Overview
Reporting to: Head of User Research
Visa sponsorship: UK national or visa holder preferred, but not a dealbreaker.
Background checks: Due to the non-partisan nature of the work we do with global governments and partners, all employees need to pass background checks, verifying your identity, education (if relevant), work history, sanctions, criminal record, adverse financial history, right to work, media and social media.
You can expect to hear from us, no matter the outcome, by: 12th June
Salary expectations: We aim for transparency on salary bands. If our range is misaligned with your expectations, we’d welcome an open conversation as early as possible.
The Role
Apolitical is looking for a data-driven researcher and storyteller: someone who looks at our unique global dataset on government skills and capability and sees stories nobody else is telling. This role turns what we know about governments into compelling narratives that open doors, support strategic accounts, and position Apolitical as a trusted partner worldwide.
Sitting on the Product team within our User Research function, you will generate your own research, draw on external sources, and make use of the intelligence our team already produces, synthesising it all into external-facing thought leadership that serves our commercial and brand goals. You will work closely with Sales and Partnerships to identify priority themes and accounts, contribute to our AI-powered tools for government, and surface insights that guide our product direction. This is not a role that waits to be briefed. You will set your own research agenda, follow the intelligence wherever it leads, and know how to make it land.
Who you are
You are an exceptional and compelling writer, comfortable working at pace. You can produce a concise briefing for a busy government leader just as readily as a longer-form whitepaper, and you lead with the story, not the numbers. You are data-literate and AI-fluent: confident with large datasets and analytical outputs, and comfortable using AI tools as part of your research workflow. You understand government and follow AI and public sector capability debates closely. You know what senior decision-makers care about and how to reach them. You’re comfortable working in a function that’s still being defined and you see that as an opportunity, not a risk. Above all, you bring builder energy: you see around corners, you act on what you find, and you make things happen without waiting to be told.
What you’ll be doing
Dive deep into Apolitical’s internal data and global datasets — from the World Bank, OECD, and academic institutions — to surface insights that matter to our target accounts
Shape those insights into high-quality outputs: reports, executive briefings, explainers, whitepapers, and scrollytelling content
Work with Sales and Partnerships to identify the most commercially valuable research opportunities and align your agenda accordingly
Contribute insights and research input to our Product team, and surface what you learn from partners and users to help guide Apolitical’s product direction
What you won’t be doing
The core of this role is monitoring, synthesis and storytelling rather than primary research. That said, there will be occasions where speaking with someone directly adds depth to what you’ve found in secondary sources. Designing surveys, running focus groups, or conducting large-scale quantitative and qualitative research sits with other functions in the organisation, but you may be asked to support as required. You also won’t be doing traditional PR or media-facing communications work, as that’s covered by others in the team. And while you’ll work closely with data, you won’t be building analytical models or doing data science: you’ll be working with analytical outputs and knowing which questions they answer.
About you
This is a great fit if you…
Are genuinely interested in how governments work and what problems government leaders are trying to solve, and follow those debates closely
Lead with the story, informed by the data: you know that a finding is only useful if someone acts on it
Have a background in government, public policy, or public sector research
Are comfortable using AI tools as part of your day-to-day research workflow
Are comfortable working in a function that’s still being defined, and see that as an opportunity rather than a risk
Can move between a two-page executive briefing and a longer-form report without losing your voice or your rigour
Enjoy working across functions: you’ll be as comfortable in a conversation with Sales as you are synthesising an OECD dataset
This likely won’t be the right role if you…
Work best when your brief is clearly defined before you start: a significant part of this role is setting your own agenda
Prefer your outputs to stand on their own merits without a commercial lens
Are looking for a large, established team structure around this function. You’ll be building it.
Don’t meet every single expectation? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. Apolitical is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
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