All Things Urban

Founded in 1884, Toynbee Hall is a community organisation that works with local communities to provide access to free advice and support and tackle social injustice. We have been a powerhouse for social change for over 130 years, and we believe our role is more important now than ever.

With the help of nearly 400 volunteers, we deliver services to increase financial inclusion; increase access to justice; improve people’s wellbeing, opportunities and social networks. Our vision is a future without poverty.

Are you passionate about using research to solve social problems? Are you enthusiastic about co-producing research with local communities? Are you interested in exploring innovative approaches?

If your answers are yes, we are inviting you to apply for a new Research Manager role at Toynbee Hall. Your role will be to build on the success and learning of our existing Participatory Action Research and continue growing our research portfolio. Wherever possible and appropriate, you will use Participatory Action Research in our work. Community members will be co-owners of the research projects, not just participants. You will co-design and co-produce research with peer researchers; provide them with sufficient training and support so they have the confidence and skills to collect and analyse data and disseminate findings.

You will start with two Participatory Action Research projects related to housing. You will recruit and work with 20 peer researchers to address issues of community safety and integration and explore how young private tenants (aged 18-30) would like to be supported in order to secure their tenancy.

Project and programme management:

1. To work with the Head of Research to design a social research programme which acts as a coherent whole, with each individual project building on previous learning and/or filling an identified knowledge gap, in pursuit of our agreed organisational aims, and generating needs-led evidence and recommendations.
2. To manage our social research portfolio, ensuring that each piece of research has an appropriate project plan and sufficient resource in place to deliver the agreed outputs and outcomes.
3. To manage the day-to-day running of research projects, recruiting, training and working with peer researchers to design and deliver research.
4. To explore effective ways of delivering Participatory Action Research projects, reflecting on our learning and strengthening our expertise.
5. To manage research volunteers where required.
6. To work with the Head of Research to build and manage our relationships with funders and other stakeholders, ensuring our work delivers to agreed timescales and within budget, and ensuring we have a willing and engaged audience for our work.
7. To write high quality research reports and documents, and support the wider Research team’s work through providing feedback and acting as a critical friend.
8. To ensure that all research outputs are made available and accessible to participants, other relevant stakeholders, and colleagues so that our research is relevant, well-used and ultimately makes a difference in our work to change lives and eradicate poverty.
9. To work with our Policy Officer to develop policy position statements, identify and describe good practice, and/or develop campaigns for change, all drawing on our research findings.
10. To contribute to our wider strategic thinking and analysis so that we make effective use internally of our own user, research and evaluation data, working with colleagues across the organisation to add value to service delivery and/or help identify unmet needs.
11. To work closely with the Head of Research and other colleagues to plan, help organise and run events which support our research strategy and share our learning widely.

Quality Assurance and Standards:

12. To maintain up to date knowledge of research standards, methodologies and frameworks to ensure that the quality of our research programme is constantly improving and evolving in line with developments across the wider research community.
13. To keep informed of relevant external research so that our research is grounded in and contributes to increasing our knowledge as a sector.
14. To manage our research methodology and practice so that we adhere to the highest ethical research standards.
15. To adhere to our organisational research policies, including but not limited to:
    a. Engaging and supporting research participants
    b. Ethical considerations
    c. Data collection and management
    d. Creating opportunities for communities to develop and use their voice

Key Knowledge and Skills:

1. Experience of designing, running and managing research projects addressing social issues, with a strong focus on Participatory Action Research (PAR), community development or a similar approach.
2. Ability to identify and use appropriate research methods (such as focus groups, interviews, surveys, video, art and mapping).
3. Experience of recruiting, training and working with peer and/or community researchers.
4. Skills of working with people from different backgrounds including young people.
5. Experience of managing researchers and/or volunteers.
6. Knowledge of social issues and social policy, especially housing policy.
7. Ability to write research reports or articles which are clear, accessible to a wide non-specialist audience, and which engage people in further thought and action.
8. A track record in delivering multiple research projects simultaneously, on time and within budget.
9. A good track record in contributing to securing research funding through writing proposals and applications.
10. Strong relationship building and management skills.

Personal qualities:

1. Inquisitive and passionate about using research to solve social problems.
2. Have, or be willing to develop, an understanding of and commitment to the organisation’s values, including equal opportunities and diversity.
3. Be able to reflect on and improve your approach.
4. Capacity of working on your own initiative.

£32,000 - £38,000

We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.