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York/London/Hybrid (willing to discuss flexible working from other locations, but will need to be able to attend either York or London office a minimum of two days per week)

Permanent, Full Time – 35 hours per week.

About the role

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is working to speed up and support the transition to a more equitable and just future, free from poverty, in which people and planet can flourish. Inspired by the work of our founder over a century ago, today we are an independent, social change organisation, with an endowment, working across all nations of the UK.

This new role has been created to help us achieve our mission and will entail the creation of a new stream of policy development and influencing activity around work and the labour market, particularly issues related to poverty and economic insecurity in the UK today. Your brief will be to devise policy arguments and projects which can help us advance towards a fair labour market in ways that are both ambitious and sensitive to the needs of households in the UK, particularly those on low incomes.

The post-holder will have freedom to shape the scope of work, which should draw on JRF’s capacity to blend policy, analysis, advocacy and convening – combining in-house delivery and resourcing the work of others.

In this role, you’ll have the space and resources to create, connect, convene and cultivate ideas to catalyse social change on work and the labour market. You’ll design and lead projects, expanding our expertise – and our impact – into a high-profile policy area, and be our point person on topic. By linking to JRF’s work on media, campaigns, emerging futures and social investment, you’ll find compelling ways to bring our policy & ideas to life.

About you

Candidates will bring a knowledge of policy issues related to work and labour markets and how they intersect with wider issues of social and economic disadvantage. You should have ideas about how to change the system and tangible experience of making policy and practice change at the national level. You will be able to analyse and unpick complex policy dilemmas, drawing on key literature, research evidence, leading-edge practice and everyday experience, and already be a ‘go-to’ voice for original thinking and expertise among decision-makers and opinion formers. You’ll bring curiosity, a powerful commitment to social justice, and ideally a network of relationships from the sector or adjacent sectors.

How to apply

If you share our passion and this role sounds like you, then we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Please submit your CV and supporting information via our online application platform.

The closing date for applications is 9th January 2025

Interviews will take place either in York, London or remotely the w/c 3rd February 2025.

We’re excited to be launching two new senior policy roles on housing and work in the Insight & Policy team at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. At this webinar, hiring managers Darren Baxter and Abby Jitendra will be setting out the key responsibilities of the roles and how they fit within the broader strategy of the team and wider organisation. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions about the roles and the hiring process.

We will be running a webinar to share information and answer questions about the role with potential candidates at 12pm on 18th December 2024 via Zoom - Link to register for the info session

We reserve the right to bring the closing date forward should enough quality applications be received prior to the current closing date.

Additional Information

In support of our approach to flexible working, we are happy to receive applications from those seeking full-time employment, as well as those who may want to share the role on a part-time basis. When making your application, please state whether you want to be considered for either full or part-time work and, if part-time, the number of hours per week you would be looking for.

At JRF we’re at our best when we’re continually building on trust, showing we care and making a difference – and hope others will do the same. So for those roles which allow it, we’re developing a more blended approach to how and where you work. This means you can expect to work flexibly between the office and home (with an expectation of two days a week in your home office).

Applications are welcome from all, regardless of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, race, sex, sexual orientation, trans status or socioeconomic background. We recognise that we cannot truly be an anti-poverty organisation unless we are also an anti-racist organisation, and we positively encourage applications from people with experience of living in poverty.

We are a Disability Confident Employer. This means that we are committed to the recruitment, progression and retention of disabled individuals. We shall also offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the job. If you have a disability, please tell us if you would like to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme