Research Intern Homelessness Prevention Programme

Role:Intern Homelessness Prevention Programme

Grade and Salary: Grade 3 (23350 - 24215) per annum

FTE and working pattern: Full Time (1FTE/35hrs per week) Monday - Friday

Holiday Entitlement: 28 days annual leaveplus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

About our Team I-SPHERE

The Institute for Social Policy Housing Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) at Heriot-Watt University uses world-class research to help drive change for people affected by extreme disadvantage. I-SPHERE is among the UKs top social and housing policy research centres recognised with a Queens Anniversary Prize for excellence innovation and public benefit.

This internship is part of the Homelessness Prevention in the UK research programme. This major UK-wide programme which is made possible thanks to the support of Oak Foundation aims to deliver cross-sectoral research and capacity building on homelessness prevention and facilitate policy and practice mobility across the four UK jurisdictions.

This role is based in Edinburgh however remote working from anywhere within the UK is possible. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

The programme seeks to:

• Deliver comparative research on homelessness prevention across the UK.

• Promote policy and practice learning between governments local authorities and service providers.

• Support a new cohort of early career researchers trained in high-impact mixed-methods research.

Within this research programme we will seek to answer the following six questions.

1. How well are the four UK jurisdictions performing on homelessness prevention at each of the five stages of prevention (universal upstream crisis emergency and repeat)

2. How much ideas mobility is there between them at the legal policy and practice levels What barriers/enablers exist to/for ideas mobility and mutual learning

3. How successful has each jurisdiction been in engaging wider partners beyond housing and homelessness services in prevention efforts

4. What impact have new legal developments made/are likely to make to overall prevention performance and to the contribution of wider partners

5. How well are frontline workers in each jurisdiction being supported to contribute to the prevention agenda

6. What can each of the four jurisdictions learn from each other about how to maximise homelessness prevention effectively engage wider partners and support frontline workers to deliver successful preventative interventions

As part of this programme we are delighted to be offering a paid 9 month research internship to design and lead in-depth research on an area of homelessness prevention in the UK.

We are particularly interested in candidates with front-line experience supporting people at risk of homelessness or working in allied fields.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

This internship provides a unique opportunity for an early career researcher to join an award-winning social research institute working on an innovative partnership project which aims to bring about positive change by generating evidence and insights into homelessness prevention strategies across the UK.

The intern will:

• Develop and implement their own individual research project relevant to the aims of the Homelessness Prevention programme. This will involve designing research tools conducting primary research undertaking data analysis writing up a research report and presenting findings.

• Engage with stakeholders across sectors including homelessness housing health education social services and criminal justice.

• Contribute to the programmes capacity-building activities including research dissemination and stakeholder engagement.

• Participate in relevant events such as seminars conferences and training sessions.

As part of the application process candidates are asked to provide a short research proposal. The proposal should be to conduct a piece of research relevant to homelessness prevention. Proposals should be for a focused piece of research relevant to a particular target group or groups in the UK at risk of homelessness (see further details below).

Education Qualifications and Experience (Person Specification)

Essential

• Excellent undergraduate degree (1st or 2:1) in a relevant discipline.

• Experience working with disadvantaged or vulnerable groups in the UK.

• Passion for social justice and homelessness prevention.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Strong communication skills written and oral.

• Willingness to travel across the UK for research fieldwork and meetings.

Desirable

• Frontline work experience in an area relevant to homelessness prevention in the UK.

• A relevant Masters or PhD degree.

• Understanding of UK homelessness policy and legal frameworks.

• Experience conducting research with range of stakeholders.

• Knowledge of mixed-methods research approaches.

Research Proposal

Candidates are invited to submit an independent research proposal related to the programme aims which drills into a specific area of interest in terms of improving homelessness prevention for particular target group(s) in the UK.

The proposal should be no more than 2 pages and set out: rationale for the research topic; research questions to be answered; and proposed research methodology.

Contact for Enquiries

Informal enquiries about this position can be made to Jill McIntyre

How to Apply

Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Covering letter outlining how you meet the job criteria and research proposal (2) Full CV.

Although the post is contractually based in Edinburgh the role can be performed remotely from anywhere in the UK. Please note that candidates must already hold the right to work in the UK; the University is unable to sponsor visas for this position.

Applications must be submitted by midnight on12th January 2026.

Shortlisting will commence straight away with interviews expected to take place w/c 26^thJanuary 2026.

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected trained promoted appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information please see our website also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.