Full job descriptionSalary: £40,000
Location: Remote
Working pattern: Full time, permanent, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday


Role overviewThe Hidden is an award-winning neurodiversity charity building a movement to make the hidden visible. Research to uncover the truth. Campaigns to shift understanding. And together, better systems and better support.


There is a great deal of clinical and academic research into neurodevelopmental conditions. There is almost none into how Britain understands them: the language, attitudes, myths and stories people tell about neurodivergent people. We work in that gap and connect the dots across existing evidence. We also do something most research charities do not. We take a media-led lens on our research to make it travel. It does not sit behind a paywall or die in a PDF. It goes into media, into Parliament and into the hands of the people it is about.


We are looking for a Head of Research to lead our research function, set the agenda, commission the work and guard its quality. You will be one of three senior leads, alongside the Head of Production & Talent and the Head of Marketing. The three roles form a chain. Research generates the evidence, production turns it into something people want to read, watch and hear, and marketing gets it in front of them. You own the first link. You will report to the Head of Operations and start in February 2027. You will also work with Professor Amanda Kirby, Dr Renata Fialho and the ADHD All-Party Parliamentary Group, for which we are joint secretariat.


What you’ll be doing

Key priorities *Research agenda: decide what we investigate and when, in line with our campaign strategy, building a rolling programme rather than one-off projects

*Quality assurance: check every statistic against its primary source before it reaches the media, Parliament or a minister. You hold the sign-off and say no when a number will not hold

*Research that travels: work with the production and marketing leads from the start so findings are built to reach a public audience



Ongoing responsibilities *Commissioning and partners: brief and manage polling companies, academics, agencies and freelance researchers, holding standards and managing budgets and timelines

*Synthesis: connect the large body of work across health, education, justice and employment, using AI tools where they speed the work up and knowing where they do not

*Ethics: oversee informed consent, participant welfare and ethical practice across all research, including lived experience contributions

*Impact and representation: set the method for measuring our impact so we can report progress to trustees, partners and donors, and brief journalists, parliamentarians and sector partners with confidence and accuracy



What you’ll bring *A strong grasp of research design and methods, quantitative and qualitative

*The ability to interrogate other people’s statistics and spot where they break

*Experience of participatory or co-produced research, or a clear appetite for it

*Experience commissioning or managing external research partners

*Proficiency with AI tools for evidence synthesis, and clarity about where they fail

*Clear, plain writing for people who are not researchers

*The confidence to hold the line on rigour when a simpler story is available



Nice to have *Knowledge of neurodiversity, SEND or related policy

*Research experience in a policy, campaigning or media setting

*Evidence synthesis or literature review experience

*Familiarity with NHS, ONS or Department for Education datasets



We are not looking for someone fully formed. This is a step up for the right person, and you will have support to grow into it.


What’s on offer *Remote working, with the team online through the day and core hours of 9am to 5pm on weekdays

*Flexible working open for discussion from day one, including different hours or working patterns

*Around 38.5 days of holiday for a full-time role: 20 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, a week’s closure in spring and over Christmas, and 2 personal days a year

*Workplace pension

*Private healthcare available

*Laptop, software licences and hard drives provided if needed



Additional informationThe role includes a probation period with regular check-ins and a review before it ends. This is not an exhaustive list of duties, and the job description is reviewed annually.


We want every candidate to have the chance to show their skills and experience. If you need adjustments to the application process, such as an alternative format, support with completing the application or clarification of questions, let us know and we will happily make the process as accessible as we can. Contact details can be found on our website.


We welcome applications from everyone and select on merit. We particularly welcome applications from neurodivergent people and from people whose experience does not follow a conventional path. Experience of, or a personal connection to, neurodivergence is welcome but not required.


References will be requested if we offer you the role. You must have the right to work in the UK.


The Hidden is a UK registered charity, no. 1203348.


You may have experience of the following: Research Director, Head of Insight, Head of Policy and Research, Research Manager, Senior Research Manager, Head of Evidence, Research and Evidence Lead, Head of Research and Insight, Research Lead, Senior Research and Policy Manager