Purpose  

The Young Women’s Movement is Scotland’s national organisation for young women and girls’ leadership and rights: working collectively, leading meaningful change and creating a more equal society. Young women are at the heart of everything we do. Our movement is informed, shaped and led by and for young women. For 100 years, we have been a collective force that has, and will continue to, change things for the better for all young women across Scotland.  

We work directly with young women and girls to equip them to lead change on issues that matter to them and create safe spaces where they can gain confidence, knowledge and skills. We support young women to amplify their voices in their communities and in decision-making spaces.   

Our Research and Policy Lead is a pivotal role in maintaining The Young Women’s Movement reputation as a credible, accessible and established research and policy organisation. This includes leading on our participatory research projects and ensuring the voices and experiences of young women continue to drive policy and system change across Scotland.  

Key responsibilities  

Research & Impact

• Lead on the development of participatory research projects to generate a substantial evidence base of young women’s experiences that feed into the creation of projects and media campaigns, and influence policy.  
• Lead the production of our flagship research project – The Status of Young Women in Scotland.  
• Further develop our participatory and peer research approach, ensuring that young women are involved at every stage of our research design and delivery. 
• Oversee the development and maintenance of our Insights Bank, a unique resource compiling over ten years of quantitative and qualitative data from young women across Scotland. Ensure the data is accessible, up-to-date, and effectively utilised to inform research, policy development, and advocacy efforts. 
• Manage and coordinate research partnerships, which could include academic partners, other third-sector organisations, and public or private sector partners. 
• Collaborate with the Communications and Influencing Lead to maximise the impact of our research through campaign activity.  
• Collaborate with the Programmes team to ensure that research findings are effectively integrated into programme design and delivery. 
• Support internal evaluation and reporting activity by creating and contributing to key reports and publications for the organisation. 
• Coordinate our annual impact report with support from the wider team. 

Policy & Parliamentary Engagement

• Manage policy projects, monitor the national policy and political landscape, and create written outputs, including policy positions and briefings on key issues affecting young women and girls.  
• Lead on building and maintaining relationships with parliamentarians, committees, and other political stakeholders to ensure the voices of young women and our research evidence are heard and considered within parliamentary spaces. 
• Identify and act on opportunities to influence the political agenda, including through responses to consultations, submission of evidence to committees, and participation in parliamentary events or roundtables. 
• Build positive relationships with key political and policy stakeholders and represent the Young Women’s Movement at external meetings and events.  
• Monitor the latest research, track political debates, and identify new policy developments in the areas of gender equality and youth work. 
• Collaborate with the Communications and Influencing Lead to maximise the impact of our research through policy and public affairs activity. 
• Work with the Programmes Lead to create and facilitate opportunities for young women to directly engage with decision-makers, amplifying their lived experiences and leadership through mechanisms such as parliamentary evidence sessions, meetings with MSPs/MPs, or strategic campaigns. 
• Uphold the organisation’s commitment to transparent and ethical influencing practice by ensuring all relevant activity is compliant with the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016, including accurate and timely recording of lobbying interactions as required. 

Leadership

• Line management of the Research and Policy team’s workload, activities, and professional development.  
• Contribute strategically to team and organisational planning through the setting and monitoring of objectives, targets, and budgets. 
• Develop and grow the Young Women’s Movement Research and Policy activity and continue to build our recognition as the leading organisation in Scotland that provides research, guidance, and resources for those who consult and work with young women.  
• Develop and implement a policy and influencing strategy in line with our strategic vision, that centres participatory practice with young women. 
• Work in collaboration with the Senior Leadership Team to maximise and coordinate our external research consultancy offer.  
• Support the Senior Leadership Team to ensure that grant applications and income generation activity are developed with a robust evidence base. 
• Collaborate with the other Leads to ensure the work of the Research and Policy team is influenced by the outputs generated within the Programmes team. 
• Contribute to the overall strategic direction of the Young Women’s Movement, ensuring all research & policy activity aligns with our strategic pillars. 
• Represent the Young Women’s Movement’s research and policy work in the media, including through press statements, interviews, and written contributions such as news articles and op-eds. 

Other

• Evening and weekend work as required  
• Undertake any other reasonable duties that may arise.  

Due to the nature of our work with children and young people, successful applicants will be required to undergo a disclosure check through the PVG Scheme. 

