Onward is looking for an exceptional candidate to help oversee the team and lead our research. The Deputy Director will help to plan, manage and communicate Onward’s research output - which currently includes major programmes on levelling up, repairing our social fabric and reforming higher education - as well as helping to lead the organisation and represent our ideas and values to a wide audience. The role will have considerable scope to develop and deliver their own research interests.

This is a high-profile role. The successful candidate will need experience writing and managing hard hitting and high quality research, managing a team of researchers, and building lasting relationships with politicians, journalists, donors, and industry figures. They must also be able to demonstrate excellent written and spoken communication skills, a track record of using quantitative and qualitative research in a policy setting, and a strong affinity with Onward’s mission and values.

The successful candidate would be joining Onward at an important time for the organisation and the country. Having launched two years ago, we have quickly established a reputation for rigorous research that gets traction not only in newspapers but in government policy. We pride ourselves on developing policy ideas that are timely, practical to deliver and politically possible.

Main responsibilities

• Lead Onward’s research and policy programmes, including your own, working closely with the Director and Advisory Board.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders at the highest levels of government, the media, industry and among the policy community.
• Manage the Onward research team.
• Represent Onward in the media, speaking to our research and communicating our ideas to a broad audience.
• Plan and chair Onward events, including roundtables and panels, fundraising dinners, and policy workshops.
• Produce regular articles for newspapers, websites and other outlets.