Research Assistant

National Institute of Teaching; Doncaster; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay progression

Hybrid working

LGPS pension

Career development

Flexible hours

Holiday entitlement

Job summary

National Institute of Teaching is seeking a Research Assistant to join the Evaluation and Observational Research team. You will design and implement academic research alongside programme delivery, collecting and analysing data, and contributing to outputs for policymakers.

You will work with a team of researchers to test new methodologies and strengthen practitioner-facing evidence in teacher education practice, with hybrid onsite requirements and national travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, psychology, social science, health sciences, economics, or related field.
• Experience contributing to quantitative and/or qualitative research design.
• Advanced proficiency in R for data management, statistical analysis, and reproducible research.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement primary research projects in collaboration with Programme teams.
• Collect and analyse quantitative and/or qualitative data.
• Produce high-quality outputs for academic audiences and policymakers.

Skills

Quantitative research

Qualitative research

R programming

Interpersonal skills

Collaborative mindset

Communication skills

Data management

Research design

Education

Master's degree in education/related field

Doctoral degree (Desirable)

Tools

R

Job description

Part of this mission involves producing rigorous, impactful, and cutting-edge school-led research. We have a dedicated in-house research team who work with our programme-delivery teams to develop and test new methodologies, address critical challenges, and meet the evolving needs of our partner schools and organisations in the wider education sector. This is a new and exciting approach to embedding research within practice in education, and we work collaboratively to continually evolve and strengthen our approach to making research useful in teacher education practice. The Evaluation and Observational Research team sits within the overall Research team, and designs and implements primary research projects in collaboration with the Programmes team at the NIoT. We are seeking a Research Assistant to join our team and play a crucial role in the generation of high-quality and useful evidence on effective teacher professional development. You will work alongside a team of Research Fellows, Research Assistants and the Head of Evaluation and Observational Research to design and implement academic research alongside the programmes designed and delivered by NIoT. These roles include opportunities to contribute to research design of new research; collect quantitative and/or qualitative data; conduct quantitative and/or qualitative analyses; contribute to high-quality written outputs for academic audiences and policymakers, and other outputs to raise the impact of our research. In addition to having quantitative or mixed-methods research experience, you will be an innovative and practice-minded researcher who strives to make cutting-edge research relevant, engaging, and useful for practitioners in teacher education. The Evaluation and Observational Research team design and conduct research into teacher training and development. These roles will work on one or both of projects into: teacher training and development, such as Initial Teacher Education, the Early Career Framework, and National Professional Qualifications; and system leadership development. This is a hybrid role, with the requirement for in person working for a minimum of once a fortnight, occasionally this will be more due to business need. The role includes participation in our annual all-staff away day (including an overnight stay) and occasional national travel.

Required qualifications and experience

• Master’s degree study in education, psychology, social science, health sciences, economics, or other related field
• Experience contributing to quantitative (e.g., experimental, quasi-experimental, observational) and/or qualitative research design
• Quantitative (e.g., advanced inferential techniques, sampling methods, and power analyses), qualitative (e.g., handling large amounts of textual data, iterative research design, thematic coding), and/or mixed-methods (combining and integrating quantitative and qualitative methods) data management and analysis skills
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
• Proactive and collaborative approach to problem-solving
• Reflective approach to practice, with a commitment to continuous learning and professional development
• Advanced proficiency in R for data management, statistical analysis, visualisation and reproducible research
• A commitment to the aims of the National Institute of Teaching
• An interest in the education sector and a belief in the value of teachers and school leaders

Desirable criteria

• Doctoral degree in education, social science, health sciences, or other related field
• Proven interest and/or experience in teacher training and development. This post requires a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) with a Children’s Barred List Check and Occupational Health Check is required as a condition of employment.

At the National Institute of Teaching, we believe teaching is a fundamental societal good, a privilege and a responsibility. Our work is rooted in that belief: we exist to improve the quality of teacher and leader development at a system level, so that every child and young person benefits from excellent teaching.

Benefits

• Highly competitive pay and pay progression opportunities
• Flexible start and end working times
• Flexible working opportunities, including significant scope for hybrid working
• At least 27 days’ holiday a year (plus 8 bank holidays) rising to 33 days after five years’ service (with an annual discretionary office shutdown between Christmas and New Year)
• Entry to the highly valued Local Government Pension Scheme
• Excellent opportunities to develop your skills and experience and to progress your career
• A stimulating, supportive and rewarding working environment with a dedicated team of likeminded professionals