Closing Date: 1 September 2026
Interview Date: from w/c 7 September 2026
Welcome to The Reading Agency
Thank you for your interest in joining The Reading Agency and becoming part of our mission to inspire social and personal change through the proven power of reading.
The Reading Agency is a UK charity which works with individuals of all ages, communities and trusted partners to share the transformative benefits of reading for happy, healthy and thriving lives. We know that not everyone has an equal start in life, which is why we champion reading as a powerful tool to create opportunity, connection and positive change.
Through our work, we support people to build social connections, strengthen their reading skills, and improve their health and wellbeing. Each year, our programmes reach over two million people — but with a UK population of more than 67 million, we know there is so much more to do. We want to get more people fired up about reading, because everything changes when you read.
The work we do changes lives, and it would not be possible without the expertise, experience and passion of our people. If you believe you could help us reach more people and extend the impact of our work, we would love to hear from you.
Kind regards
Karen Napier
Chief Executive
Introduction
Welcome to The Reading Agency. We're a UK charity with a mission to inspire social and personal change through the proven power of reading. We work with individuals of all ages, communities and trusted partners to share the transformative benefits of reading for happy, healthy and thriving lives.
In the UK...
- 1 in 6 (8.5 million) adults struggle to read
- 1 in 4 children in England cannot read well by the age of 11
This limits life chances and choices.
Reading for pleasure and empowerment makes us more aware and informed. It helps us grow our imaginations. It makes us more empathetic and understanding of other people and cultures. It supports our health and wellbeing. It increases our ability to learn new skills. It helps us to communicate our ideas more effectively. It opens doors. It brings joy.
We know that not everyone has an equal start in life, so we support people to create social connections and improve their reading skills. We aim to help manage health and wellbeing through reading. Working with public libraries, prisons, hospitals and other community settings, last year our wide range of activities touched the lives of over two million people. But with a UK population of over 67 million that isn't nearly enough. We want to get more people fired up about reading because everything changes when you read.
The Reading Agency is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.
www.readingagency.org.uk
@readingagency
Job Description
Job Title: Research & Evaluation Officer, Children and Young People (Fixed Term)
Location: Hybrid working, offering a mix of remote and office working
Our offices are based at 24 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4DH
Contract Type: Fixed Term (12 months)
Hours: Full-time (37 hours per week)
Salary: Up to £30,778 depending on experience
Reporting to: Head of Research & Evaluation
Context
The Reading Agency is a UK charity that inspires social and personal change through the proven power of reading. We work with individuals of all ages, communities and trusted partners to share the transformative benefits of reading for happy, healthy and thriving lives.
At The Reading Agency, we know that not everyone has an equal start in life, so we champion the proven power of reading by providing activities for all ages and backgrounds. We support readers to create social connections and improve their reading skills. We help people manage their health and wellbeing through reading.
Working with public libraries, prisons, hospitals and other community settings, last year our wide range of activities touched the lives of 2.5 million people. But with a UK population of over 67 million that isn't nearly enough. We want to get more people fired up about reading, because everything changes when you read.
The Reading Agency and Libraries Rising, the national network for leaders in children's public and Schools Library Services, were recently successful in securing funding from Arts Council England to deliver a two-year programme placing young people at the heart of shaping the future library reading experience. The two-year project forms part of the legacy of the National Year of Reading 2026 and will work with young people and library services across nine regions of England to co-create new approaches, resources and digital innovations that build on the strengths of libraries and inspire more young people to read for pleasure. You can find out more about the project, Reading Rewired, here.
The Research & Evaluation Officer, Children and Young People is part of the Research & Evaluation team with a focus on supporting authentic co-creation and young people's engagement. The role supports the Head of Research & Evaluation and Reading Rewired project team, as well as our programme teams supporting children's and young people's reading, in exploring methods of engaging more young people in reading and demonstrating the value, reach and impact of the Charity's work in the delivery of reading-related benefits.
