Acas Research and Evaluation Vacancy

Research Officer: Fixed term post,12 months

Information for Applicants

RESEARCH & EVALUATION SECTION,

ACAS HEAD OFFICE, LONDON

BACKGROUND

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Acas, is an independent body, funded by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), and established formally by statute in 1976.

Acas aims to improve organisations and working life through better employment relationships. Acas provides a range of services and is particularly well known for its role in providing a dispute resolution service both in collective and individual disputes. It has a statutory duty to promote the resolution of actual claims to the Employment Tribunal to avoid recourse to a full tribunal hearing. The services provided by Acas are independent, impartial and confidential.

Acas plays a key role in both helping to prevent, and resolve problems at the workplace. Acas are perhaps best known helping to resolve headline disputes but also do a lot of work which could be described as prevention rather than cure. Acas provide an impartial help and advice service, running workshops, open access and workplace training, seminars and in-depth advisory projects. Acas offer information on good practice and facilitate dialogue within workplaces as well as help set up structures and systems to improve communication. This wide ranging remit gives Acas a uniquely broad perspective on employment today.

A vacancy has arisen in the Acas Research and Evaluation Section (RES): The role will provide the opportunity for the successful candidates to be making a significant contribution to Acas research used in wider employment relations policy and academic debate by working closely with Acas Strategy Unit on several interesting pieces of policy research.

Acas employs around 850 people with a devolved structure with offices in 11 areas grouped into four Acas regions across England, Scotland and Wales. The Head Office for Acas is based in Euston, London[1] and houses a wide range of corporate support functions and policy makers including RES.

Acas’ main service areas are as follows:

-Advice – telephone helpline

-Business solutions – workplace projects

-Collective mediation and arbitration.

-Conciliation in collective disputes

-Conciliation in employment tribunal claims

-Information – online and printed

-International services

-Mediation in individual disputes

-Services for small businesses

-Training – both in workplaces, and open events

Acas Research and Evaluation

The Research and Evaluation Section is located within Acas’ Strategy Directorate, comprising 6 members at present from either the Government Social Research Service, Government Statistical Service or Government Operational Research Service, and headed by the Head of Research and Evaluation. Its functions are three-fold: to conduct evaluations, research and data analysis exercises relating to policy and delivery of Acas services; to conduct research of relevance to the wider employment relations policy and academic debate; and to help Acas colleagues use research and data analysis tools and outputs in their work.

Further detail of the programme can be found on our website:

FIXED TERM (12 MONTHS) G9

Job description and knowledge and skills specification

The post holder should have experience in applied social research; and be well versed in research methodologies and the dissemination of research findings to non-research colleagues. As a member of the Research Team the post holder will both commission and project manage research projects, and initiate and undertake quantitative and qualitative research work including research design, fieldwork management, data collection, data analysis and report writing ranging from case studies, data and survey analysis, policy evaluation and reviews. If the successful applicant is from GORS or GSS rather than from a predominantly social research background then they would have opportunities for further data analysis and would be expected to work on quantitative research rather than qualitative research.

As a member of the Research and Evaluation Section the post holder will commission and project manage data gathering and analysis exercises, as well as initiate and undertake their own data analysis. Research Officers in Acas can expect to have a high level of responsibility and autonomy, as Acas is a small team, and therefore researchers are likely to be managing some small projects, albeit with sign off on contracts, research instruments, reports and other key decisions from a Senior Research Officer/ the Principal Research Officer.

The main tasks will include:

  • Contributing to the to the rolling programme of evaluation research, including leading or co-leading on current or upcoming evaluations of: Acas Good Practice Services (including Acas’ rolling evaluation of Open Access training and Workplace Training provision and Acas’ digital training services); user experience/ testing of Acas advisory services, and mediation provision.
  • Evaluation of Communications activities using analysis of internally held data; evaluation of Acas guidance activities using management information; and contributing to assessing the economic impact of Acas.
  • Responding to ad hoc and strategic research or data questions and demands for information and evidence from policy and operational teams to help Acas deliver its services, as well as identifying gaps in existing knowledge and promoting new and interesting areas for development;
  • Utilising management information in Acas in order to inform senior management about performance and service effectiveness;
  • Providing advice on survey, statistical and other methods to Acas operational staff undertaking projects at a local level;
  • Carrying out secondary statistical analyses of existing datasets, for instance Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS) and Civil Service People Survey (CSPS) data;
  • Conducting small and medium-scale online surveys in-house using specialist CAWI software;
  • Commissioning or producing case studies of Acas services using in-depth interviewing.
  • Providing general support to ensure the smooth working of the Research and Evaluation Section

