Research Assistant (WCPP)

The Wales Centre for Public Policy is pleased to invite applications for a new role as a Research Assistant who will be embedded in various projects in the Centre to support impact capturing activities. The Centre is committed to understanding and maximising its own impact and the Embedded Impact Researcher role aims to understand the relationship between the Centre’s knowledge mobilisation practices and its impact on the use of evidence in policy making and public services in Wales.

You will deploy a range of tools and approaches to improve the way in which project teams think about and measure the impact of their knowledge mobilisation work. This could include developing project-level theories of change, conducting stakeholder mapping, organising and conducting interviews with the project team and wider stakeholders, and running reflection sessions on completion of projects.

The role will also include conducting research on the use of evidence in policy-making and practices of knowledge mobilisation. You will work alongside experienced researchers in the Centre on studies that help to inform its approach to working with public services and the Welsh Government and assess its impact.

This post offers a unique opportunity to conduct innovative research that will contribute directly to the growing academic literature on evidence-informed policy making as well as helping to improve understanding on how the Centre can improve its’ impact. The successful candidate will broaden their understanding of key academic debates in these areas working within a Centre that is acknowledged to be at the leading edge of both academic research and practice in the field.

Co-funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Welsh Government, the Wales Centre for Public Policy bridges the gap between academia and policy makers/practitioners by generating, synthesising and mobilising evidence from research. The Centre has more than 20 full-time staff who are drawn from a range of backgrounds - including academia, the civil service, health service, local government, think tanks, and the voluntary sector. It is a member of the What Works network, was a finalist in the prestigious ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize, and is recognised internationally for its pioneering, demand-led approach to evidence use, and knowledge mobilisation. Further details are available at www.wcpp.org.uk.

The Centre provides a stimulating and supportive working environment with flexible working arrangements; a generous pension scheme and a range of other benefits; a wealth of training opportunities; and offices in the world’s first Social Science Research Park (SPARK), located on Cardiff’s £300 million Innovation Campus.

The post is full time starting in January 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. We are open to a job share and flexible working arrangements, such as compressed hours. The post is fixed term until the end of our current funding period (31 March 2028). The university will consider applications which propose secondments of a minimum of one year.

Salary: £33,951 - £36,636 per annum (Grade 5)

For further information and an informal discussion about the role please contact Dr Hannah Durrant at: Hannah.Durrant@wcpp.org.uk

Closing date: Sunday, 4 January 2026

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

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