Making government work well for the people of the UK is the crucial mission of the Institute for Government, the UK's leading independent think tank.

Now, following a major strategy review, a rare and exciting opportunity has arisen to become a core member of the Institute for Government’s senior team.

In the newly-created role of Director, UK Government you will build and lead one of the Institute's three expanded research teams, working alongside the Directors for Devolved and Local Government, and Public Services.

As Director, UK Government you will drive the Institute's work on the ecosystem of central government and parliament – shaping an impactful programme designed to make its institutions, governance and people work better. You will use your knowledge and experience of government, and wide and deep networks to deliver impact through research projects, convening key stakeholders, driving innovation and enhancing capability.

Bringing your expertise and experience to bear on strategic decisions about the Institute’s priorities and activities, you will be a prominent external face of the IfG. Internally, your visible leadership and development of a team of committed and high-performing staff will be crucial to shaping our future impact.

We are creating this role at a moment of great importance for government across the UK. Our exciting new strategy will see the IfG become bolder, more ambitious and more focused on what we want to change about how UK government works. Identifying the right candidate for this role will be vital to our success in delivering the new strategy.

For full details, including a person specification, please read the job application pack. We encourage all applicants to read the job pack before starting their application.

---

About this role

As a result of our strategy review we have decided to make changes to the

Institute’s research team, consolidating some parts of our organisation. The Institute will, in future, have three Directors leading three large research teams – UK Government (UKG); Devolved and Local Government; and Public Services.

This UKG role is a rare and exciting opportunity to become a core member of the Institute for Government’s senior team, building our new UK government team and leading a major part of our work programme. The new UKG team will focus its work on the ecosystem of central government and parliament –making its institutions, governance and people work better.

We welcome applications from experienced candidates of the highest quality.

Leading the work of the UK government team on all aspects of central UK government and parliament, you will work to our Executive Director for Research, and closely alongside our Executive Director for Impact, our Directors for Public Services and for Devolved and Local Government and colleagues across the Institute. A core aspect of the role will be building and overseeing multi-functional teams of colleagues from across the Institute for projects that advance our new strategic priorities for government in the UK, as above.

The new Director, UK Government will play a highly significant role in the new senior team, bringing their expertise and experience to bear on strategic decisions about the Institute’s priorities and work programme. They will be a prominent external face of the Institute and their visible leadership of a team of committed and high-performing staff will be crucial in determining our success and impact over the forthcoming strategy period.

We are creating this role at a moment of great importance for government in the UK and for the Institute. Identifying the right candidate will be vital to our success in delivering our exciting new strategy. This strategy will make us bolder, more ambitious and more focused on what we want to change about how UK government works.

What you will do

The core responsibilities of the role include:

• As a core member of the senior team, working together with the executive team and other directors to shape the Institute’s strategic priorities, and design and deliver a work programme that will enable the IfG to pursue those priorities across the government ecosystem.

• Building and leading our new UK Government team. This new team will focus its work on the ecosystem of central government and parliament – making its institutions, governance and people work better. You will lead a programme of high-impact work, using your knowledge and experience of government and wide and deep networks to deliver impact through research projects, convening key stakeholders, driving innovation and enhancing capability.

• Initiating, overseeing and contributing to projects, consistently demonstrating a sharp understanding of where the Institute adds value which aligns with our corporate mission. Ensuring projects are completed in a timely fashion – demonstrating the flexibility and willingness to seize opportunities for impact.

• Using qualitative and quantitative evidence to make an argument, and to maintaining a high standard of intellectual rigour and clarity. Personally, and by leading the team, producing clear, jargon-free and compelling products that maintain the Institute’s reputation for high-quality research, non-partisan stance and independent approach.

• Initiating and organising aspects of our work beyond research projects. This includes convening the right people to develop new insights about good government and to increase our impact. A key part of the role is communicating with key audiences in person through public events and podcasts, as well as our annual party conference programme.

• Building your relationships and network to support the impact of the IfG across our strategic priorities. Proactively working to gain insider access and influence to pursue IfG priorities while maintaining independence and providing critical analysis.

• Being a prominent public face of the Institute, putting our recommendations credibly and persuasively orally and in writing to a wide range of audiences inside and outside government, as well as in broadcast, press, online and social media, focusing on achieving change and impact.

• Maintaining a clear sense of direction and expectation of high-quality work in the UK government team. Managing and motivating a team of talented and committed staff; getting the most out of them and prioritising their personal development.

• As a core member of the senior team, making a strong contribution to the leadership and management of the whole Institute, modelling behaviours that align with our corporate mission and taking responsibility for maintaining a positive culture of excellence, learning and inclusion.

• Building partnerships for impact and funding across the Institute’s programme.

Who we are

The Institute for Government is the UK’s leading independent think tank making government work well for the people of the UK.

We work across the political spectrum and the public sector throughout the UK, pursuing changes which will improve the way government works. We provide expertise and fresh, evidence-based thinking which we share though our convening, professional development and research outputs.

How government works is one of the most important factors driving a country’s social and economic performance and the health of its democracy. Our work programme focuses on the most important ways in which UK government can do better or currently falls short. We work to ensure that UK government holds power and exercises accountability at the right level, through legitimate and resilient institutions with high-quality leadership which is equipped to respond well to shocks and trends, including rapid technological change.

What we do

Our mission is to make government work well for the people of the UK through our rigorous research, expert analysis, active convening, professional support and fresh thinking.

We do this by:

• Conducting rigorous, independent

research into the most important problems facing UK government, undertaking

expert analysis of the evidence, and making bold and compelling recommendations for change.

• Convening enlightening conversations among people from across and beyond UK government – helping them think differently about how government can be better.

• Supporting people working in and with UK government to learn and develop professionally in order to play their roles more

effectively.

Our work programme

During the first half of 2026, the Institute undertook a major review of its strategy. The creation of this role is one of the outcomes of this review. The review identified four priorities for our work over the next five years, which all our teams will work to deliver.

1. Effective power and accountability

Because the UK is too centralised, and responsibilities and accountabilities at different levels are often overlapping or unclear, we will prioritise work on where power is held and how accountability operates to make government work well. Our two focus areas for the first part of the strategy period will be:

• Mayoral government that works well

• A positive future for local government

2. Legitimate, resilient institutions

There is an important role for the Institute to play in examining the institutions that underpin government in the UK – from our legislatures to the civil service, to public services, asking whether they are structured and equipped to meet the challenges of today and the future. Our two focus areas for the first part of the strategy period will be:

• Institutions equipped for multi-party politics

• A public sector resilient to trends and shocks

3. High quality leadership

It is increasingly clear that many of the problems of UK government originate in, or are exacerbated by, poor leadership, and this is undermining public confidence in the ability of government to deliver. Our two focus areas for the first part of the strategy period will be:

• A pipeline of high-performance leaders

• Tackling falling trust in government leadership

4. Responding well to technological change

Understanding and responding to the risks and opportunities of rapid technological change –including but not limited to the development of AI, changes to the media ecosystem and the development of new markets and currencies – is an increasingly significant challenge for governments across world. Our two focus areas for the first part of the strategy period will be:

• Government’s business model adapted to AI

• Governing well in a fragmented information ecosystem

Apply now