Further, the post holder will have opportunities to be involved in:

  • All aspects of research commissioning from developing proposals, to commissioning agencies and managing contractors for evaluation work and various aspects of employment relations and labour market policy;
  • Writing and presenting research findings within Acas to senior management and regional colleagues; and to relevant external audiences;
  • Helping to plan dissemination activities;

Person specification

Essential requirements are:

  • A good first degree in a relevant discipline or a relevant post graduate qualification
  • A sound understanding of the use of research methodologies including quantitative and qualitative methods and survey design and analysis.
  • Good oral and written communication skills including experience of preparing written work and giving presentations, with an ability to express complex ideas in terms that non-specialists can understand.
  • Good planning, organisation and interpersonal skills, including experience of working cooperatively as a member of a team, as well as working autonomously.
  • Flexibility. As part of a small research team the post-holder will need to be prepared to contribute to the Acas research and evaluation programme and the Acas Strategy Unit as appropriate given skills and experience.

Desirable requirements are:

  • Familiarity with Excel and SPSS is very desirable, and experience of using MS Access, STATA, SNAP or similar packages is desirable;
  • An understanding of and interest in employment relations in Great Britain and Acas’ role within this

Civil Service and GCN Competencies Framework

The competencies required for this post are as follows - all at Level 3

(HEO & SEO or equiv)

Changing and Improving

People who are effective in this area are responsive, innovative and seek out opportunities to create effective change. For all staff, it’s about being open to change, suggesting ideas for improvements to the way things are done, and working in smarter, more focused ways.

Effective Behaviour People who are effective are likely to… / Ineffective Behaviour People who are less effective are likely to…
Find ways to improve systems and structures to deliver with more streamlined resources / Retain resource intensive systems and structures that are considered too difficult to change
Regularly review procedures or systems with teams to identify improvements and simplify processes and decision making / Repeat mistakes and overlook lessons learned from changes that have been less effective in the past
Be prepared to take managed risks, ensuring these are planned and their impact assessed / Have ideas that are unfocused and have little connection to the realities of the business or customer needs
Actively encourage ideas from a wide range of sources and stakeholders and use these to inform own thinking / Not listen to suggested changes and not give reasons as to why the suggestion is not feasible
Be willing to meet the challenges of difficult or complex changes, encouraging and supporting others to do the same / Resist changing own approach in response to the new demands - adopting a position of “always done things like this”
Prepare for and respond appropriately to the range of possible effects that change may have on own role/team / Take little responsibility for suggesting or progressing changes due to perceived lack of control of processes

Leading and Communicating

At all levels, effectiveness in this area is about leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. It’s about supporting principles of fairness of opportunity for all and a dedication to a diverse range of citizens.

Effective Behaviour People who are effective are likely to… / Ineffective Behaviour People who are less effective are likely to…
Take opportunities to regularly communicate and interact with staff, helping to clarify goals and activities and the links between these and Departmental strategy / Be rarely available to staff and others, communicate infrequently
Recognise, respect and reward the contribution and achievements of others / Take the credit for others’ achievements
Communicate in a succinct, engaging manner and stand ground when needed / Give in readily when challenged
Communicate using appropriate styles, methods and timing, including digital channels, to maximise understanding and impact / Communicate in a set way with little variation, without tailoring messages, style and timing to the needs of the target audience
Promote the work of the Department and play an active part in supporting the Civil Service values and culture / Be ignorant of and/or dismissive of broader organisational values and goals, such as equality and diversity
Convey enthusiasm and energy about their work and encourage others to do the same / Communicate information without consideration for the audience or with limited/low levels of enthusiasm and effort

Collaborating and Partnering

People skilled in this area create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the Civil Service to help get business done. At all levels, it requires working collaboratively, sharing information and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions.

Effective Behaviour People who are effective are likely to… / Ineffective Behaviour People who are less effective are likely to…
Establish relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of business outcomes / Devote little or no time to networking or engaging with immediate stakeholders, preferring to work in isolation
Invest time to generate a common focus and genuine team spirit / Demonstrate limited capability to get the best from people and create barriers or negative feelings between and within teams
Actively seek input from a diverse range of people / Display little appreciation of the value of different contributions and perspectives
Readily share resources to support higher priority work, showing pragmatism and support for the shared goals of the organisation / Create reasons why resources and support cannot be shared
Deal with conflict in a prompt, calm and constructive manner / Show a lack of concern for others’ perspectives
Encourage collaborative team working within own team and across the Department / Support individual or silo ways of working

Delivering at Pace

Effectiveness in this area means focusing on delivering timely performance with energy and taking responsibility and accountability for quality outcomes. For all staff, it’s about working to agreed goals and activities and dealing with challenges in a responsive and constructive way. At senior levels, it is about building a performance culture to deliver outcomes with a firm focus on prioritisation and addressing performance issues resolutely, fairly and promptly. It is also about leaders providing the focus and energy to drive activities forward through others and encourage staff to perform effectively during challenging and changing times.

