Consultant - Public Policy

ICF International; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

ICF is seeking social researchers/public policy consultants to join a well-established practice that develops, analyses and evaluates UK government policies across education, youth, communities and families. Hybrid working in London, Birmingham and Plymouth, with options for part-time applications.

Strong emphasis on qualitative and quantitative research methods and stakeholder engagement. The team values analytical rigour, collaboration and a commitment to inclusive, evidence-based policy

Qualifications

• Qualifications relevant to social policy or research methods (graduate or postgraduate).
• 1-2 years' experience using qualitative/quantitative methods in research projects.
• Excellent written and spoken English with strong time management.

Responsibilities

• Perform research and analysis on public policy issues for public/third sector clients.
• Conduct interviews (face-to-face, telephone, video) and write up interviews/focus groups; qualitative analysis.
• Analyse quantitative data using various tools and software; generate findings and visualisations.
• Provide research and administrative support to team members.

Skills

Qualitative research

Quantitative analysis

Interviewing

Education

Social policy or research methods

Job description

About the team

We are looking for social researchers/public policy consultants to join a well-established practice within ICF that develops, analyses and evaluates UK Government policies and programmes across priority social policy domains, including education/employment, communities, youth and families. ICF's clients include government departments and agencies such as the Department for Education, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions - as well as local government and leading charities. From day one, you will have the opportunity to contribute to a varied range of influential research projects across the UK. We are particularly interested in hearing from people with a background or interest in sport and active leisure, as well as broader social policy topics such as youth inclusion and employment.

Your main responsibilities will be to:

• Perform research and analysis on public policy issues and programmes for public and third sector clients, by:
  • Carrying out research and analysing / summarising academic and policy literature.
  • Conducting face to face, telephone and video interviews, writing up interviews and focus groups, and carrying out qualitative analysis using a variety of tools and software.
  • Analysing quantitative data using a variety of tools and software.
  • Generating insightful findings, preparing descriptive and analytical texts and data visualisations.
  • Providing research and administrative support to other team members.

Essential Requirements

• Qualifications relevant to social policy or research methods (graduate or postgraduate, for example but not limited to social sciences, economics or health economics, applied statistics, geography, political science, service design, psychology or sociology, public policy research or public administration).
• 1-2 years' employment experience of using a variety of methods (qualitative and/or quantitative) in research projects (either own project and/or as part of a team) for analyst roles, and 3+ years' experience for consultant roles.
• Strong interest in UK policy, the improvement of public services and use of evidence in policy making.
• Excellent oral and written English.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Intermediate or advanced computer user skills related to carrying out research and data analysis.

Desirable

• Skills in editing or proofreading other people's written work.
• Experience in undertaking evaluations of projects or programmes.
• Knowledge of the work of UK government departments.

Personal Qualities

• Ability to write skilfully and accurately summarise and synthesise information and evidence from a wide range of sources.
• Highly developed interpersonal / communication skills, and ability to work with a multidisciplinary team spread across the UK.
• Sound research and business ethics.
• Ability to manage own time and be flexible to handle multiple priorities, managing a varied workload to meet deadlines.
• High level of attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong, demonstrable commitment to helping us build an inclusive team that values diversity.

We are recruiting into our London, Birmingham and Plymouth offices.

We have a hybrid working model that supports our employees to work from a base office and from home.

This is a full-time position, but we are very much welcoming of applications from candidates who would like to work part time.

About us

Working at ICF means applying a passion for meaningful work with intellectual rigor to help solve the leading issues of our day. Smart, compassionate, innovative, committed, ICF employees tackle unprecedented challenges to benefit people, businesses, and governments around the globe. We believe in collaboration, mutual respect, open communication, and opportunity for growth.We can only solve the world's toughest challenges by building an inclusive workplace that allows everyone to thrive. We are committed to creating a culture where we embrace our differences in ideas and identiti