About you and the role

The Hansard Society is looking for a full-time Researcher to expand our work on the parliamentary scrutiny of delegated legislation.

The purpose of this role is to:

• strengthen our research capability, particularly to support our forthcoming Review of Delegated Legislation;

• support the day-to-day delivery of our legislative monitoring service, the Statutory Instrument Tracker®.

If you are interested in law and politics, and think parliamentary scrutiny matters, then this is a great opportunity to contribute to a major review of one of the significant constitutional and legal challenges facing the country. You'll also be supporting our broader agenda of work to help foster knowledge and understanding of the Westminster Parliament and ways in which Parliament can be made more effective.

The problems with the delegated legislation system have long been known but Brexit and Covid-19 have illuminated them in stark terms. Our Review will lay out a comprehensive plan to address them. The Review work will be carried out by Hansard Society staff, with guidance provided by an advisory board, and funding generously provided by the Legal Education Foundation.

Our reform proposals must be based on robust evidence about how the system of delegated legislation works, and a clear understanding of the value of improving parliamentary scrutiny and accountability in this critical area of the legislative process.

We are therefore looking for a highly motivated researcher with a good working knowledge of the delegated legislation system, and the wider policies and procedures of the UK Parliament, gleaned either through work or study. For example, you might have studied or worked in the legal sector but have a good grasp of parliamentary politics. Perhaps you have worked in Parliament for a parliamentarian or parliamentary body and would relish the opportunity to help improve the way we make and scrutinise law. Or you might have worked for a think tank or advocacy group, or in a university, specialising in the legislative process.

Above all, you’ll have an excellent eye for detail and an ability to record quantitative data accurately, precisely and consistently. You’ll be capable of conveying complex ideas and information cogently and succinctly and of articulating them for a diverse range of audiences. Building and maintaining networks with a wide range of people at all levels of seniority in and around Parliament and government means you’ll also need good inter-personal skills. Flexible and capable of working on your own initiative, you’ll need to have the stamina to work, often up against tight deadlines, in a rapidly evolving political/parliamentary environment with minimal supervision.

As our Delegated Legislation Researcher, here’s a taste of what you’ll do:

• Research and analysis. You will carry out high-quality research into the system of delegated legislation and contribute to the development of practical, evidence-based recommendations for legislative and parliamentary reform based on this research.

• Legislative monitoring and procedural training. Monitoring the progress of Statutory Instruments at all stages of the parliamentary process, you’ll update our Statutory Instrument Tracker® and other parliamentary datasets on a daily basis. From time to time, you will demonstrate the Statutory Instrument Tracker® for potential clients and support the provision of bespoke training programmes about delegated legislation and other parliamentary processes.  

• Communications and events: Working with colleagues, you’ll draft blogs, briefings, select committee evidence, academic journal articles and media opinion/comment pieces to communicate insights drawn from our research to influence public and parliamentary debate. You’ll also contribute to the development of online content for our data dashboards, newsletters and social media, and help colleagues organise a programme of events to support the research and its dissemination.

Your skills and experience

You'll be the right person for this job if:

• You have a good working knowledge of the delegated legislation process, gleaned either through work or study.

• You have excellent research skills, including an aptitude for collecting, organising and analysing statistical data.

• You are proficient in using Microsoft Excel (especially analytical tools and features such as pivot tables, filtering, conditional formatting, charting functions).

• You have excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• You have excellent organisational and project management skills, an eye for detail, and the ability to juggle priorities and work with minimal supervision.  

• You have exceptional people skills and are a collaborative team-player.

• You are a creative thinker and problem-solver with a 'can do' attitude.

• You appreciate our mission, have good political awareness, and can commit to the non-partisan values and ethos of the Hansard Society. 

Next steps

For full details about the role, the Hansard Society and the application process, please read the job information pack on our website.