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We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.
We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK.
We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high‑quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.
Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021‑22 we reached 650 million people.
This role can be based from any of our UK locations London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff or from Delhi (India) or Islamabad (Pakistan).
Apply to the role here.
Role Purpose
THIS ROLE sits within the Research and Insight (R&I) function responsible for research excellence. The function supports the British Council to be an expert and inclusive organisation informed by research and evidence, and a confident and generous thought leader in its core areas of work.
The postholder will support the team in the design and delivery of research using quantitative methods, ensuring high quality and impact of work undertaken in this area.
They will also support the team in using quantitative research to inform strategy and planning, and in high‑impact narratives for external stakeholders.
As with other team members, the postholder will have an understanding of research management processes and methodologies and will give advice and guidance across the British Council, contributing to building a culture of valuing research and policy insight.
They will also offer support, as required, to the development and delivery of the global programmes contributing to the British Council’s impact areas.
The postholder will undertake projects and assignments on behalf of the R&I management team, and support the contracting and commissioning of new research and the establishment of partnerships as required.
The postholder will work closely with the team’s sector research leads in Arts, Education, and English as well as the team’s Soft Power Insight function to establish good practice in quantitative research methods across commissioned research, and to ensure data from research and evidence projects is of high quality and is used to maximum effect. This will include providing analysis of a range of large and small data sets which the British Council holds and give clear guidance on their validity and reliability.
The postholder will work closely with the Evidence, Evaluation and Learning (EEL) team and the wider Data, Evidence and Performance team on joint projects, in particular to enhance our capacity to evaluate programmes through high‑quality monitoring data and operational research that explores critical performance questions, enhancing our understanding and ability respond positively to performance challenges.
The postholder will be expected to develop areas of specialist expertise over time as part of their professional development. They will also support the efforts of the Head of Research Excellence, particularly in promoting building capacity in using quantitative research methods and data management.
Role Context
The purpose of the British Council’s Research and Insight (R&I) function is to systematically generate useful new knowledge that will achieve impact for our mission and for UK and overseas stakeholders.
We support the British Council to be an organisation guided by evidence, knowledge and insight, one that is confident in its voice as a cultural relations thought leader and a credible partner, and one that is generous in sharing its knowledge and insight in core areas.
As a team, we aim to role model the British Council value of ‘expert and inclusive’. The team is currently based across in locations across the UK and South Asia. We support a community of practice of more than 200 members across the global network.
We Have Two Core Outcomes
- Research to ensure the British Council is a trusted and valued provider of knowledge and soft power insight for the UK and overseas stakeholders in English, Education and Arts
- Well‑evidenced analysis and understanding of how the totality of our work across the sectors generates soft power effects for the UK within priority countries
Main Accountabilities
Leadership & Management
- Plans and prioritises own activities to ensure effective delivery of responsibilities and deliverables
- Shares ideas with senior managers to identify new ways in which they could positively impact upon the British Council
Functional expertise
- Manages existing R&I data sets; identifies and curates other relevant data.
- Completes an annual L&D cycle to maintain and deepen their professional expertise
- Undertakes sound statistical analysis, utilising British Council data sets, in support of Research and Insight team priorities and projects.
- Provides proactive professional advice, support and challenge to colleagues
- Maintains an understanding of the British Council’s wider suite of programmes to identify and communicate how and where research can contribute
- Actively works with sector and regional teams to support commissioning of projects, advising on design and inception, and quality review
- Builds the profile of the British Council’s thought leadership in key areas, by contributing to external events and publications
- Contributes to the development and delivery of training and guidance of other colleagues in the network.
- Support as required the preparation of papers and management information for senior management meetings.
Internal customer focus
- Proactively seeks stakeholder feedback
- Builds an in‑depth understanding of the particular operational context, opportunities and challenges facing colleagues in the use of the large amounts of quant data generated by British Council research, to ensure the development of new policies and practices are based on informed insight and joined‑up thinking.
- Work with colleagues to raise the profile, quality and coherence of research, evidence and insight across the British Council.
Service improvement
- Makes technical/professional recommendations to resolve issues and offers ideas which contribute to the development of wider solutions to broader challenges and problems.
- Communicating findings to colleagues who are not technical experts
- May participate as part of a team to support implementation of corporate or regional change projects
- Identifies and makes recommendations to more senior managers for improvements to ways of working that enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of R&I.
Commercial and financial management
- Using agreed corporate systems and processes, supports senior colleagues to plan and manage the budget for their area of activity
- Shows an understanding of value for money/cost effectiveness
Consultancy, analysis & problem‑solving
- Clean, edit, code and prepare data for analysis and reports.
- Analyse qualitative and/or quantitative data and information.
- Prepare routine reports, abstracts, presentations, brochures, project summary sheets, newsletters.
- Present complex information clearly, tailoring the presentation of findings to meet the differing needs of both technical and non‑technical audiences appropriately.
About You
In addition to the below essential requirements the ideal individual will have a good understanding or interest of the work that the British Council does and a general interest/passion for Quantitative Research. The ideal individual will be someone who can communicate ideas, research and recommendations to non‑specialist audiences and has worked with a range of stakeholders, ideally within a global role (but not necessarily essential).
Essential
Role specific knowledge and experience
- Qualified to degree level, or equivalent by relevant experience, in Statistics, Maths, Econometrics or other relevant subject
- Experience of managing large‑scale data sets using MS Excel, SPSS/STATA/SAS, R and/or other data management platforms.
- Proven track record of undertaking rigorous and in‑depth statistical analysis
- Good MS Office skills
- Experience of creating content through the written word, data dashboards, infographics that support access to and understanding of data and results.
- An understanding of one or more of the key sectors with which British Council engages, and/or of international relations and soft power
- Competency in use of statistical analysis software in common use (SPSS, STATA, SAS, R)
- Mid level competency in quantitative analytical techniques such as descriptives, cross‑tabulations, tests of statistical significance, logistic and linear regression modelling.
- Ability to influence colleagues and peers using research, insight, data and evidence, particularly colleagues who are not technical experts or experienced in quant data
Desirable
- Qualified to postgraduate degree level or equivalent by relevant research experience
- Experience of creating data products in PowerBI
- Experience of application of data reduction techniques such as factor analysis and principal components analysis.
- Experience of audience/population segmentation techniques with quantitative data, such as hierarchical clustering and k‑means clustering.
- Procurement of research and/or consultancy services
British Council Pay band: Grade 7
UK Salary: Starting £30,839-33,995 plus £3,300 London Market Allowance (only for those based in the London area) and competitive benefits package to include 32 days annual leave and career average defined pension scheme
India & Pakistan Salary: Competitive salary & benefits package which will be discussed with shortlisted applicants.
Location: Cardiff, London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast (UK), Delhi (India) or Islamabad (Pakistan)
Department: Research & Insight, Cultural Engagement.
Contract type: Indefinite (permanent)
Closing Date: Tuesday 17th October 2023 at 23:59 UK Time. Interviews are planned for week 30th October.
Requirements: Candidates are expected to have researched whether they have the right to live and work in the country in which the role is based.
Some travel and out of hours work may be required.
You must have the legal right to work in the Country where you are applying at the time of application.
There is no relocation or sponsorship support available.
British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.
