Contract: Permanent
Salary: £39,434 – £46,109 per annum
Closing Date: 20th May 2025
Interviews will be held w/c 26th May
Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, is looking for Policy and Research Manager to join our Policy and Research team based in London.
About us
We help vulnerable young people by giving them the practical and emotional support they need to find a job and live independently. Centrepoint provides homeless young people with accommodation, health support and life skills in order to get them back into education, training and employment. We want to end youth homelessness by 2037.
Together with our partners, we support over 16,000 young people each year.
The Policy and Research team work to influence policy to further our mission to end youth homelessness. To do this, they conduct research to build up evidence needed to push for change, build links with key policymakers at both national and local level, and engage the public in campaigns to amplify our policy messages.
Centrepoint operates a hybrid working model. The current requirement is a minimum of two days in the office per week, with the remaining days worked remotely. From 1 July 2025, this will increase to a minimum of 50% of your working week. For most full-time colleagues, this means attending the office for five days over a two-week period (e.g., two days one week and three days the next). For colleagues on different contracts (including part-time or compressed contracts) this will be adjusted accordingly.
About you
- Effective communicator with natural ability to facilitate open and honest conversations.
- Able decision maker with a can do attitude.
- Respectful and empathetic, always considering the impact on our young people.
- Flexible, always adapting to changing needs.
- Engaging, committed to self-development by engaging with training and continuous learning.
- Proactive, always looking for creative ways of working.
What you’ll be doing
- Developing and managing a coherent and coordinated policy and research programme that supports Centrepoint to end youth homelessness by 2037
- Ensuring Centrepoint’s research outputs are robust, and evidence is communicated effectively to a range of audiences.
- Developing relationships with key stakeholders, representing the charity at a senior level in the policy environment and acting as a spokesperson including with the media.
- Influencing government policy across a wide range of issues affecting homeless young people. This includes leading on the identification and development of policy positions and influencing plans.
- Working collaboratively with others across the organisation, including fundraising and frontline services.
- Preparing and managing Team budgets.
What we’d be looking for from you…
- Proven experience in leading the production of policy and research outputs to bring about tangible policy and practice change.
- Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- A strong track record of building links with key influencers from a wide range of organisations, leading to tangible policy and practice change.
- Exceptional communication skills and interpersonal skills with a clear ability to influence a range of audiences verbally and in writing.
- Excellent understanding of the UK political and policy environment, including a strong understanding of relevant policy and research areas such as homelessness, housing, welfare, children’s social care or the youth justice system.
- Experience of managing staff and volunteers.
- Experience of operating at a senior level within an organisation.
Why join Centrepoint?
In return for your efforts you’ll receive a competitive salary, excellent training and development, and a host of staff benefits including:
- 25 days of annual leave per year, rising by one day per year to a maximum of 27 days
- Healthcare cash plan (Cover the costs of a wide range of medical treatment including Dental, Optical, Complementary and Alternative therapies).
- Private Medical insurance
- Income protection
- Employer pension contributions of 5%
- Access to Cycle 2 Work loan scheme
- An interest-free travel loan
At Centrepoint we challenge the discrimination within society that contributes to youth homelessness, and we are just as committed to fairness and equality within Centrepoint itself. We are passionate about ensuring all of our colleagues are made to feel included in the work we do and that we value the rich diversity within the organization.
We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications regardless of sex, gender, race, age, belief in any religion and none, gender identity, ethnic origin, class, sexuality, nationality, appearance, unrelated criminal activities, disability, responsibility for dependents, part time or shift workers, being HIV positive or living with AIDS, lived experience of homelessness or using young people’s services and any other matter which causes a person to be treated with injustice.
Centrepoint’s policy is to recruit, employ and promote people on the basis of their suitability for the work to be performed, and to this end, our aim is to ensure that all applicants, employees and volunteers receive equal treatment.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to join our team as a Policy and Research Manager click ‘Apply’ now!
