JOB SUMMARY

The UK’s Policy Lab is a dynamic and inclusive organisation working across the whole of government. Our mission is to radically improve policymaking through design, innovation and people-centred approaches. We are looking for an ambitious research operations colleague to work on fast-paced projects centred firmly around citizens whilst bringing critical rigour to our project process and outputs. The ideal candidate will have excellent qualitative research skills with a focus on visual anthropology and film.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Policy Lab has a decade of experience working openly and collaboratively to address some of the UK’s toughest policy challenges. Our team of around 30 people comprises experts in policy, lived experience research, experimentation, art, systems thinking, futures, technology and design (including co-design, graphic design and strategic design). Recent projects include work in multiple disadvantage, the government’s new Opportunity Mission and protecting environmental sites. We operate on a cost recovery basis and are accountable to our varied commissioners.
We are looking for an ambitious HEO to join our dynamic project teams and further Policy Lab’s ethnographic research practice. As an HEO Film Ethnography Producer and Researcher, you will be:

Leading research operations within projects, particularly those that use lived experience research:

• Leading on participant recruitment as well as participant handling and hosting throughout the project (including securing informed consent and managing participation incentives).
• Arranging and taking part in fieldwork and research interviews.
• Provide solutions to project leads for researchers and workshop organisers to carry out face to face and remote sessions efficiently and safely within shifting contexts, liaising with digital colleagues as needed.
• Managing project folders and hard drives during and after projects. This includes the management and archival of film footage.

Supporting across all stages within projects, particularly those that use lived experience research:

• Reviewing policy and background documents and pulling out key insights that contribute to baseline knowledge of policy areas at the start of a project.
• Liaising with commissioning policy teams to get relevant information from them about project activities.
• Liaising with research leads to support research design and the development of discussion guides.
• Supporting analysis with support from research. leads, including reviewing footage and transcriptions. Using coding and other forms of thematic analysis.
• Supporting aspects of Policy Lab’s project deliverables such as the creation of artefacts, presentations and project wrap ups.
• Providing project teams with a range of backstage project tasks, such as, travel booking, organising sessions and liaising with external project suppliers.

Supporting and improving research operations and data management across Policy Lab:

• Organising research data and liaising with the Knowledge Information Team to ensure preservation of all relevant Policy Lab data for the public interest.
• Being the point of contact for research data questions to support our work around data ethics, including anonymisation.
• Being the point of contact for GDPR questions across projects and ensuring GDPR compliance alongside government regulations.
• Taking an active role to improve research and data management processes across Policy Lab.

Contributing to Lab’s culture:

• Contributing to the Lab’s vibrant studio culture at the heart of government and undertaking corporate tasks for the team and Department for Education.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE:

• Either a relevant undergraduate or postgraduate degree in in social science, arts or communication (such as anthropology, sociology, human geography, film, media or similar) or extensive social research experience.
• Experience of research operations, including participant recruitment
• Experience of using audio-visual material in a research context. This could include production, direction, editing or filming.

DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE:

• Experience of using ethnography in agency or policy setting
• Interest in or experience of visual ethnography and/or using creative research methods to amplify the voice of lived experience
• Experience of transforming and improving research operations set-up
• Report writing experience
• Project delivery, including strong multitasking skills.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

WHAT WOULD YOUR SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND INTERESTS OFFER TO POLICY LAB PROJECTS IN THE ROLE OF FILM ETHNOGRAPHY PRODUCER AND RESEARCHER?”

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.