Senior Research Officer (3 roles)
| Dyddiad hysbysebu: | 23 Rhagfyr 2025 |
|---|---|
| Cyflog: | £44,241 bob blwyddyn |
| Gwybodaeth ychwanegol am y cyflog: | An annual retention allowance of £2,000 is payable after 12-months of continuous service in post. |
| Oriau: | Llawn Amser |
| Dyddiad cau: | 19 Ionawr 2026 |
| Lleoliad: | Leeds |
| Cwmni: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Math o swydd: | Parhaol |
| Cyfeirnod swydd: | 442628/2 |
Crynodeb
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
Social research and evaluation at the Department for Transport (DfT) are about applying established and innovative methods to high-profile, national policy challenges. DfT is now recruiting three talented Senior Research Officers (SRO) to deliver important research and evaluation in the following areas:
- Evaluation Centre of Excellence, leading on the delivery of a diverse portfolio of evaluations covering a range of transport modes and policy areas, and working with embedded analysts across DfT.
- Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, leading on high-profile research and evaluation to inform electric vehicle (EV) policies that will shape the future of transport policy and investment.
- Major Rail Projects, leading on the research and evaluation of major rail projects such as HS2, in the UK.
Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Read more in the Benefits section below!
Find out more about what it's like working in the Evaluation Centre of Excellence at the Department for Transport: Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers
The roles and teams
Role 1 in the Evaluation Centre of Excellence
The Evaluation Centre of Excellence works with analysts and policy teams across DfT to support the design, development, commissioning, management and quality assurance of studies to assess the real-world effectiveness, efficiency and impacts of the department’s interventions, and to feed information into policy-making, delivery and appraisal.
The team of five is led by a Grade 6 social researcher and incorporates social researchers of a mix of grades. As part of a multi-disciplinary ‘evaluation network’ of analysts across DfT, the Evaluation Centre of Excellence has close links with the Social Research and Behavioural Science teams, analysts embedded in modal teams, economists engaged with appraisal and modelling, data scientists, and the science and engineering professions.
We are looking for a talented Senior Research Officer with an interest in evaluation to join the Evaluation Centre of Excellence. The role provides an opportunity to work across DfT’s policy areas, supporting monitoring and evaluation activity on diverse topics including cycling and walking, buses, air quality, road safety, new transport technologies and innovations, strategic roads, airport capacity, search and rescue helicopters, new rail lines and stations, and reviews of regulations.
Role 2 in the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles
Climate change is one of the biggest and most pressing challenges facing governments across the world. In this role you will be at the heart of the Department’s strategy to accelerate the shift to greener transport. Transport is now the largest contributor to UK domestic greenhouse gas emissions, contributing 28% of emissions in 2022.
We are looking for an experienced and passionate Senior Research Officer to lead on high-profile research and evaluation to inform electric vehicle (EV) policies that will shape the future of transport policy and investment.
You’ll play a leading role in delivering year 2 of an exciting new representative survey of EV and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivers to track attitudes and behaviours to monitor the impact of existing programmes as well as help inform new policies. You will also lead on monitoring and evaluation activity for major projects that may include areas like the Electric Car Grant; developing the design, delivery and quality assuring outputs. You’ll help promote research and evaluation across policy teams in the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
You’ll be based in the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) Analysis Team (OAT). The OZEV Analysis Team (OAT) is a friendly, high-performing and multi-disciplinary team of around 16 analysts responsible for providing timely and robust analysis, research, evaluation and specialist advice.
Role 3 in Major Rail Projects Analysis
We are looking for a keen social researcher, who is passionate about major projects and applying existing best practice in novel contexts.
The successful candidate will join the Major Rail Projects Analysis team and will have the opportunity to help shape the biggest infrastructure projects in the UK for a generation. The team sits within the Major Rail Projects Group in DfT and provides analytical support across the range of HS2 workstreams and on major rail projects which sit within the Rail Services Group such as Northern Powerhouse Rail and East West Rail. It is a multi-disciplinary team of around 25 economists, statisticians, social researchers and modellers. The successful candidate be managed by a G7 Social Researcher.
The team’s remit spans a range of complex work programmes, giving the successful candidate the opportunity to contribute across them. However, you will primarily be tasked with managing evaluations of HS2, the Elizabeth Line and East West Rail, as well as developing and managing the teams research portfolio. The includes developing and designing new avenues for research and advising existing projects.
As a Senior Research Officer at The Department for Transport (DfT) you will:
- Develop social research and evaluation evidence by working with policy partners, analytical colleagues and external stakeholders.
- Support the design, specification, delivery and dissemination of quantitative and qualitative social research and evaluation projects to inform policy priorities.
- Manage research and evaluation projects, working with external contractors and liaising with key policy stakeholders, to deliver good quality, relevant and timely evidence to support policy making.
- Communicate and disseminate social research and evaluation evidence, developing bespoke and engaging research briefings and ensuing evidence is accurately presented and influential.
- Provide technical support and advice to policy colleagues on research methods, including advising on the relative robustness of competing sources of evidence and the interpretation of findings.
- Provide quality assurance and analytical scrutiny on social research and evaluation projects with attention to detail, ensuring these are focused on delivering insight and evidence on the questions which are most relevant to achieving DfT’s objectives.
- Help promote and embed a culture of proactive monitoring and evaluation among policy and analytical colleagues across DfT.
- There may also be opportunities to undertake analysis of datasets using relevant software such as MS Excel, R or equivalent, and/or to develop skills in this area.
- Become an active member of the Government Social Research (GSR) profession within DfT, working with Government Social Research colleagues to find opportunities for cross-cutting work and knowledge sharing.
For further information on the roles, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the roles, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert details exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
You may be asked to express a preference for your preferred role at the interview stage. We will endeavour to match successful candidates to their preferred role.
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