JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title:
Research and Training Officer
Reporting to:
Quality and Evaluation Manager
Salary:
NJC Scale 5, spinal points 22-25 (£21,552–£23,337) + 5% pension contribution
Hours:
35 hours per week; work outside traditional office hours may occasionally be
necessary, in which case Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) will be granted
Holiday:
25 days per annum, statutory holidays, and four additional days over
Christmas/New Year
Duration:
Open-ended subject to satisfactory performance and continued funding on
successful completion of a six-month probationary period
Supervision:
Monthly with an annual appraisal of progress
Probation:
This post is subject to six months’ probation, during which time a one-week notice
period applies for both the post-holder and employer.
Notice Required:
One month, except during the probation period (see above)
The overall objectives of this post are:
 To support the Quality and Evaluation Manager in setting up and running Chance UK’s Randomized
Controlled Trial (RCT) and any other monitoring, evaluation and research projects as required.
 To administer and ensure the smooth running of Chance UK’s mentor application and training
process, in particular telephone information and training sessions.
The specific responsibilities of the post are:
1. To collect and input all data for Chance UK’s RCT accurately and promptly, while maintaining all
necessary confidentiality.
2. To provide additional research assistance to the Quality and Evaluation Manager for the RCT and
any other future research, monitoring and evaluation projects as required.
3. To maintain and improve existing processes for monitoring and evaluation and to set up new
processes to enhance the quality of these functions as required.
February 2015
Research and Training Officer, Chance UK
4. To act as first port of call for all potential volunteers, briefly explaining the programme and
encouraging sign-up to telephone information sessions and trainings.
5. To assist in the editing and updating of the ‘Become a mentor’ pages of the Chance UK website.
6. To process all new volunteer applications and administer them through the preliminary stages of
becoming a mentor, namely telephone information sessions, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
applications and trainings up to interview stage.
7. To input and update volunteer information on the in-house database or spreadsheets, as required.
8. To communicate with volunteers on a regular basis, verbally or in writing as required, to ensure
they are kept up to date with all training and other relevant arrangements; also to support and
encourage volunteers so they remain engaged with Chance UK during the acceptance process.
9. To maintain and improve existing processes for volunteer telephone information sessions and
trainings and to set up new processes that enhance the quality of the training function as required.
10. To manage the facilities and resources for volunteer training at the Chance UK offices, in particular
ensuring the training folders are ready for every training round.
11. To ensure the facilitators’ notes for training are up to date and correspond with the PowerPoint
slides; also to ensure the PowerPoint slides are accurate.
12. To ensure the Mentor Manual is up to date and that there are sufficient copies ready for
every training round.
13. To liaise with the Chance UK Administrator as necessary to enable the prompt collection of all DBS
checks and volunteer references.
14. To liaise with the Chance UK Senior Programme Managers as necessary to ensure the correct and
smooth running of the application, DBS and training processes.
General responsibilities:
15. To carry out all tasks and responsibilities within child protection guidelines (as outlined in the
Employee Handbook) and to ensure any child protection issues that arise are referred to a Senior
Programme Manager or other senior member of staff promptly and sensitively in case of
emergency. The senior staff member will then ensure details are passed to the appropriate agency.
16. To carry out all tasks and responsibilities in accordance with Chance UK’s ‘Principles and Practices’,
and contribute to the development of these in the light of organisational experience and learning.
17. To contribute effectively as a member of the Chance UK team towards the development, quality,
sustainability and impact of its programmes and the organisation as a whole.
18. To carry out other duties which may be assigned from time to time by the Chief Executive, Quality
and Evaluation Manager and/or other members of the Senior Management Team.
CHANCE UK is a dynamic and developing organisation, with a friendly and supportive work environment. As
CHANCE UK seeks to develop and respond to needs in a proactive and flexible way so as to continuously
improve the quality and effectiveness of its programmes, the post-holder may be required to contribute in
other areas not specifically outlined above, but which are within the overall objectives of the post. The postholder will also benefit from training and staff development opportunities.
Research and Training Officer, Chance UK
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Qualifications
 A degree or equivalent qualification with a research component
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
Essential
 At least one year’s experience of statistical research and analysis, ideally including data collection
 Good knowledge of computer software applications, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other
Microsoft Office systems
 Strong written and verbal communication skills
 Accuracy and attention to detail
 Ability to handle multiple tasks effectively
 Commitment to Chance UK and their own personal and professional development
 Commitment to diversity and implementing equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice
Desirable
 Experience of working with a children’s charity or similar organisation
Personal Qualities
Chance UK is a small, friendly registered charity that provides mentoring for primary school children with
behavioural difficulties. We carry out every aspect of our work in a solution-focused way, recognising
people’s qualities and strengths and supporting their development. We are looking for someone to join the
team who is enthusiastic and efficient and who has excellent research and writing skills. Given the
importance of the RCT research, the postholder will also need to pay exceptional attention to detail.