Research Associate (Evaluation)

Overview

In this role you will lead quantitative evaluation work within the Policy Institute to assess the impact of interventions across education, homelessness, and youth employment. You will collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to design studies, manage data, and support proposals to funders. The position sits in a think-tank–like environment that values evidence-informed policy and practical impact. You will help scale evaluation capacity and contribute to a broader ecosystem of evidence-based practice.

Pay / Benefits

• professional development entitlement (at least 10 days per year pro-rata)
• indefinite term contract
• supportive research environment

Responsibilities

• Deliver impact evaluations using experimental and quasi-experimental designs
• Lead quantitative data management and analysis across multiple projects
• Design evaluation plans and oversee data collection and processing
• Manage project workstreams and coordinate with funders and partners
• Contribute to funding proposals and bid responses
• Support organisations in embedding evaluation into their practice
• Collaborate across education, homelessness, and employment-focused initiatives
• Provide methodological guidance and ensure rigorous reporting

Key requirements

• PhD in a relevant subject or equivalent research experience (3–5 years)
• Experience developing quantitative analysis plans and trial protocols
• Extensive data cleaning, management, and analysis with R (preferred) or Stata
• Advanced training in quantitative methods (statistics/econometrics) and evaluation methods (randomised trials, diff-in-diff, regression discontinuity, matching)
• Experience applying quantitative methods to education, employment, homelessness, or related policy areas
• Strong project management, organisational and time-management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to work in teams across multiple projects
• Experience delivering commissioned research or consultancy-style projects is desirable
• Experience designing surveys or analyzing survey data is desirable
• Experience securing research funding through tenders is desirable

• collaborative
• high attention to detail
• analytical
• R
• Stata
• statistical methods

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