Senior Research Associate

Job description

ABOUT MORE IN COMMON LOCATION: London (Monday-Thursday in the office, Friday remote) CONTRACT: Full-time SALARY: £36,000-£46,000 START DATE: As soon as possible More in Common is a research agency working across the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain and Poland to tackle polarisation and division. More in Common leads and supports initiatives to build more united, inclusive, and resilient societies. Our mission is to understand the forces driving us apart, help societies find common ground and bring people together to tackle shared challenges. In the UK, our work is best described as being part consultancy and part think tank. We provide a full suite of research services including polling and focus group research; evidence reviews and secondary data analysis; audience mapping and audience strategy; strategic communications strategy and campaign development. More in Common are members of the British Polling Council. Our work is informed by our ground-breaking segmentation of the British public. This unique values-based lens to our quantitative and qualitative research means we can understand not only what the public thinks of the big challenges facing British society today – but crucially why they think it. Our insights help leaders in government, the media, business, and civil society to develop better strategies and communications – particularly in reaching disengaged communities far from the Westminster/London bubble – and to better navigate tricky and divisive issues. Over the last year, More in Common has published agenda-setting thought leadership on a whole range of debates facing British society – including exploring the public’s starting points on assisted dying and immigration; understanding how the British public is navigating major debates from trans and gender identity to the conflict in Israel and Palestine; and our political research has helped policymakers and politicians understand the dramatic fragmentation of our politics. Our work is regularly covered in the British press and media and we’ve developed a series of partnerships with broadcasters and newspapers to deliver top-quality research insights. In the 2024 General Election, we were among Britain’s most accurate pollsters and used our focus group research to put people and public opinion at the centre of coverage of the election campaign. Through our consultancy, More in Common has also supported dozens of partners with insights and strategic communications support. We’ve helped national institutions such as the BBC, British Library and National Trust to better understand their audiences, we’ve helped partners in government and civil society with the set-up and delivery of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and we’ve supported a range of partners to test their policy proposals from the National Farmers Union to Rethink Mental Illness among many others. More in Common has a range of exciting projects in the pipeline, including: Understanding the key dynamics of public attitudes to climate change and the energy transition. Exploring public opinion on immigration, integration and multiculturalism. Embedding our new Seven Segments with a wider range of organisations, including developing new products and trainings to help people understand the segments. Helping navigate declining trust in institutions, for example exploring why trust in universities and science appears to be falling. ABOUT THIS ROLE More in Common is seeking a Senior Research Associate to deliver high-quality research projects. They will work across our core areas of research for clients, media and communications, political polling and partnerships. More in Common UK is a small team with a start-up culture where everyone is expected to execute a range of responsibilities. The role will be based in our London office Monday-Thursday with Friday at the office or working at home. Research Deliver public opinion research projects using quantitative and qualitative methods Regularly conduct polling and focus groups for clients Provide excellent client management and ensure all outputs for clients are high-quality Craft research findings into clear, compelling reports and decks that provide actionable insights for clients Contribute to the development of More in Common's research agenda, identifying gaps and opportunities for new projects Cultivate and secure exciting new research projects for More in Common by building relationships with and reaching out proactively to potential partners Comms and External Engagement Represent More in Common in external settings including media appearances, roundtables, events and conferences Communicate research findings to diverse audiences including policymakers, civil society, and the media Build and maintain relationships with research partners, academic institutions, and partner organisations Supervision Support the development of research associates and assistants, providing day-to-day guidance, feedback, and structured professional development Support a hard-working, intellectually-curious and fun team culture, modelling More in Common's values internally and externally QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE We look for great people before we look for specific qualifications and experience - so we are open to applications from candidates with great potential but limited experience. For this role, some experience in professional research or political setting is a plus. This might be in a research agency, think tank, comms or PR firm or other policy, public opinion or political organisation. The role is less suitable for someone whose primary experience is academia. The key elements we’re looking for are: Some professional experience in a research, polling, policy or political context Excellent writing skills and some experience in producing a range of high-quality written outputs (such as reports, op-eds or briefings) for a variety of audiences Some experience interpreting quantitative and qualitative data and producing outputs that tell a compelling story from this data. A strong understanding of the UK political system and a keen interest in current affairs and public policy The aptitude and desire to work in a fast-paced environment, delivering high-quality outputs for clients Curiosity for understanding and engaging people, and a desire to use data to tell insightful stories about Britain today We understand that not everyone with the skillset for this role will have all of the above – that is fine. We are most interested in your intellect, aptitude and experience to date, and your willingness to throw yourself into tackling some of the biggest issues in understanding the forces driving British society apart. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION We will have a better chance of uniting divided societies if our team reflects a broad range of social and cultural backgrounds, beliefs, political opinions, and life experiences. We particularly encourage applications from underrepresented and minority communities More in Common wants to meet the aims and commitments set out in our equality policy. This includes not discriminating under the Equality Act 2010. We will include a set of questions related to this in our email acknowledging your application for this role - this will help us understand the diversity of our job applicants. Answering these questions are completely voluntary and anonymous. The information provided will be kept confidential and will not be linked to your application. The information is going to be used to help us understand the diversity of our organisation. DEADLINES AND HOW TO APPLY The application deadline is Sunday 20 September 23:59 . Applications should include a CV and a short cover letter (max. two pages). In the covering letter, please write up to 300 words on something that surprises you about public opinion in the UK today, why it surprises, and how you’d like to investigate it further. You must include this in your application for it to be considered. Please apply following the link below. Indicative Timeline (please note these dates remain subject to change) Initial conversation with a hiring manager: w/c 21 September Interviews: late September – early October We expect to make an offer to the successful candidate by mid October if not before.