Research & Programme Associate
We are looking to grow our small Footwork team with the appointment of a full-time Research & Programme Associate. This is an opportunity to work alongside the enterprising local social innovators the charity supports, to evidence and describe our impact and to play a role in Footwork’s own evolution.
Terms
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Title: Research & Programme Associate
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Hours: Full time, 9.00am – 6.00pm (including 1-hour lunch break). Some home working can be accommodated, in agreement with the team
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Salary: £28-35k per year, depending on experience
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Location: Footwork’s office, Clerkenwell, London
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Reporting to: CEO
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Benefits: 25 days annual leave excluding bank holidays
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Pension: We provide a NEST pension with employer contributions, and the employee’s right to opt out
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Application dates
Applications close at midnight on Monday 28th August 2023, with interviews in August and early September. Applicants will be notified by 8th September
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Role start date
From September, by agreement
Introduction to Footwork
Our role as a charity is to provide funding and support to people who have the ideas and the drive to help their local communities to thrive. Through our programme People & Place, we give these ‘local social innovators’ practical help to overcome the barriers that stand in their way and to make useful connections in their community and with decision makers.
We learn a great deal from the valuable local knowledge and experience of the people we work alongside and support. Individually their bold ideas demonstrate how resilient places are best created, while together they provide powerful evidence that - when properly supported - local innovation is very effective in changing places for the better.
Armed with this strong evidence of community-led placemaking, we at Footwork then share it with local and national partners, so that together we can create fairer, more collaborative ways of working.
Overview of the role
We are looking to grow our small Footwork team with the appointment of a full-time Research & Programme Associate. This is an opportunity to work alongside the enterprising local social innovators the charity supports, to evidence and describe our impact and to play a role in Footwork’s own evolution.
You will be supporting the delivery of Footwork’s programmes, principally People & Place, and leading the process of learning from them. This will include developing and applying innovative methods of evaluation in order to demonstrate and communicate the value and impact of what we do.
With your help, we are seeking a better understanding of how to identify and support locally-led innovation, while also gathering data - from the network as a whole - about successful community placemaking.
What you’ll be doing in a little more detail
This is no ordinary desktop-research job! Here are some of the main responsibilities:
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Learning & evaluating the impact that our programme of support (called People & Place) has on our cohort of innovators and creating accessible and relational ways of doing this
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Interpreting this learning as helpful and well-expressed materials, both for Footwork - to share with our innovators and into the design of future programmes - and for the wider sector (for example, writing research publications and newsletters at key moments)
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Identifying and expressing key themes in community placemaking as they emerge from the innovative projects Footwork supports; and applying these themes in order to address broader challenges in the way places are changed and developed
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Building partnerships across research, academia, the built environment and social sectors to share knowledge and collaborate
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Creating innovative methods of research and evaluation tools
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Providing support to our local social innovators (for example, planning and organising support, events, resources)
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Like any early-stage organisation we all chip in to help other team members when necessary, such as; support with administrative duties, monitoring and managing our comms channels, and representing the organisation at external events
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We are keen for a wide range of individuals to apply for this role in terms of professional experience or background and are happy to consider those without direct work experience of every element of the responsibilities outlined above. This particularly applies if you can demonstrate equivalent experience – we are looking for potential and the willingness to learn.
All About You
Essential competencies:
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We are looking for someone who is inspired by our work at Footwork and has the potential, as our Research & Programme Associate, to become a key member of our small and ambitious team. You will need to be able to hit the ground running. These personal competencies will be an advantage:
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Empathetic: comfortable working with and relating to a wide range of people
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Resilient: able to handle unexpected and sometimes challenging situations
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Analytical: familiar with gathering and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data in accessible ways
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Self-motivated: shows initiative in ideas and decision-making
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Collaborative: a team player who is happy in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial work environment
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Experience:
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Applicants are encouraged to draw on experience they may have gained in voluntary work or in their own projects. There is, however, specific types of experience we are looking for:
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2-5 years’ relevant experience that brings direct or transferable skills, for example (but not limited to) social and community projects, innovation, placemaking, research
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Experience in managing priorities, working to deadlines and coping well with pressure
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Experience in writing to a good level and demonstrating an ability to translate data into a range of clear and accessible communications
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Fluency in spoken and written English
Application Process
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Applications close at midnight on Monday 28th August 2023, with interviews in August and early September. Applicants will be notified by 4th September.
Please contact us at jobs@footwork.org.uk with your CV and a cover letter explaining your interest in the role and what makes you suitable. Please also supply 2 referees (name, org, contact). We will be in touch shortly after receipt of this information to arrange an interview (this will be in-person at Footwork’s office in Central London) or to notify you that you’ve been unsuccessful.
Receipt of applications will be acknowledged.
Diversity & Inclusion
We seek proactively to share our employment and volunteer opportunities with individuals, organisations and networks that share our commitment to build a culturally diverse workforce. We positively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and consider candidates who are suitably qualified and eligible regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.
Any queries?
Thank you for your interest in the Research & Programme Associate role at Footwork Trust.
If you have any queries, or questions about this opportunity please contact Naomi Rubbra, Footwork’s CEO at naomi@footwork.org.uk to arrange an informal conversation.