Participation and Research Manager

Job Advert

Participation and Research Manager - National Charity

Full Time - 35 hours per week.

£36,000 to £38,000 per annum

Permanent

ABOUT US

Somebody goes missing in the UK every 90 seconds. Missing People exists to ease the heartache experienced by those missing someone, and to help people who are away from home find their way back to safety. Our vision is for every missing child, adult and family left behind to find help, hope and a safe way to reconnect. We are a non-judgemental, highly skilled team of staff and volunteers working for everyone who needs us. We provide free, confidential support, help and advice by phone, email, text and live chat. We coordinate a UK-wide network of people, businesses and media to join the search for the estimated 170,000 people who go missing each year. Missing People aims to put people with lived experience at the heart of our work, amplifying their voices to achieve change. Working for Missing People means living our values. It’s a place where people are encouraged to ‘let fly’ so you can ‘make things happen’. We know you’re more than just a job title, and ‘be human’ is an important value here.

THE IMPACT YOU WILL HAVE

As Missing People's Participation and Research Manager you will lead the organisation’s participation work with those affected by missing, including families, children and young people, and adults to further embed our approach to voice, participation and engagement including co-production. Your focus will be on conducting and overseeing consultation and research with people affected by missing, and be responsible for other research and evaluation projects at the charity.

Your main priorities as the Participation and Research Manager will be to:

• Embed a culture across Missing People that ensures people with lived and living experience are at the heart of everything we do.
• Increase the charity’s capacity to involve people with lived and living experience of missing by leading and supporting participation approaches and activities.
• Lead and deliver research and evaluation projects, with a focus on projects that involve, or are co-produced with, people with lived and living experience.
• Lead the cross-organisational co-ordination of lived experience participation, ensuring all teams follow good practice and are consistent in their approaches to participation.

For more detailed information please see the attached job description/person specification, and a letter from the line manager.

ABOUT YOU

As well as having the right to work in the UK, you will have:

Experience:

• Developing and implementing successful participation approaches to embed user-led and / or experience-led practice across an organisation.
• Designing, leading and conducting research co-production.
• Qualitative and quantitative research methods, including with those with lived experience of an issue.
• Working with other stakeholders to develop lived experience led initiatives which had a significant successful impact.
• Engaging service users or those with lived experience of an issue in a range of voice and participation activities, from consultation to co-production to user-led, to create impactful change within an organisation and externally.
• Upskilling others in participation and engagement and supporting colleagues to conduct their own participation and engagement activities.

Abilities:

• Knowledge of good practice in participation and engagement with a range of audiences, including those aged under 18 and those experiencing a range of vulnerabilities.
• Knowledge of good practice in conducting research with vulnerable groups, including participatory research approaches.
• Knowledge of missing or linked issues, including mental health, exploitation, the care system, and homelessness.
• Ability to collaborate with and influence colleagues to support participation and engagement.
• Ability to support people to share their experiences and voice in a safe and sensitive way.
• Ability to sensitively communicate with a range of stakeholders, including those who may have competing views or interests.
• Excellent research skills including research tool design, the use of software such as Excel for analysis, and writing up research findings in a clear and engaging way.
• Excellent communication skills, both formal and informal.
• Ability to present lived experience research and consultation findings and insight to a range of audiences.

Criminal Record Check:

• An Enhanced DBS check wlll be required for the successful applicant.

WHAT YOU WILL GET IN RETURN

Would you like to work for a welcoming, caring organisation which makes a difference to people affected by the issue of missing throughout the UK?

Missing People is a friendly and supportive place to work. Working for Missing People means living our values. It’s a place where people are encouraged to ‘let fly’ so you can ‘make things happen’. We know you’re more than just a job title, and ‘be human’ is an important value here. You will find plenty of scope for personal development including: getting involved in cross-charity projects; leadership development or volunteer supervision; training; e-learning; and hearing about the latest topics from some of our amazing partners. We offer a range of enhanced family friendly benefits. We are happy to talk about flexible working in many of our roles.

HOW TO APPLY

If you want to be a lifeline when someone goes missing, click apply to read the full job description, and a letter from the Head of Research and Impact. We look forward to receiving your application.

Include your CV and a brief covering letter explaining how you would be a good fit for this role.

DATES

Closing date: 1st November 2026 23:59 . We reserve the right to close the vacancy early in the event of a very large number of applications, so Apply Now!

Interviews: 9th or 10th November 2026 to be confirmed

Start date: January 2027