Job Specifications
Cardiff
Job Summary
We are recruiting a Higher Research Officer within the Children, Education and Lifelong Learning Team in the Research Service at the Senedd. The team comprises a team leader, two senior research officers and one higher research officer (this post). The purpose of this post is to provide impartial, independent, and expert factual briefing on all aspects of pre-16 education policy, legislation and statistics to support Senedd Members and committees. This briefing can involve secondary research and requires a critical analysis of a range of information sources. The role also involves writing and publishing articles to inform debate and scrutiny, while aiding understanding of the Senedd's wider work.
The role of a Higher Research Officer involves understanding areas of devolved policy as well as having the ability to work flexibly, leading on your own research work and supporting senior researchers on their subject areas. This post has particular responsibility for supporting the senior researcher who leads on pre-16 education but, as demand requires, will also involve work in the other subject areas covered by the team (children and early years, and post-16 education).
You will need to have a thorough understanding of current Welsh policy alongside an overview of relevant legislation and statistics in the policy area of pre-16 education. You will need to demonstrate excellent research and briefing skills. You will be expected to be flexible, work proactively with research colleagues across a range of policy areas and work across the whole Service providing support to teams where there is high demand. You'll be responding to enquiries from Senedd Members; preparing briefing for committees; creating digital content to be published via our social media channels and identifying opportunities for cross service working. You will have the opportunity to develop digital skills, including producing data visualisations and helping to create interactive content.
We work as 'one team' and have a culture of working across teams to help support each other in times of high demand. You will therefore be expected to adapt as the role evolves and to work across teams as required. You will work in an agile way to support and develop ways of working in Senedd Research, through participation in cross service improvement groups, editorial board activities and any service plan priorities where opportunities arise.
Job Description
For more information, please view the job description.
Key Tasks:
Undertaking research and analysis to produce written briefings and responses in response to requests from committees or individual Senedd Members and their staff.
Supporting Senedd committees with scrutiny of legislation, policy and financial issues, working independently as well as with the team leader and senior researchers.
Further developing and maintaining your comprehensive understanding of pre-16 education policy, and developing the skills and knowledge to assist with work across the Children, Education and Lifelong Learning Team's policy areas; using this expertise to improve services to committees, Senedd Members and information available to the wider public.
Producing engaging proactive content, including research articles, data visualisations, and supporting other researchers to deliver content that contributes to open and well-informed debate.
Supporting the publication and promotion of external content through social media.
Developing and maintaining digital skills and expertise to improve the information available to Members of the Senedd and the wider public.
Working with stakeholders to develop a network of expertise, identifying opportunities to work with academics and other knowledge mobilisers so that Members of the Senedd have access to a wide range of evidence.
Developing effective relationships with Senedd Members and their staff and working collaboratively with colleagues from different service areas across the Welsh Parliament and other UK parliaments.
Contributing to the development of Senedd Research ways of working and contributing to a one team ethos.
Key Tasks:
Undertaking research and analysis to produce written briefings and responses in response to requests from committees or individual Senedd Members and their staff.
Supporting Senedd committees with scrutiny of legislation, policy and financial issues, working independently as well as with the team leader and senior researchers.
Further developing and maintaining your comprehensive understanding of pre-16 education policy, and developing the skills and knowledge to assist with work across the Children, Education and Lifelong Learning Team's policy areas; using this expertise to improve services to committees, Senedd Members and information available to the wider public.
Producing engaging proactive content, including research articles, data visualisations, and supporting other researchers to deliver content that contributes to o