Travel across England will be required as part of this role, with some co-creation sessions expected to take place during the evenings or at weekends, depending on scheduling preferences of the young people involved in the project.
Purpose of the post
The Research & Evaluation Officer, Children and Young People role will deliver co-creation activity with young people aged 10-16, related to the Arts Council England (ACE)-funded new Reading Rewired project, which aims to develop young people's reading engagement in libraries. As part of this activity, the role will:
- Work with The Reading Agency, Libraries Rising, immersive digital creative studio RamJam and nine library authorities across England to develop youth-led approaches to reader development in libraries, to enhance young people's skills, reading engagement and library use, and support library skills and confidence in working with young people.
- Be responsible for championing youth participation across the Reading Rewired project, ensuring young people are central to the design and decision making of the programme.
This role will also support wider functions across our children and young people's work, combining a mix of skills and experience including co-production, research, evaluation and programme development.
What you will do
Co-creation
- Design and deliver co-creation activities with young people aged 10-16 for the new Reading Rewired project, ensuring the project listens and responds to young people, particularly those who are often left out of conversations around reading.
- Facilitate co-creation sessions alongside library staff in nine library authorities across England: Camden, Devon, Kent, Kirklees, Knowsley, Norfolk, North Northamptonshire, Sandwell and Stockton, supporting library skills and confidence in working with young people.
- Work alongside immersive creative studio RamJam to deliver co-creation sessions focused on digital engagement tools (for example, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, etc.).
- Analyse data collected through co-creation sessions, producing outputs such as overview reports or presentations of insights to key stakeholders.
- Use insights gained through co-creation to support the development of youth-led approaches to reader development in libraries.
- Remain an advocate for uplifting youth voices within the Reading Rewired project and in relation to the Charity's wider work with children and young people.
Evaluation support and delivery
- Support with the maintenance of a robust, consistent organisational approach to data collection, programme monitoring and evaluation, ensuring methods and outputs align with Reading Rewired project outcomes and Arts Council England reporting requirements.
- Day-to-day oversight of research and evaluation datasets related to Reading Rewired, including answering queries from and providing support to the project team and our delivery partners.
- Support with the design and delivery of wider organisational research and evaluation and data insight projects, with specific reference to our work with children and young people.
- Support with the delivery of actionable data insights to inform evidence-based decision making around future project development in relation to the Charity's work with children and young people.
- Handle data in line with The Reading Agency's data protection, data storage, data sharing, and data collection policies and protocols.
Research
- Support with consultation and qualitative research in relation to wider organisational research and evaluation and data insight projects, with specific reference to our work with children and young people.
- Remain aware of key research developments, evidence and methodologies relevant to the Charity's delivery of activity supporting children and young people, sharing these with colleagues where appropriate.
- Contribute up-to-date, reliable content for the research and impact sections of The Reading Agency's website, newsletters and other external communications, with specific reference to our work with children and young people.
- Contribute to the delivery of an original research programme, as led by the Head of Research & Evaluation, to inform and guide the work of The Reading Agency and raise our profile in this field.
General Support
- Represent The Reading Agency's Research & Evaluation team at meetings, events and conferences as required.
- Contribute to internal planning and project development.
- Carry out other projects or duties as may be requested by The Reading Agency management where capacity allows.
Who you will work with
- Head of Research & Evaluation
- Reading Rewired project team
- Research & Evaluation team
- Programme Managers and their teams
- Marketing & Communications team
- Other colleagues across the organisation, external stakeholders and partners
What you will need to know:
Qualifications:
- Relevant education, qualifications and/or working experience in the areas of social or qualitative research (including co-creation or participatory approaches), data analysis, or evaluation.
Skills/Knowledge:
- Excellent understanding of appropriate methods and approaches for working directly with young people using co-creation, co-production or participatory approaches.
- Understanding of systems and process for analysing data plus awareness of effective research tools, in particular designing and delivering appropriate methods for use with children and young people.
- Effective project management skills.
- Strong understanding of safeguarding and experience of supporting teams to adhere to policies as well as supporting risk assessments.
