Research Fellow

About Us

The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) aims to be a global leader in improving teacher professional development through rigorous, impactful, and cutting-edge school-led research. Our research team plays a key role in this mission, as we work with our programme-delivery teams to test approaches to delivery and respond to the needs and questions of our partner organisations in the wider education sector.

As a Research Fellow at NIoT, you will have the opportunity to work with a team of dedicated professionals working in the design and delivery of teacher training and development programmes, and on cutting-edge research that has the potential to shape the future of teacher education and professional development. If you are passionate about education research and are looking for an exciting new opportunity, we encourage you to apply.

About the Role

The research team is recruiting a Research Fellow with qualitative and/or mixed-methods expertise to join our team and play a crucial role in the generation of high-quality and useful evidence on effective teacher professional development. You will work alongside the Head of Evaluation and Observational Research and a team of Research Fellows and Research Assistants to design and implement primary research in collaboration with the Programmes teams at the NIoT. The role also includes opportunities to manage primary research projects; conduct qualitative analyses; liaise with stakeholders in teacher education (e.g., academics, schools, teachers, policymakers); produce high-quality written outputs for academic audiences and policymakers; and generate and sustain research-practice dialogues with schools and teachers using generated evidence. In addition to being a specialist in designing and conducting primary qualitative and/or mixed-methods research, you will be an innovative and practice-minded researcher who strives to make cutting-edge research relevant, engaging, and useful for practitioners in teacher education.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement qualitative and/or mixed-methods research projects
• Project manage data collection in educational settings, working closely with education stakeholders and collaborators
• Conduct qualitative analyses
• Prepare high-quality written outputs, such as reports, presentations, and academic papers
• Design dissemination resources and activities for a range of audiences
• Communicate and liaise with the teams designing and delivering teacher professional development programmes at NIoT, school staff, and other education stakeholders throughout the project life cycle

Essential Criteria

• Doctoral degree in social science, education, research methods, or other relevant field
• Experience designing and conducting qualitative and/or mixed-methods research projects
• Experience managing research projects
• Experience working in or with educational settings
• Experience delivering on collaborative projects against tight timelines
• Commitment to upholding high ethical standards and best practices in educational research
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
• Excellent organisation skills and attention to detail
• Commitment to the aims of the NIoT

Desirable Criteria

• Experience teaching in English schools
• Proven interest and/or prior experience in teacher professional development
• Experience working with sociological and/or educational theoretical frameworks
• Prior record of publishing high-quality written outputs

This is an exciting opportunity for researchers looking to make a tangible and immediate impact on practice, and who wish to utilise their skills and expertise to design and conduct primary research on topics most relevant to teachers and teacher educators, and engage in dialogues with practitioners based on new and cutting-edge evidence. This is an opportunity to grow your skills as an independent and innovative researcher.

Working with the National Institute of Teaching

Key Benefits:

• Flexible start and end working times (core hours between 10am and 4pm);
• Flexible working opportunities in line with line management need;
• 27 days’ holiday a year (plus 8 bank holidays)
• Membership to a Local Government Pension Scheme

Diversity & Inclusion :

The National Institute of Teaching is committed to creating a diverse environment and ensuring that all qualified applicants receive equal consideration for employment. We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment practices and are open to job shares, secondments, part-time, and flexible working schedules.

We think a wide range of different work and educational experiences could support you to be successful in this role. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. 

Further Information:

Contract: This post is available at 0.8 FTE, although there may be opportunities to consider 1.0 (FT) or 0.6 FTE. The post will be offered on an indefinite contract.

Start Date: ASAP, Negotiable

All National Institute of Teaching staff are subject to a check by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The level of check which will apply shall be an “Enhanced” level check. This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearance.   

We regret that we are currently unable to sponsor visas.