Senior Social Researcher

About The Role

FDM is a global business and technology consultancy. We are hiring a Senior Social Researcher for our client, a government institution. The role is home-based, with occasional travel to attend meetings or team days. The initial engagement runs from 12 October 2026 to 26 February 2027, with potential to extend subject to programme need and framework confirmation.

You will lead specialist social-science input to the Children's People and Nature Survey (C-PaNS), the government's Accredited Official Statistic on how children and young people experience the natural environment. Your work will shape survey design, analysis and publications used across the industry, and by academic, third-sector and government users of the survey.

The role suits people who enjoy leading rigorous research in policy-facing environments. You will design good questions, run careful analysis, and translate what the data says into decisions that senior stakeholders can trust.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the social-science input into the Children's People and Nature Survey, including research questions and priority themes for analysis.
• Shape questionnaire design in response to priority social issues, including inequalities and access, environmental attitudes and climate-change concern.
• Oversee methodological developments and survey delivery, with quality assurance of products and publications.
• Conduct statistical analysis, and, where appropriate, qualitative analysis to strengthen the evidence base for our client and Natural England.
• Work with government policy teams to make sure the survey meets data and evidence needs, and that results are understood and used.
• Build partnerships with academia, across government and the third sector, and with survey users, to maximise research impact.
• Support the Senior Responsible Officer, survey steering group and project team on strategy and decision-making.
• Apply the Office for Statistics Regulation Code of Practice for Statistics to your research, publications and stakeholder communications.

About You

Around 2+ years' post-graduate work experience applying social-science research, quantitative and/or qualitative, in interdisciplinary teams, at specialist level. Working knowledge of social-science analysis techniques. Working knowledge of social-research surveys, design, delivery, and analysis of quantitative datasets. Awareness of the Office for Statistics Regulation Code of Practice for Statistics, and how to apply it in practice. Public-sector experience. Excellent written and verbal communication, and the ability to present complex ideas simply to a range of audiences.

Nice to have:

• Direct knowledge of the People and Nature Survey or the Children's People and Nature Survey.
• Working knowledge of one or more relevant research themes: children in nature, environmental / conservation social science, behavioural science, social-norms change, environmental justice, community engagement, health and wellbeing determinants and links between environment and health, environmental inequalities, governance and accountability.
• Experience combining quantitative analysis with qualitative or mixed-methods work.
• Postgraduate qualification in social science, environmental social science, behavioural science or a related discipline.