- Competence in Microsoft Office applications and qualitative data analysis platforms such as Nvivo or equivalent.
- Able to deliver results in a highly organised manner.
- Writing skills with the ability to communicate effectively to different audiences.
Experience:
- Experience of delivering co-creation, co-production or participatory and/or action research, including translating data into tangible learnings or outputs.
- Experience in working with young people from diverse backgrounds, and of facilitating meaningful opportunities for young people to influence decision making, being an advocate for youth voice.
- Experience of working in or liaising with schools, libraries or youth organisations desirable.
- Experience designing questionnaires and surveys, using Survey Monkey or similar platforms, desirable.
- Able to work effectively independently and as a member of a team, where colleagues work in separate locations and communicate via email, Teams and Zoom.
Capabilities:
Technical Capability (job related or industry knowledge)
- Uses relevant knowledge and experience to meet and exceed job requirements
- Keeps up to date and uses new job-related information in a timely manner
Personal Effectiveness and Professionalism
- Maintains a professional attitude and approach to work
- Produces consistent, high-quality results
- Works self-sufficiently on assigned tasks
- Demonstrates accuracy and attention to detail
- Produces clear and concise written communications
- Uses the organisation's policies and procedures as a framework for business activities
- Uses initiative and a proactive approach to make a contribution
- Focuses on achieving individual goals, contributing to team goals and the overall success of the business.
- Manages workload and projects within set timelines and to agreed budget, achieving set objectives
Customer Relations (internal and external customers)
- Aims to meet or exceed customer expectations
- Nurtures relationships by listening to, recognising and delivering on internal and external customer's needs
- Makes customers and their needs a primary focus of their actions
Relationship Building/Teamwork (includes communication, influencing and collaboration)
- Builds trust and collaboration in relationships through positive communication
- A valued team member actively involved in achieving team objectives
- Works cooperatively and flexibly with other members of the team
- Effectively communicates relevant ideas or details of events in a way that enhances relations in the workplace.
- Successfully influences others to accept and support an idea/proposal/plan.
- Demonstrates the organisation's values in relationships
Managing Complexity (includes decision making, planning, organisation and resilience)
- Works effectively in a complex, diverse, changing environment.
- Achieves results by setting SMART goals
- Uses available evidence for planning, analysis and decision-making skills.
- Demonstrates resilience in challenging situations.
Innovation and Change
- Embraces creativity, innovation and is open to new ideas.
- Innovates to improve current working practices/products/technologies to provide business opportunities and results.
- Proactively pursues opportunities to drive change that add value to the business.
- Welcomes new challenges and contributes views and ideas.
- Adapts well to, and is energized by, change whilst maintaining focus on key business goals and personal objectives.
- Takes action to achieve favourable outcomes for the organisation, beyond minimum performance expectations, and seeks opportunities to improve work procedures.
Employment Details
Contract Type
- Full-time
- Fixed term (12 months)
- 37 hours per week
Salary
Up to £30,778 per annum depending on experience
Line Management
This role reports to the Head of Research & Evaluation
Location
Our offices are based at 24 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4DH
Hybrid working allows our employees to split their working time between The Reading Agency's office and working remotely, usually from home, to give more choice over how, when and where they work.
Each team works in a slightly different way and hybrid/home working patterns are agreed with the Head of Department.
We offer our employees the flexibility to work from home from day one and we provide them with a laptop and access to our systems to enable them to do so.
This role can be primarily remote, although travel across England will be required as part of this role, with expenses covered in line with policies outlined in our staff handbook. Some co-creation sessions expected to take place during the evenings or at weekends, depending on scheduling preferences of the young people involved in the project.
You would also be required to attend quarterly staff days in London, along with occasional meetings, and you would be responsible for your own travel expenses.
Office Hours
Our full-time hours are from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm from Monday to Thursday with an early 5.00 pm finish on a Friday.
Probationary Period
The post will be subject to a three-month probationary period.
