This vacancy has now closed

Systems Thinking Researcher

  • Full time or Part time
  • £37,000 – £44,500
  • Working remotely from home in England, Scotland or Wales, occasionally co-working spaces, with occasional travel.
  • Closing 15th January 2023


  • Advertised from 14th December 2022
  • Start date: As soon as possible in New Year (Feb/March 2023). Salary: Depending on experience and qualifications £37k-£44.5k pro-rata. Hours of work: Flexible: Full time (35 hours per week), or 4 days per week (28 hours) will be considered. Contract type: Permanent.
  • 30 days Annual holiday (pro rata), Pension Scheme. Access to co-working budget. Health and Well-being Allowance.

Role

Do you feel passionately about improving the life chances of children, young people and families? Are you excited to apply systems thinking methods and approaches in the design, refinement and evaluation of services and complex place-based initiatives?

Dartington Service Design Lab is an internationally respected social research and design charity focussed on using evidence to help those working with children and young people have a greater impact. We have nearly 60 years of experience working across the public and voluntary sectors to improve the lives of children and young people.

We are looking for a candidate with a broad interest in employing a range of systems thinking approaches in our research and design work, with experience in at least some of the following: systems and stakeholder mapping; system dynamics; participatory group model building; systemic design; and evaluation of complex interventions. These skills will be applied to a range of scoping/mapping projects, service design and improvement projects, and complex system-change initiatives. It is desirable for the candidate to have specific skills and experience in relation to system dynamics.

If we’re going to design impactful supports for children and families we need to ensure our team is inclusive. Dartington encourages applications from all backgrounds and strives to have a team with diverse skills, experiences and abilities. We are committed to progressing an anti-racist approach in all areas of our work.

The successful candidate may be based in England, Scotland or Wales and will enjoy a varied and independent role - working with great colleagues and partners on multiple projects.

The work is rarely routine. We are often experimenting and trying to innovate with those who we work with. We value empathy and collaboration and a focus on using evidence for social good. The successful candidate will have at least three years’ experience of outstanding project lead and delivery within the research or social sector. Key responsibilities are included in the job description document.

As a team, we operate remotely across Great Britain with regular project-related travel when it is safe to do so. Our staff tend to work from home or when appropriate, together in local co-working spaces, and normally, every quarter we meet as a whole team in our beautiful Devon office.

The post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate and pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.

Application notes

For further information and to apply, please visit: dartington.org.uk/vacancies

Application timetable:

Sunday 15th January 2023 at 23.59 - Close

w/c 16th January 2023 - Shortlisting

w/c 30th January 2023 - Interviews

w/c 6th February 2023 - Final decision