The Productivity Institute brings together world-leading and UK experts from a range of disciplines and backgrounds, working directly with policymakers and businesses to better understand, measure, and enable improvements in productivity across the whole of the UK, with the aim to improve living standards and well-being.

The Institute is currently setting up a Policy Unit to help with promoting policy-relevant research insights and possible policy interventions that contribute to the improvement of productivity and to work closely with policymakers to better understand the impact of local and national policies on providing an environment supportive of productivity growth;

Background

We are seeking to appoint two Research Assistants to support the work of the Policy Unit’s Policy Fellows and other TPI researchers to effectively inform policy and decision makers in government, political parties, civil servants and other key stakeholders about policy-relevant insights from the Institute’s work.

Location: Manchester, London or virtual (some in-person meeting at the Institute’s headquarters in Manchester or the London hub at King’s College will be required).

Key responsibilities:

• Support TPI Policy Fellows in translating research results into policy-relevant insights for Westminster, Devolved Nations and Combined Authorities, through policy briefings, infographics, ppt briefs, website presence, etc.
• Support “rapid response” government-commissioned projects as and when they arise

Salary: £31,387-£35,880 pro rata, per annum dependent on relevant experience

Closing date: 21/10/2024

Contract Duration: 9 months

The Productivity Institute brings together world-leading and UK experts from a range of disciplines and backgrounds, working directly with policymakers and businesses to better understand, measure, and enable improvements in productivity across the whole of the UK, with the aim to improve living standards and well-being.

The Institute is launching the Productivity Policy Unit (PPU) to help with promoting policy-relevant research insights and possible policy interventions that contribute to the improvement of productivity and to work closely with policymakers to better understand the impact of local and national policies on providing an environment supportive of productivity growth.

Background

We are seeking to appoint two Research Associates to support the work of the PPU’s Policy Fellows and other TPI researchers to effectively inform policy and decision makers in government, political parties, civil servants and other key stakeholders about policy-relevant insights from the Institute’s work.

Location: Manchester, London or virtual (some in-person meetings at the Institute’s headquarters in Manchester or the London hub at King’s College will be required).

Length of contract: 9 months for 0.5 FTE, with possible extension up to 31/12/25.

Key responsibilities:

• Support TPI Policy Fellows in translating research results into policy-relevant insights for Westminster, Devolved Nations and Combined Authorities, through policy briefings, infographics, ppt briefs, website presence, etc.
• Support “rapid response” government-commissioned projects as and when they arise.

Salary: £36,924-£45,163 pro rata, per annum dependent on experience

Closing date: 21/10/2024

We are seeking a Research Associate for our Investment in Places campaign, working with The Productivity Lab. The successful candidate will act as liaison between the Lab and the research team on the “Investment in Productive Places Campaign” (IPCC) and relevant members of the team to develop a data tool for the project, support research and report writing in this area.

The role will report to Professor Raquel Ortéga-Argilès with a reporting line to the IPCC project manager, Dr. Marianne Sensier.

Deadline 14 October 2024

More information and to apply The University of Manchester jobs website

The Productivity Institute brings together world-leading and UK experts from a range of disciplines and backgrounds, working directly with policymakers and businesses to better understand, measure, and enable improvements in productivity across the whole of the UK, with the aim to improve living standards and well-being. 

The Institute is launching the Productivity Policy Unit (PPU) to help with promoting policy-relevant research insights and possible policy interventions that contribute to the improvement of productivity and to work closely with policymakers to better understand the impact of local and national policies on providing an environment supportive of productivity growth. 

BACKGROUND 

We are seeking to appoint several Research Assistants on an ad-hoc casual basis to support the work of the PPU’s Policy Fellows and other TPI researchers to effectively inform policy and decision makers in government, political parties, civil servants and other key stakeholders about policy-relevant insights from the Institute’s work. 

LOCATION

Manchester, London or virtual (some in-person meetings at the Institute’s headquarters in Manchester or the London hub at King’s College may be required). 

LENGTH OF CONTRACT

Maximum three months, contingent upon project requirements. 

SALARY

£31,387 (pro-rata) 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support TPI Policy Fellows in translating research results into policy-relevant insights for Westminster, Devolved Nations and Combined Authorities, through policy briefings, infographics, ppt briefs, website presence, etc. 
• Support “rapid response” government-commissioned projects as and when they arise. 

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

Research Skills Requirements: 

• A Master’s degree or equivalent level of experience within a relevant social science subject or policy area; 
• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods, evaluation research, literature reviews; 
• Ability to summarise and analyse data using appropriate methods independently; 
• Experience of drafting research papers, presentations, etc. 

Project Management Skills Requirements: 

• Written and verbal communication skills and ability to convey technical material in non-technical terms; 
• A high standard of IT literacy including MS Office (MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint); 
• Attention to detail and highly developed organisational skills;
• Able to manage own work/research on a day-to-day basis; 
• Able to prioritise workload and manage time;
• Able to work to tight deadlines.

Interpersonal Skills Requirements 

• Self-motivated and able to work flexibly either independently without close supervision or as part of a team;
• Able to reflect on their work, their impact on other team members, the way they carry it out and suggest improvements within the team where necessary;
• Willingness to perform a wide range of tasks as directed and as required;
• Willingness to undertake further training.

DESIRABLE

• Experience of drafting policy briefings; 

• Research experience in an academic or policy setting and knowledge of developments in relevant policy and practice areas. 

How to apply: Please send a covering letter and CV to tpi-applications@manchester.ac.uk 

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