Research Officer

Research Officer

The Centre for Justice Innovation is looking to recruit a pragmatic and thoughtful Research Officer to help us advocate for evidence-based reform to criminal and family justice policy and practice in the UK.

Terms: Full time (35 hours per week), permanent, 27 days annual leave (rising to 30 days after 2 years service). Job share arrangements may be considered.

Pay: Starting salary of £35,000

Other benefits: Matched Pension Contributions, Employee Healthcare Scheme, Flexible Hours, Employee Rewards and Discounts Platform, Volunteering Days, Monthly Lunch & Learns, Personal L&D Budget

Location: Edinburgh House, 170 Kennington Lane, London, SE11 5DP (hybrid working available)

Reporting to: Head of Data and Evidence

Application deadline: 09:00am on 13th March 2026

Interviews: Week commencing 23rd March 2026, in person at our offices in Kennington, SE11 5DP

Expected start date: As soon as possible

What will you be doing?

Our Research Officer will play a key pivotal in strengthening the evidence base for innovation across the UK s justice systems. The role will have a particular focus on improving outcomes for women in the criminal justice system and for families in the family justice system, including through our work overseeing FDAC.

Undertaking qualitative and mixed methods research, you will draw out the voices of people with lived experience and frontline practitioners on issues like:

• Improving the treatment of women in the criminal justice system
• Joined up responses to domestic abuse
• Making sure that children and families involved in the family justice system have the right support.

Your duties will include:

• Undertaking qualitative and mixed-methods research projects
• Working with other team members to design research methodologies
• Carrying out fieldwork with people with lived experience, practitioners and other informants
• Drafting research reports and other research outputs
• Presenting your findings at events
• Working alongside our practice team to produce accessible evidence summaries for practitioners
• Working with our policy team to frame research findings to create policy change

Every member of our team plays a part in influencing how the Centre develops. Roles and objectives may shift, and we ask everyone to work with creativity and flexibility in response to changing business needs.

Skills, Experience and Knowledge

Through your application, you should demonstrate the experience, skills and knowledge you have in the areas described below.

Experience

• Professional experience of undertaking qualitative or mixed-methods research projects
• Experience of undertaking research with participants facing additional barriers or vulnerabilities
• Experience of drafting high quality research reports or other outputs

Skills and knowledge

• Knowledge of research methodologies
• Excellent writing skills and good spoken English
• The ability to summarise research findings clearly for a non-specialist audience
• Demonstrable interest in and understanding of social policy issues
• A pragmatic approach to solving social problems and identifying practical solutions
• The ability to balance multiple priorities and managing your own workload to meet deadlines

You will also need to have:

• A willingness and ability to travel within the UK and occasionally overseas
• Eligibility to work in the UK legally

Application Guidance

All application questions should be answered in your own words without AI assistance. We're looking to understand your individual experience, thinking, and communication style. Please note that applications are screened with AI detection software

The deadline for applications is 9am on Friday 13th March 2026. Interviews will be held at our office in Kennington in the week commencing 23rd March 2026.

Equal opportunities

It is the policy of The Centre for Justice Innovation to treat all employees and job applicants fairly and equally, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, disability, offending history or trade union membership status.

We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences, fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued and can thrive.

The Centre is committed to fair recruitment and the inclusion of applicants with criminal records. It is essential that people do not face unfair discrimination in any role within the charity, whether paid or voluntary. For that reason, we do not use criminal records to exclude people. We only ask about criminal records if they are relevant to the role.