-paced organisation, responding to the current economic crisis as well as contributing to crucial longer-term public policy debates, so the capability to work at pace on several different projects is essential. The ideal candidate will also be able to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders from academia, government, industry and the broader research community.

What is the organisational culture?

The Foundation prides itself on analytical rigour, and we strive to achieve standards of excellence in all our work. This commitment is matched by dedication to our core purpose, working to improve the living standards of those on low-to-middle incomes. These twin pillars of rigour and purpose inform our culture and underpin everything we do.

Our research team benefits from frequent interaction with senior stakeholders in government, media and the wider policy-making world, and we actively develop the skills and reputations of all our team including by encouraging ownership of subject areas when appropriate and through providing training and development opportunities, including support for formal qualifications when applicable.

The Foundation is a small team and staff members support each other and share cross-organisational work in addition to fulfilling individual responsibilities. We offer a competitive benefits package and the opportunity to join us at an exciting time in our development as we build on success and look to maximise the impact of our Economy 2030 Inquiry. The Foundation’s office is based in Westminster with home working available two days per week. We also have a range of equality, diversity, inclusivity and family-friendly policies and practices.

Diversity at the Resolution Foundation

We value and are committed to increasing diversity within both our own organisation and the economic policy making sector more widely and we are particularly keen to attract applications from under-represented communities and groups. For more information about our ongoing work in this area, please see our recruitment brochure. If you are interested in applying and would like to speak to someone informally to assess whether we are the right organisation for you, please contact Sharmina.Khanam@resolutionfoundation.org.

As part of our commitment in this area, we offer job specific pre-application discussions to Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic candidates and all candidates with disabilities who would like to speak to someone about the role. Please contact Sharmina.Khanam@resolutionfoundation.org for more details. We also offer the option for Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic candidates and all candidates with disabilities to opt into a guaranteed interview scheme if they meet the essential requirements. Please tick the box during the application process if you are interested in participating in this scheme.

In line with our determination to attract a diverse team, we regularly analyse a variety of statistics to inform the focus of our work in this area. To help with this, we would be grateful if you would complete the equal opportunities monitoring form provided on the application platform. Any information you provide is collated anonymously and used solely to track the effectiveness of our recruitment campaign.

Closing date: 08:59am on 9 June 2023

First Interviews: 27 June 2023

Second Interviews: 4 July 2023

For more information about the role and how to apply, please download our application pack.