Ambition Institute
Director of Research, Data & Insights
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Director of Research, Data & Insights
Department: Data & Insight
Location: Manchester
Compensation: £76,000 / year
Description
At Ambition Institute, we believe a great educator changes the future every day – especially for those who have had a tough start in life. Our mission is to help professionals serving disadvantaged communities keep getting better, so every child can thrive. The Research, Data & Insights team sits at the heart of this work, uncovering what makes a real difference and guiding our decisions with robust evidence.
We are seeking a Director of Research, Data & Insights who shares our belief in the power of education. This is a unique opportunity to lead Ambition’s research strategy and build our reputation as a trusted voice across education settings – including early years, schools and colleges.
You will set Ambition’s research agenda, provide intellectual and methodological leadership, and develop partnerships to secure external funding. You will oversee our Data & Insights function, making sure we have high-quality data and evaluation to understand our reach and impact. You will champion the use of evidence across Ambition, helping colleagues use data to make decisions that benefit pupils.
As a senior leader, you will inspire a multidisciplinary team and play an active part in shaping Ambition’s wider strategy. We are looking for someone with deep expertise in research design and methodology, experience of leading high-quality research and securing funding, and a passion for improving education for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Responsibilities
As Director of Research, Data & Insights:
- Set Ambition’s research agenda
- Provide intellectual and methodological leadership
- Develop strategic research partnerships
- Secure external funding
- Oversee the Data & Insights function
- Champion the use of evidence across Ambition
- Inspire a multidisciplinary team
- Shape Ambition’s wider strategy
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Skills, Knowledge, and Experience
To succeed in this role you'll have proven experience in:
- Leading a varied portfolio of high quality research
- Building successful research partnerships
- Securing external funding
- Strategic leadership of data, insights, and/or evaluation
- Leading and developing multidisciplinary teams
- Strong knowledge of the English education system and educational disadvantage
Benefits
- Competitive annual salary
- Professional development for all staff
- 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays and 'winter shut down’ at the end of December/beginning of January
- Employer pension contribution of 11%
- Agile, hybrid working culture
- Staff affinity networks
- Blind recruitment process
- Enhanced maternity pay after a year’s service
- Shared parental leave package
- Access to free, confidential 24/7 wellbeing and support line
- Comfortable and collaborative workspaces in Manchester, Birmingham, and London
- Work-from-home technology package
- Interest free season ticket / bike loans
About Ambition Institute
At Ambition Institute, we help schools tackling educational disadvantage to keep getting better and help their teachers and school leaders to become more expert over time.
- We train teachers and leaders at all levels to get better at the things that make the biggest difference: what you teach, how you teach it, and how you create the conditions for schools to thrive.
- We share what works. Everyone can benefit from evidence of how great teaching and leadership can improve schools and change lives, so we connect people to the latest research and best practice.
- We champion every teacher and school leader’s potential to develop, as the driving force for sustainable school improvement.
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How to Apply
Applications will be accepted for all office locations. All applications must be received by the closing date 11:59pm on 2 November 2026. First stage interviews are expected to take place 9 November 2026. Second stage interview dates are to be confirmed.
Ambition Institute is proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer. We welcome applications from disabled people and, as part of our commitment, offer an interview to applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for the role (although where we receive a particularly high number of applications through the scheme, we may not be able to interview everyone who meets the criteria). We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and encourage you to let us know if there are any adjustments that would help you participate fully.
We are committed to the safeguarding of children and the most vulnerable in our society and, as such, we are unable to employ individuals with relevant convictions.
For any questions or queries, please review our FAQs on our careers page or email us at jobs@ambition.org.uk.
As an employer, we have a responsibility to prevent illegal working in the UK by ensuring that our employees have the right to work in the UK. Therefore, as part of the recruitment process to verify your eligibility, you will be required to produce relevant documentation.
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