DBS Check
Due to the nature of the work, the role holder will be required to take an enhanced DBS check.
Annual Leave
We offer 25 days holiday in the first year. After one year, this increases by one day a year to a maximum of 30 days (pro rata for part-time staff).
Notice Period
The notice period for this role is 2 months.
Pension plan
The Reading Agency offers a contributory pension scheme. The Reading Agency contributes 5% of salary and employees contribute at least 3% of salary.
Employee Assistance Programme
Wisdom from Health Assured offers you home and work life support and assistance. Through Wisdom you will have access to an industry-leading wellbeing app offering you home and work life support and assistance. From mini health checks and 4-week health plans to 24/7 helpline and confidential counselling services, Wisdom provides an engaging set of tools to support your wellbeing and wellness.
Personal Development
We support the on-going development of our employees through a range of training and development opportunities, including access to online training courses, mentoring and shadowing.
All employees have a yearly review with their line manager to review performance, set goals and identify areas for personal development.
We also offer up to 5 days per year for personal or professional development, e.g. pursuing a professional or educational qualification, training courses, volunteering. Employees may also use these days to celebrate religious festivals and events such as Diwali, Rosh Hashanah, Eid.
Mental Wellbeing Day
We offer our staff a day each year to do something positive to help boost their mental well-being.
Travel
We offer an annual season ticket loan scheme and cycle to work scheme of which employees can take advantage after successfully completing their probationary period.
Other benefits
- Books are at the heart of everything we do at The Reading Agency. There are always books to read and book recommendations from colleagues.
- We share staff wellness opportunities such as weekly online yoga classes.
- We have regular employee meetings and social events.
How to Apply
To apply for the role, please download and complete the application form from our website and email this along with your CV to us at recruitment@readingagency.org.uk
Please also complete our online equal opportunities monitoring form when you submit your application.
The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 1 September 2026
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview from w/c 7 September 2026
Interviews will be held via MS Teams
To be considered for this role you must have the right to live and work in the UK for your application to be progressed. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to offer visa sponsorship.
Advertising
When advertising our jobs we aim to positively encourage applications from all suitably qualified people and to attract applications from all sections of the community.
We will review applications as we receive them and will interview applicants of interest on an ongoing basis. We reserve the right to close the application process before the closing date if we successfully fill the position.
This is what you can expect from our recruitment process:
- Stage 1 - We receive and acknowledge your email application
- Stage 2 - Your application is reviewed and shortlisted by us
- Stage 3 - If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview to discuss the role in more detail, your experience and interest in the company. We may ask you to undertake a skills test as part of your interview.
- Stage 4 - If you are successful at interview stage, we will make you a job offer. Please note that for more senior roles we will invite you back for a second interview.
- If you are unsuccessful at any stage, we will let you know. Unfortunately, we are unable to give feedback to applicants not shortlisted for interviews. We will provide feedback upon request to candidates we interview.
Reasonable adjustments
We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, and we aim to provide reasonable adjustments to accommodate candidates' needs and enable them to perform at their best.
If you require any specific adjustments or accommodations to participate in any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know. We will work with you to identify and implement reasonable adjustments that align with your individual requirements. Examples of reasonable adjustments may include alternative formats for application materials, adjustments to interview formats or locations, provision of assistive technologies, or any other adjustments that can facilitate your equal participation.
Please inform us of your requirements as soon as possible, preferably at the time of application or prior to the relevant stage of the recruitment process. Your disclosure of any adjustments needed will not adversely affect your application, and all information provided will be treated confidentially.
We are committed to creating an inclusive environment and ensuring that all applicants have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills and abilities.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the application process or the provision of reasonable adjustments, please feel free to contact us at recruitment@readingagency.org.uk and we will be happy to assist you.
This position was originally posted by the Reading Agency and has been curated by PurposePhil Career. To apply, please visit the original listing on the "apply" link on the side. We are not affiliated with the employer organization of this job ad or consultancy, and provide this curated listing as a service to our users.