Senior Research Officer; Housing and Local Government

Welsh Parliament

Cardiff, UK

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in less than 3 weeks

Policy

Full time

£49,026 - £58,756 per year

Job summary

We are recruiting a Senior Research Officer to work on housing and local government policy within the Economy, Communities and Local Government team in Senedd Research. Senedd Research is a fast-paced environment which provides opportunities work on subject areas with a high political and policy profile. You will provide independent, impartial parliamentary research to all Members of the Senedd to support their scrutiny, legislative and constituency work. This includes preparing briefings for Members and political parties, supporting Senedd committees, and producing digital content such as research articles, explainers, and analysis for Members and the public.

You will need significant, relevant housing and/or local government policy knowledge, as well as the ability to provide advice and briefings on policy and legislation across the breadth of these subject areas.

Whilst the post is located within the Economy, Communities and Local Government team, Senedd Research works as ‘one team’ and you will be expected to be flexible, work across and outside the team and work proactively with research colleagues across a range of policy subjects. We have a culture of working across teams to help support each other in times of high demand. You will work in an agile way to support the Service through participation in cross service groups, editorial board activities and any service plan priorities. You will be expected to adapt as the role evolves and may also be expected to move between teams as required.

The role provides opportunities for external engagement and collaborative working with other legislatures, institutions and stakeholders both in the UK and internationally.

Job description

This post is at a senior level, and like all senior researchers you will be expected to take responsibility for providing impartial, independent and expert advice and briefing to support Members, their staff and the Senedd Commission. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate sound judgement and have good political awareness.

This new role will strengthen the team’s capacity across housing and local government policy, will work closely with two senior researchers who currently lead on these respective areas.

You will also support the team leader in the delivery of high-quality, timely and accurate research support in all aspects of the team’s activity. While the role does not have any line management responsibilities at present, this may change and you will be expected to manage PhD student internships as required.

We are looking for someone who has excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills; works proactively and is able to plan and organise their own workload; is a strong networker and communicator, able to liaise with internal and external colleagues to build effective relationships.

You will also develop and apply digital skills, including data visualisation of statistics, mapping analysis, and production of accessible digital explainers.

Key tasks:

Taking individual responsibility for providing timely, high-quality, impartial advice and analysis on housing and local government policy.
Providing clear, confident and effective research support and advice to Senedd committees and their Chairs, in relation to the scrutiny of both policy and legislation.
Building strong relationships with Members, support staff, academics, and stakeholders.
Producing proactive content, including briefings, blog articles, data visualisation and research papers on housing and local government issues to support open and well-informed public debate.
Developing a network of external expertise, ensuring Members of the Senedd have access to a wide range of evidence.
Contributing to Senedd Research’s “one team” ethos and supporting wider service development.

Similar to all posts in Senedd Research, you are likely to have to cover subject areas outside your immediate field of expertise in response to the information priorities of our customers and to work flexibly as necessary.

Person specification

Job Specific criteria:

Communication skills: You will communicate complex housing and/or local government issues clearly, impartially and accessibly for political and public audiences, both in writing and in person.
Research skills: You will have excellent research skills. These include the ability to critically analyse legislation, policy, statistical data, evaluations and academic literature, synthesising a wide range of sources free from bias.
Sound judgement You will demonstrate sound judgement when advising on politically sensitive or contentious issues,.
Subject knowledge: Extensive knowledge and understanding of housing and/or local government policy and legislation in the Welsh and UK context..

Desirable criteria:

The following qualities are not essential for this particular post but have been deemed as desirable. These will only be taken into account in the event of two (or more) candidates acquiring the same score at either application or interview stage.

Digital skills: Experience with datasets, social media content development, digital storytelling, or data visualisation.
An understanding of devolution: You will have a knowledge and understanding of devolution in the UK and working within a devolved context.

Welsh language criteria:

The language skills for this post have been assessed Courtesy Level Welsh.

Candidates should have the ability to:

pronounce Welsh names, answer the phone and respond to simple greetings;
understand very simple phrases and greetings;
read very short and simple phrases, or able to interpret content using the technology available; and
write very simple phrases and greetings

If the successful candidate does not possess these skills, they will be expected to commit to learn them during an agreed period. For further information on the Welsh language levels, please visit our website.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £49,026, Welsh Parliament contributes £14,202 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Learning and development tailored to your role
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Closing Date for applications:

23:59 19 April 2026

Your application must be submitted before midnight on the closing date.

You will be updated on your progress via the email address you first register with. Please check your Junk Mail and Spam folders to make sure you don’t miss any future correspondence.

Candidates that are successful at sift will be invited to a virtual written assessment to be conducted on:

05 May 2026

Only the successful candidates at the assessment stage will be invited to interview.

Interviews will then be held in-person only in Tŷ Hywel, Cardiff Bay on:

05 June 2026

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : Ben Stokes
Email : ben.stokes@senedd.wales
Telephone : 0300 200 6294

Salary range

£49,026 - £58,756 per year