Everyone who works at The Young Women’s Movement:  

• Has equality at the heart of everything they do.  
• Takes a participatory approach to our work. We are for young women and by young women.  
• Builds communities of friendship and support networks, finding joy in our collective actions and connections.   
• Understands the impact of challenging inequality on those most affected by it. We lead with kindness and empathy, putting collective wellbeing at the core of our organisation.   
• Delivers our work with integrity and are proud of the work we do.  
• Is bold and brave. We do not shy away from challenging the status quo and taking radical steps to make gender equality a reality in Scotland. 

Let’s talk about you. You will already have or be working towards:  

Knowledge and Understanding 

• A strong foundation in a relevant discipline (e.g. gender studies, youth or community work, social sciences or public policy), demonstrated through a relevant qualification or equivalent professional experience in research and policy environments.  
• Strong understanding of ethical research practices, including safeguarding, informed consent, trauma-informed approaches, and accessibility. 
• Understanding of feminist principles and how to apply an intersectional approach to research, policy, and practice. 
• Knowledge of the Scottish policy and political landscape, particularly around gender equality, youth participation, and social justice. 
• Understanding of how to influence policy and public discourse through research, consultation responses, briefings, and public affairs work. 
• Understanding of how research and evaluation evidence can shape programme design and advocacy work across teams. 
• Understanding of the issues facing young women and girls in Scotland.  

Experience

• Leading and delivering a range of high-quality, impactful, and inclusive research projects, including strong facilitation skills and work with young people in research settings. 
• Embedding and delivering participatory and/or peer-research methodologies. 
• Managing organisational monitoring and evaluation, including developing and implementing CRM systems/databases. 
• Working within the Scottish political context to influence change, including engagement with parliamentarians, committees, and public services. 
• Developing and delivering policy campaigns using participatory practice. 
• Representing an organisation publicly, including media interviews, news articles, and speaking at events. 
• Line management and/or working in a leadership capacity. 
• Meaningful project evaluation and demonstrating impact. 
• Budget setting and financial management. 

Skills and Competences

• Strong research skills, including designing and delivering participatory and qualitative research methodologies, data collection and analysis, and synthesising findings into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences. 
• Strong written communication skills with the ability to present complex issues clearly, persuasively, and accessibly for a wide range of audiences. 
• Excellent verbal communication, public speaking, and presentation skills. 
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with a range of partners, stakeholders, and young women. 
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced, values-led environment. 
• Strong digital and data skills, including confidence using CRM systems, survey tools, collaborative platforms, and digital research tools e.g. NVivo. 
• Commitment to personal development, reflective practice, and continuous learning. 
• Flexible and adaptable approach, with willingness to travel across Scotland when necessary. 

Other

A clean/full driving license is desirable to help reach young women and girls in rural settings.  

Why you should want to work with us:  

• We operate a 4-day working week which means full time is 28 hours.  
• We are supportive of flexible working arrangements in addition to the 4-day week. 
• Our annual leave entitlement is 28.5 days a year, including 6 public holidays. 
• We offer an additional day of leave to celebrate your birthday. 
• The organisation closes between Christmas and New Year, with no impact on your annual leave entitlement. 
• We are committed to supporting staff development through training and coaching opportunities.  
• We offer a range of enhanced feminist policies, including fertility, maternity and menopause support.  
• We are a supportive, collaborative and feminist team and board. 

Don’t meet every single requirement?    

Studies show that women and Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic people are less likely to apply for a job unless they meet every qualification. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with the job description, we’d love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within The Young Women’s Movement. 

Recruitment process  

The deadline for applications is 9am on Monday 16th June.  

Please complete both The Young Women’s Movement Application Form and Equal Opportunities Form on the youngwomenscot.org website.

Interviews will take place online on Wednesday 25^th June. Due to staff capacity and recruitment timescales the interview dates are fixed and we are unable to accommodate requests for alternative interview dates.

If your application is successful in progressing to the interview stages, we will inform you no later than 5pm on Wednesday 18^th June. We will require a short writing sample to be emailed to our hello@youngwomenscot.org inbox by Tuesday 24^th June at 9am.  

This could be a blog, research output, piece of policy analysis or recommendations, or anything else you feel represents your writing style. It should be no longer than 3-4 pages and researched and written by you personally. We are not asking you to write something new for this application, this should be a pre-existing writing sample. 

If you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements for the recruitment process or the role, please contact our CEO Jenni Snell – jenni@youngwomenscot.org and we will be happy to discuss.