Methodological Innovation Lead

Methodological Innovation Lead
Central London (with hybrid working)

The Organisation

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

We do this by supporting schools, colleges and nurseries to improve teaching and learning through better use of evidence. We generate research evidence on effective practice in supporting learning outcomes and narrowing the socioeconomic attainment gap, and we work with education professionals to ensure this evidence isa applied to achieve the maximum possible benefit for children and young people.

The EEF’s reach and impact has been tremendous: the English education system is now one of the most evidence-informed in the world. Over half of state primary and secondary schools have taken part in an EEF-funded trial, and 70% of all school leaders use the Teaching and Learning Toolkit to inform their decision-making.

We are currently seeking a Methodological Innovation Lead to join our team on a full-time, permanent basis.

The Benefits

- Salary of circa £56,500 per annum, depending on experience
- Flexible start and end working times (core hours between 10am and 4pm)
- Flexible working opportunities
- 27 days’ holiday a year pro rata (plus 8 bank holidays including 3 which can be taken flexibly)
- 2 festive season closure days
- 6% employer pension contributions, minimum 3% employee contribution
- Life insurance cover
- Interest-free season ticket loan and cycle scheme
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave pay (conditions apply)
- Confidential Employee Assistance Programme to help you deal with any personal and professional problems

This is an incredible opportunity for a research professional with experience of leading innovation or change to join our vital organisation.

This is your chance to contribute to meaningful change within the education sector, playing a vital role in delivering our research agenda and ensuring we can continue innovating and making a difference.

So, if you’re passionate about driving positive change in education and want to make a difference in the lives of young people, we want to hear from you!

The Role

As a Methodological Innovation Lead, you will support the delivery of our mission-focused Research Agenda.

Specifically, you will develop innovative, robust methodological means to evaluate a programme of research that provides answers to policy- and practice-relevant questions.

You will grow our portfolio of School Choices and Teacher Choices evaluations, as well as overseeing the current portfolio of ongoing studies and developing our approach to commissioning these studies.

Additionally, you will:

- Identify the most promising areas of practice and policy for evidence generation
- Develop our approach to commissioning quasi-experimental design (QED) studies
- Build on the QED study template
- Improve our approach to, and processes for, reporting QED study outcomes
- Leverage our Data Archive to commission methodological research

About You

To be considered as a Methodological Innovation Lead, you will need:

- Experience of delivering or managing research, adopting a range of innovative methodologies
- Experience of leading innovation or change within or across teams
- Exceptional interpersonal and written communication skills
- Strong advocacy for equality, diversity and inclusion
- At a minimum, a Masters degree (or equivalent), or equivalent relevant experience in social research techniques

The closing date for this role is 19th April 2024.

Other organisations may call this role Education Research Lead, Research & Policy Lead, Education Research Manager, Qualitative Research Manager, Quantitative Research Manager, or Senior Academic Researcher.

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