We are recruiting for a Researcher, IGL

About the Innovation Growth Lab

IGL is a global policy lab that supports the development of productive, inclusive and sustainable economies through the application of novel policy ideas, experimentation, data and evidence.

We work with policymakers, researchers, practitioners and funders to address key policy challenges in the fields of science, innovation, entrepreneurship and business policies.

We are a non-profit organisation run by a core team based at Nesta and the Barcelona School of Economics.

We span the boundaries of policy and research. Our IGL Partners include leading institutions that support our mission, and the IGL Research Network has over 100 researchers working on experimental research in this field.

About this role

IGL wishes to recruit a Researcher to work on projects to assess the impact of innovation and growth policies.

A key focus of this work will be evaluating the outcomes of past programmes in support of small and medium-sized businesses in the UK. This will include analysis using experimental methods (randomised controlled trials) and quasi-experimental methods (such as difference-in-difference or propensity score matching). Outcomes will be tracked primarily through the use of data on business performance held by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). No primary data collection is expected to take place under this project.

The role will also involve contributing to IGL’s wider work, including developing and supporting the implementation of policy experiments and other research projects, and developing resources to support experimental research.

The role

The Researcher will work with IGL’s Evaluation Manager and other members of the IGL team in carrying out the following tasks:

• Cleaning survey data and other programme data
• Coordinating with ONS on ingesting programme data into the Secure Research Service and matching it to the appropriate ONS datasets
• Researching best practice in experimental and quasi-experimental analysis
• Prioritising research questions and analysis tasks, and assessing the data requirements for each of them
• Preparing statistical analysis plans, describing in detail how the analysis of data from each of the three programmes will be carried out
• Carrying out the analysis (primarily working within the ONS Secure Research Service environment), documenting all steps in coding scripts
• Preparing outputs from the analysis that pass the ONS’s standards to be shared with the wider project team, and eventually to be made publicly available
• Drafting a detailed report for each of the three programmes, describing the analysis carried out, the findings and their significance
• Drafting policy briefs on the findings from the analysis
• Presenting and discussing findings with IGL research and policy partners, and potentially in more public forums
• Participating in regular meetings of the project team and of the wider IGL research team

The researcher will also be called upon to support wider team objectives beyond the primary research project. Therefore a willingness to be flexible, take on new responsibilities, and adjust to dynamic circumstances is essential.

The person

Candidates for this role should have:

• A strong understanding of experimental and quasi-experimental approaches to evaluation
• Training in quantitative analysis, probably obtained as part of a postgraduate degree programme in statistics or the social sciences
• Experience in the analysis of outcomes from experimental or quasi-experimental studies (and ideally both)
• Strong skills in data manipulation and cleaning, in particular in combining data from multiple sources
• A highly organised and structured approach to work, in particular in documenting the steps of all analytical work carried out
• Flexibility and adaptability – the nature of the work and assignments may change overtime as the research project develops and as opportunities to contribute to IGL’s wider goals are identified
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English

Candidates should be highly proficient in coding in R (preferred), Python or Stata.

If they do not already hold it, the successful candidate will be required to obtain “Accredited Researcher” status from the ONS. This involves participating in a training programme and passing a test.

What we offer

Salary: £35,000-£48,000 (offers are expected to be made towards the bottom/middle of the band depending on experience) plus array of benefits.

Location: This role is based in London, Blackfriars, or remote. We offer the flexibility to work remotely as long as the person is based in the UK and is able to travel to the office for day trips when necessary. It is possible that part of the work will need to be carried out from one of the Office for National Statistics Safe Rooms or SafePods, which are located around the UK.

Term: FTC (Fixed Term Contract until 30.04.25) with the possibility of extension.

Hours: This is a full-time role but we offer a range of flexible working arrangements and encourage our people to take advantage of them. Many do.

Making an application

To apply for this role, please submit your application before 08:00am on the 29th of April 2024.

Interviews will take place w/c 6th of May 2024.

At IGL we believe that a diverse workforce leads to an organisation that is more innovative, more creative and gets better results.

We want our workplace to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued, and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop. This means that when we are recruiting, we actively seek to reach a diverse pool of candidates. It also means that we are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that potential employees may need to in order to be successful. We are open to candidates from a range of backgrounds - do consider applying even if you do not feel that you perfectly meet every requirement on this list.