Effective Behaviour People who are effective are likely to… / Ineffective Behaviour People who are less effective are likely to…
Successfully manage, support and stretch self and team to deliver agreed goals and objectives / Give people work to do without supporting them to develop the skills and knowledge they need for the job
Show a positive approach in keeping their own and the team’s efforts focused on the goals that really matter / Allow work flow to lose momentum or drift away from priorities
Take responsibility for delivering expected outcomes on time and to standard, giving credit to teams and individuals as appropriate / Give little or no support to others in managing poor performance, allow others’ problems and obstacles to hamper progress
Plan ahead but reassess workloads and priorities if situations change or people are facing conflicting demands / Show no consideration for diversity-related needs of the team when organising the workload
Regularly monitor own and team’s work against milestones or targets and act promptly to keep work on track and maintain performance / Allow poor performance to go unchallenged, causing workload issues for other team members
Coach and support others to set and achieve challenging goals for themselves / Allow organisational and other obstacles, including a lack of support, to stand in the way of own and others’ aspirations

Analysis and interpretation (a Government Social Research competency)

  • Makes use of different sources of information and carries out basic analysis of key data sets by producing frequencies and cross tabulations; interprets the key findings from this
  • Uses computer software in the analysis and presentation of information
  • Working knowledge of relevant data analysis packages, particularly SPSS and EXCEL, and qualitative packages. Packages to be determined by the particular role and job content
  • Accurately interprets data (verbal and numerical) and research papers, for example, makes an accurate interpretation of the key findings from a literature search
  • Summarises verbally and numerically expressed research information accurately.

See link for further information:-

Opportunities offered:

The post will provide the successful candidate with development opportunities including the opportunity to:

  • Be given a lot of autonomy and responsibility as part of a small research team working at the centre of the Strategy Directorate of Acas and in close liaison with senior colleagues engaged in service delivery.
  • Learn from and share skills and experience with other Government analysts, as well as Strategy, Communications and Delivery colleagues.
  • The potential to have a significant impact on Acas services, and especially on the direction of operational reporting in Acas through a creative use of existing skills and experience
  • Develop and broaden their research, data analysis and project management skills.
  • Gain experience of cross team working, working in close collaboration with other analysts, policy officials, practitioners, senior management, communication officers, interest groups, academics and other specialists.

ACAS TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Fixed Term Contract

The post has arisen due to the increasing role and impact of the research and evaluation section on the planning and improvement of Acas services. Due to uncertainties regarding government funding allocations in the future, the post is being offered as a fixed term contract of 12 months (from the earliest start date available) irrespective of whether the candidate is on loan/secondment from another government department or public body.

Salary

Starting salary is £34,216. This includes a specialist recruitment and retention supplement as the successful applicant will pass tests to make them a member of the Government Social Research Service(a London allowance is also included).

The successful candidate will be offered this post on the new Acas pay arrangements when these are in place. In the meantime, the starting salary will be in line with the current policy and pay progression will be under the new system.

Nationality

You must be a UK national, a Commonwealth citizen, a British protected person or a national of a state in the European Economic Area. Commonwealth citizens must be free from any restrictions to reside and take up employment in the UK.

Pension

On joining Acas, you would automatically become a member of the ‘Nuvos’ Pension Scheme, unless you choose the ‘partnership’ pension scheme (Civil Service Additional Voluntary Contribution (CSAVC) Scheme), or you can opt out.

Nuvos is an index-linked scheme that forms part of the total remuneration package. The pension offers an income for you when you retire; it also provides income for your dependants when you die, and life assurance cover while you are in service.

If you already subscribe to a pension scheme, you may be able to transfer the benefits into the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Or, if you have been a member of the Civil Service pension arrangements before, you may be eligible for a different pension choice. Upon Joining, Acas would tell you about this.

Alternative Working Patterns

Acas has various arrangements enabling staff to work flexibly, where it meets both their circumstances and the operational needs of the service. This includes job-sharing, and flexible arrangements regarding hours and location. Whilst the post is formally London-based, it is possible that some work could be carried out at one of Acas’ regional offices or from home, although there are certain tasks/projects where this would not be possible.