UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to higher education.

UCAS is the world’s leading shared admissions service for higher education. We provide application services for UK universities and colleges as well as delivering a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers.

We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers — they're at the heart of everything we do.

Led by Dave Penney, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer. This broad business unit and incorporates the following functions: 

•  UCAS Media education and industry Sales  
•  Education and Industry Marketing 
•  Digital Marketing Operations 
•  Events 
•  Partnerships 
•  Apprenticeships 
•  Public Affairs, Press and Communications 
•  Insights

The business unit is set up to deliver against the objectives of UCAS charity and operate UCAS Media (UCAS’s commercial subsidiary) to help fund UCAS’s charitable operations. For the charity, our objective is to provide everyone with the information, advice and guidance they need to make informed decisions on their next steps. We deliver on this via our media ecosystem which consists of information, advice and guidance on ucas.com, our social media feeds across various channels, email, live events and webinars,

For UCAS Media, our business objective is to generate revenue through paid collaborations with higher education providers who wish to improve their position in the market, and commercial brands who want to reach students. All brands wishing to use our media ecosystem and insight services must align with our framework. All profits generated are gift aided to UCAS the charity and in turn fund the charitable objectives, such as our recent announcement that students in receipt of free school meals will no longer need to pay the UCAS application fee.  

To support the delivery of quantitative and qualitative research projects through data processing, analysis, quality assurance, reporting and insight generation activities. The role works closely with Insight Managers and Insight Leads to ensure research outputs are produced accurately, efficiently and to agreed quality standards, contributing to the delivery of actionable insights and the effective operation of the Insight function.

Key accountabilities:

Project Delivery & Coordination

• Support the day-to-day running of research projects from set-up through to delivery

• Coordinate timelines, manage fieldwork logistics.

• Monitor project progress to ensure deadlines and quality standards are met

Research Design

• Assist in designing quantitative surveys and questionnaires

• Support the creation of qualitative discussion guides and research materials

• Ensure research instruments are clear, robust, and aligned to client objectives

Fieldwork & Data Management (Strong “Doing” Focus)

• Survey/screener scripting

• Manage and monitor fieldwork to ensure quality and representativeness
  
  
• When required help coordinate the recruitment/briefing of participants for qualitative research (online focus groups, interviews)

• Clean and prepare datasets for analysis (e.g. checking logic, consistency, missing data)

• Validate and sense-check data tables to ensure accuracy and reliability

For full job description, please see role profile attached.

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant field such as Business, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, or similar.

• Good numerical skills with confidence working with data at a basic level.

• Strong attention to detail and ability to work accurately.

• Good organisational skills and ability to manage own workload.

• Clear written and verbal communication skills.

• Working knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint

• Demonstrable experience working in a team-based or client-focused environment

• Demonstrable experience of analysing quantitative and/or qualitative data and translating findings into clear, evidence-based outputs for different audiences.

Desirable

• Demonstrable experience or exposure to market research (e.g. coursework, internship, placement, or early career role).

• Working knowledge of surveys or qualitative research approaches.

• Working knowledge of working with data, including basic data cleaning or data checking activities.

Salary - £27,500 - £30,000 DOE

• Purpose-driven work in a charity-led organisation connecting people to education and opportunity

• Internal training, mentoring, and access to industry-recognised certifications through our development academies

• Hybrid working model built on trust and flexibility, with a 35-hour week and flexible contracts

• 30 days annual leave, 3 concessionary days over Christmas, bank holidays, and the option to purchase additional leave

• Everyday wellbeing support through Perkbox, offering discounts and wellness tools

• Onsite facilities including a subsidised gym, café, and free parking at our Cheltenham office

• Inclusive culture supported by employee networks, wellbeing champions, and Mental Health First Aiders

• Recognition and reward through our quarterly employee scheme and an ex-gratia bonus for going above and beyond

Studies have shown that some groups of people are less likely to apply to a role unless they tick every box. At UCAS we recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to delivering a fair and equitable recruitment process where applicants have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills. So, if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still apply.

If you have any questions and would like to find out more about the role before applying please email the Talent Acquisition team via careers@ucas.ac.uk and one of us will be in touch.