Peer Researcher vacancies (Safer Lives) 3 positions available - 2 x London (full time, £25,207 pa) and 1 x Manchester (full-time, £22,932 pa) Fixed term beginning December 2025 until April 2028 (possibility of extension to September 2028) About Safer Lives The Safer Lives project is for parents of young people who are caught up in or at risk of offending or youth violence. It’s about giving parents the tools and confidence they need - whether that’s understanding their kids better, improving family relationships, or just feeling more supported. Through an evaluation of the project, we hope to be able to show that by backing parents, we can help young people thrive too. About the role We’re looking for three people to join us as Peer Researchers on the Safer Lives project. These are paid roles in a genuinely supportive team where you’ll have the chance to learn on the job and build your own skills and experience whilst supporting an important piece of research into youth violence. That’s where you come in. As a Peer Researcher you’ll be the bridge between young people, their families and our team. You will: ● Meet young people and explain what the project’s about in plain, simple language. ● Build trust with the families – and the young people in particular, so they feel comfortable opening up. ● Stay connected with them throughout, checking in with them so they don’t drop out. ● Collect information, ideas and feedback – sometimes by asking tough questions, but always with care. ● Help us figure out the best ways to talk to young people so their voices are always front and centre. Who we’re looking for We’re not asking for degrees, CVs full of experience or formal research skills. Honestly, they’re all great but that’s not the point. We’re looking for people who: ● Are good at talking to people and making them feel at ease. ● Can listen properly – even when the topic’s tough. ● Are respectful, reliable and open-minded. ● Understand how racism, discrimination and stereotyping can affect some young people and their families, especially when it comes to the criminal justice system. ● Can use their creativity to help deliver engagement and let people know about the difference the project is making. ● Have relevant lived experience (see the note below on this) or a genuine passion for supporting young people and families through difficult stuff. ● Want to learn, grow and make an impact. You might be a youth leader, someone who’s been part of a project like this, or simply a community voice that people trust. What you’ll get In exchange, we offer: ● Full time salary paid at the real Living Wage. ● Employer pension contributions, beyond the statutory minimum. ● Training and support to boost your CV. ● Opportunity to develop your skills as a social researcher. ● The chance to shape how research with young people is done. ● A role where your lived experience and ideas genuinely matter. How to apply We’ve kept this simple: 1. Fill in our quick one-page application form. We don’t need to know everything, just the basics. 2. Send us a short statement about why you’re up for this. This could be written, a video, or even just a voice note. One or two pages is plenty if you’re writing it, and less than three minutes if you’re sharing a video or voice note. 3. We’ll also ask you to fill out a quick Equalities and Diversity Monitoring Form to help us make sure we’re as good as we can be with our recruitment practices. No formal CVs. No long cover letters. Just you. And your voice. If you care about young people, families, and healthier, safer communities – and want a job where you can learn on the go – we’d love to hear from you. Have questions? We are here to help. If you’d find it helpful, we are very happy to arrange a one-to-one phone call or video call with you to chat through the opportunity a little more. Please get in touch with Leandra via email leandra@racefound.org.uk providing your contact details and she will respond.. We’re also going to hold an online information session where you can hear a bit more from us and ask any questions you might have. To register for this session, please email us. Before you go, here’s the small print… Two full-time roles are based in London, from our offices in Greenwood Place, NW5 1LB. Another full time role is based in Manchester, (we don’t know where just yet as we are exploring this - it will be fairly central). We’re looking for three people to work with us five days each week, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm most days, but with some flexibility to fit into the lives of the families we will be working with, who don’t always keep office hours. There may be flexibility to work at home some days, but you will spend a lot of time in the areas where the research is taking place (we are still negotiating our sites), talking to young people and the people who support them. We will also want you to join us in the office every week to spend time with other team members and share what has been happening with you. The salary for this role is £25,207 per year which includes an extra allowance for being based in London which we know is a particularly expensive place to live and work. The salary for the role in Manchester is £22,932 per year. Recruitment timeline ● We begin accepting applications from Friday 24th October for three weeks. ● Online information sessions will take place on: ○ Friday 31st October 4.30-5.15pm ○ Friday 7th November 11-11.45am ○ Wednesday 12th November 1.30- 2.15pm ● The deadline to receive applications is Monday 17th November at 9am. ● Interviews will be held on Thursday 20th November or Friday 28th November in person either at our space in Kentish Town or in Central Manchester. ● We plan to make a decision shortly after this. Hopefully within a week. ● We would like our peer researchers to start with us in December.