AHEAD are Hiring: Research and Policy Manager

A newly created position in AHEAD, the Research and Policy Manager will lead and manage AHEAD’s Research and Policy Team, ensuring that the organisation’s research, advocacy and policy engagement work is of a high standard and aligned with our strategy. The role combines people/project management, strategic leadership, research input, quality assurance/oversight of team outputs and external engagement with a broad range of stakeholders such as employers, educational institutions and national agencies.

Reporting directly to the CEO and acting as a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the Research and Policy Manager will also play an important role in contributing to AHEAD’s ongoing organisational development.

The postholder will oversee a small, skilled team who are responsible for a range of activities such as national research projects, funded initiatives which support inclusive organisational change, and national policy work relating to inclusive education and employment. The Research and Policy Manager will also assume organisational responsibility for the Widening Inclusion of Disability in Employment (WIDE) project, working closely with the WIDE Project Officer and our partners in Employers for Change to oversee its ongoing development and dissemination, and the engagement of employers with it. While the role includes hands‑on involvement in selected projects, the primary focus is on leadership, oversight, prioritisation and quality assurance rather than sole delivery.

Particularly important since AHEAD is a majority disabled organisation, is that the successful candidate has a flexible, supportive and collaborative management approach which aligns with the values expressed in AHEAD’s Team Charter.

While the CEO, who has to date managed this team, will continue to contribute to overall policy direction and positioning, the Research and Policy Manager will have primary responsibility for the day-to-day leadership, management and quality assurance of research and policy activity within AHEAD, and will have delegated authority to lead and sign off on research and policy outputs.

Team and Project Management

• Directly line manage staff working in the Research and Policy Team and collaborate with the team in executing successful projects by providing clear leadership, guidance and support. Manage staff performance and development and liaise with HR on performance issues.
• Agree and oversee teamwork plans, priorities and timelines in line with evolving organisational objectives and available resources.
• Work with the team to identify and manage any project risks, oversee and monitor project budgets where relevant and adhere to funder/board reporting or service license agreement requirements.
• Work with the Senior Research and Policy Officer to set Research and Policy Team meeting agendas and support them to facilitate meetings which promote coordination, shared learning, collaboration and collective problem-solving across the team.
• Directly lead on some Research and Policy Team projects in the team (such as the Widening Inclusion of Disability in Employment (WIDE) Project), and play a supportive and advisory/oversight role in others (such as annual participation rates research), ensuring all projects are conducted to a high standard and are aligned with AHEAD’s strategy.

Strategic Research and Policy Leadership

• Work with the CEO, Senior Research and Policy Officer and other relevant colleagues to identify and agree AHEAD’s policy positions and priorities in line with AHEAD’s mission.
• Provide support, feedback and guidance to the Senior Research and Policy Officer in the development of policy submissions to national bodies and government departments.
• Ensure that AHEAD’s research and policy work is evidence-informed, responsive to emerging national developments, and grounded in the lived experience of disabled people.

Quality Assurance and Oversight

• Hold overall responsibility for the quality, consistency and accessibility of research and policy team outputs prior to dissemination.
• Review and provide constructive, development-orientated feedback on draft research reports, policy submissions and other public-facing materials prepared by team members, ensuring outputs are accurate, appropriately written for their intended audience, and aligned with agreed organisational policy positions.
• Support continuous improvement across the team through guidance, feedback, reflective practice and the identification of individual/team training needs.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communications

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key stakeholders which support the advancement of our mission, including government departments, state agencies, employers, educational bodies, NGOs and representative groups.
• Manage key partnerships on collaborative projects in collaboration with relevant team members, such as those with Employers for Change (WIDE Project), the National Disabled Postgraduate Advisory Committee (LaunchPAD) and Education and Training Boards Ireland (Reasonable Accommodations in FET).
• Represent AHEAD in a variety of external forums such as on selected policy/advisory groups and at events at local, national and international level.
• Act as a spokesperson (role shared with the CEO as appropriate) on relevant research and policy issues, ensuring AHEAD’s positions are clearly, consistently and credibly communicated.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to support the dissemination of research findings and policy messages through events, publications and communications campaigns.

