Chief of Research (2699)

Do you want to create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe all animals deserve kindness and respect. We work for the benefit of every animal – as well as pets, that includes farmed animals, wildlife, and animals used in science. Choose a career with us and make a difference for every kind.

We are looking for a new team member as a Chief of Research for our new Animal Welfare Evidence Centre, where you will work closely with the Evidence Centre's Advisory Board and senior stakeholders across the animal welfare sector and beyond.

Contract: Permanent 

Working hours: 35 hours  - Monday to Friday.

Location: Hybrid role: your base will be at Home and the London and Horsham offices. 

The Animal Welfare Evidence Centre: Driving Systemic Change.

The Animal Welfare Evidence Centre is a newly established unit within the RSPCA's Policy, Prevention and Campaigns function. It is powered by a significant initial investment of £10 million; demonstrating a strong commitment to evidence led change.

Hosted by the RSPCA, the Centre will be overseen by an Advisory board with representatives of leading animal welfare organisations.

The Centre's mission is to drive systemic and cultural change in animal welfare by building evidence and knowledge about the causes and prevention of animal cruelty and neglect. It exists to serve the entire animal welfare sector. 

The Chief of Research role is essential to the success of the Evidence Centre, so this is a fantastic opportunity to make a huge contribution to lasting change. 

We think this role's going to be popular and are expecting to attract high interest so we strongly encourage early applications to avoid missing out - closing date is the 1st of February.

As the senior executive within this new venture, you will steward the Centre's mission and lead its operations, culture, and strategy. You will be a credible entity in the world of research and we will look to you to build expertise and knowledge, particularly filling gaps in understanding what leads to animal mistreatment; using evidence to build a foundation for change.                                         

You will ensure the Centre acts pragmatically, entrepreneurially and innovatively.

A key focus of the role will be to lead the development of the Centre's research, evidence, analysis, and convening activities. You will ensure the programme is relevant, has real world impact, and maintains a high quality standard of excellence. You will ensure the Centre has a learning approach and an impact measurement framework.

The success of this role will depend upon your ability to build and maintain strong relationships with a broad network of stakeholders; establishing the Centre as a key piece of infrastructure and a convenor for the animal welfare sector.

Key partnerships include:

• The RSPCA
• Founding Partners
• Other animal welfare NGOs
• Academics (Universities)
• Intersecting sectors like the Police, local authorities, and the NHS; established bodies who will use the research. 

Our Chief of Research will be an important figure within the RSPCA but will also maintain an externally facing role, acting as a convenor, spokesperson, and figurehead for the Centre and will support the organisation in landing grants and seeking further funding opportunities. They will also oversee the effective operations and budget of the Centre, ensuring it has the resources and culture required to pursue its mission with vigour.

To succeed within this high profile role, you must be a credible entity in the world of research, with a proven in-depth and senior experience within a research, evidence, or an analytical role, coupled with significant leadership experience at a senior Executive level or equivalent.

You must also be a strong and strategic leader, with experience driving change programmes within complex environments (charitable, public, or private sector). 

A demonstrable understanding of the role of research and evidence in driving cultural and systemic change is essential, as is  expertise in engaging with people from a diverse range of backgrounds, including under represented communities.

To be considered for this role, you must have outstanding stakeholder management, engagement and relationship building skills. 

You will be a natural collaborator with solid negotiation skills, who is able to convene and manage senior stakeholders from diverse communities and groups, for example Founding Partners, government, academia etc. 

You will have excellent oral and written communication skills with proven spokesperson experience in a multimedia context.

Our post holder must have demonstrated strategic thinking, planning, action orientation, and a results driven focus on delivery, with proven experience of bringing innovative and entrepreneurial ideas into organisations.

You will have proven budget and project management experience along with a general knowledge of animal welfare, including a good grasp of the related scientific, ethical, and social/political issues.

Experience of working within an animal welfare, research or policy environment would be a huge advantage, as would experience of setting up new organisations or hosted initiatives within larger organisations.

If you are interested in this position and would like to know more, please do get in touch, so we can arrange an informal conversation. 

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK - We are unable to sponsor visas at RSPCA

The interview process will consist of two panel interviews, the first of which will be held in person and will entail a presentation. 

First stage interviews will be held on the 12th and the 13th of February 2026.

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed  to our mission.  For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family! 

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.