Organisational Development and Strategic Planning

• Play a key role as part of the senior leadership team to execute AHEAD’s strategy and to identify and develop new long-term strategic priorities and associated project ideas.
• Work collaboratively as part of this team to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations and administration of AHEAD and the policies and systems which support it.
• Participate and contribute to the AHEAD risk management process on an ongoing basis.
• Work with the CEO to identify opportunities for new funding for Research and Policy initiatives that support AHEAD strategy implementation and to develop proposals for same.

Other Key Activities

• Oversee and contribute to production of written reports on the work of the Research and Policy Team for funders, the CEO and AHEAD Board as required.
• Keep abreast of relevant developments in research, policy, legislation and practice relating to disability, education and employment and ensure the organisation is appropriately informed. Develop the capacity and knowledge base of staff in related areas to ensure the quality and effectiveness of their work.
• Ensure that the work of AHEAD is informed by the authentic experiences of disabled people.
• Undertake other duties as may reasonably be assigned by the CEO.

Here is an example of three projects currently delivered by the Research and Policy Team:

• Reasonable Accommodations in FET project on improving consistency and quality of reasonable accommodations provision in FE - in partnership with Education and Training Boards Ireland.
• LaunchPAD project on access and success in postgraduate study and early career research - in partnership with the National Disabled Postgraduate Advisory Committee (NDPAC).
• Widening Inclusion of Disability in Employment (WIDE) project on supporting employers to hire more disabled people and create more inclusive workplaces, in partnership with Employers for Change.

Management Style

• A ‘people-first’, supportive and inclusive management style that recognises individual strengths/needs and provides appropriate challenge, feedback and development.
• A flexible and pragmatic approach to managing workloads, deadlines and competing demands.
• A commitment to high standards, combined with a developmental approach to quality assurance that recognises it’s ok to make mistakes and instead of fault-finding, seeks to put a process or support in place to ensure mistakes are not repeated.
• A very strong ‘team player’ ethic and willingness to work collaboratively across teams to support broader organisational goals, putting AHEAD’s overall needs before any individual teams.

Required Experience & Skills

• A minimum of five years’ experience in a professional working environment and a minimum of two years’ experience managing staff (or equivalent senior supervisory experience) in a research, policy or AHEAD relevant (e.g. similar NGO, public body) professional context.
• Experience building and managing relationships with a wide range of external stakeholders.
• Demonstrable understanding of issues relating to disability, inclusion, universal design and/or inclusive education/employment.
• Demonstrable experience managing complex national projects with multiple workstreams.
• Strong editorial judgement with experience producing and/or quality-assuring complex written outputs for a variety of audiences such as research reports, policy submissions or guidance documents.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (incorporating the use of assistive technologies/supports as required), with the ability to adapt content and tone for different audiences and contexts.
• Well-developed organisational and planning skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• Demonstrated ICT skills, including competency in word processing, document formatting, data analysis and presentation tools. Willingness to identify and engage with new technologies/platforms to improve AHEAD’s ability to achieve its mission.

Desirable Experience & Skills

• A third-level qualification in a relevant area such as social policy, social science, public policy, human rights or related fields.
• Experience working in the community and voluntary sector or in roles focused on social change or advocacy.
• Direct research experience and/or knowledge of research ethics and good practice in inclusive research practices.
• Experience representing an organisation in high-level policy or sectoral forums.
• Understanding of how to produce accessible documents.

The starting salary range for this position is €54,916 –€61,331 commensurate with AHEAD’s pay scale and the qualifications and experience of the candidate.

AHEAD also offers the following benefits to employees;

• Rewarding and very flexible working environment.
• Hybrid working and flexitime.
• Comprehensive needs assessment for employees with disabilities
• 25 days annual leave per annum (pro-rata) + up to 2 additional annual ‘performance and development (P&D) days’ as an outcome of achieving previously set goals in the annual P&D process.
• Access to company pension scheme with 5% employer contribution immediately, rising to 7.5% after 5 years’ service.
• Access to EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) covering a range of services such as nutrition, fitness, legal, financial and wellbeing supports in addition to free mental health counselling and coaching.