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Research Consultant (Prevent)

    • Job Title: Research Consultant (Prevent)
    • Salary: £200 – £230 per day (inclusive of VAT); dependent on experience
    • Contract: Fixed-term consultancy – 12 days from Feb – May 2023
    • Reporting to: Policy Manager, Sector Support
    • Location: Home-based (nationwide)
    • Deadline: Midnight on 26 February 2023
    • Interview: Dates: w/c 27 February 2023
    • Start Date: ASAP; no later than 8 March 2023

      Open Rights Group is looking for a researcher or journalist to help compile background data and conduct desk research to inform a forthcoming report on the Prevent Duty and data protection safeguards it is conducting with PreventWatch.

      The report looks at the government’s pre-emptive prong (Prevent) of its counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) and the impact this policy has had on individuals, in terms of data protection, retention and sharing of data and abuse of existing safeguards.

      Prevent is the fourth part of the government’s four-point approach CONTEST, designed to prevent people from getting involved in or supporting terrorist activities. The other strands are Protect, Prepare and Pursue. Prevent has drawn particular controversy because of its operation in the pre-crime space, in which no offence has taken place but rather people are surveilled and viewed as suspicious, on the basis of the opinion of teachers, employers and church leaders, for example, all non-expert in diagnosing the nuanced signs of pre-radicalisation. In 2022, Open Rights Group supported the People’s Review of Prevent coordinated by PreventWatch.

      About the role

      The role will involve:

      • Conducting and sorting through mass FOI requests around data sharing or data protection practices.
      • Mining data from the public domain around information sharing agreements.
      • Generating contacts and sources in the local area to understand more about data protection and sharing practices around Prevent.
      • Conducting desk research where possible around how Prevent referral data is collected, processed, and held by various government systems in a particular Prevent Priority Area.

      Skills/experience

      Ideally the person hired should be able to:

      • Demonstrate good writing, research, and communication skills.
      • Use spreadsheets to organise and sort information.
      • Craft effective FOI requests with the tenacity to follow up and challenge refusals.
      • Source and speak to potential interviewees officially or on background.
      • Demonstrate reliability, discretion and discern credible information.
      • Show some knowledge of the UK’s counter-terrorism landscape or data protection
      • Exhibit previous experience conducting investigative research.

      Logistics

      The ideal person for role will be a researcher or journalist based in one of the following areas:

      Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Birmingham, Bradford, Brent, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, Calderdale, Camden, Cardiff, Coventry, Croydon, Derby, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensigton & Chelsea, Hounslow, Islington, Kent and Medway, Kirklees, Lambeth, Lanashire, Blackburn, Darwen, Blackpool, Leeds, Leicester, Lewisham, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Newham, Redbridge, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Sandwell, Sheffield, Slough, Southwark, Stoke-on-Trent Tower Hamlets, Walsall, Waltham Forest or Westminster.

      The consultancy role is remote and the candidate should have their own laptop and wifi access.

      We are looking for someone to start ASAP and there is some flexibility around working days/hours.

      You will be reporting to the Policy Manager for Sector Support.

      You must be eligible to work in the UK.

      Remuneration

      £200 – £230 per day, dependent on experience. This is inclusive of VAT.

      The contract will be for 12 days of research support (assuming a 7.5 hour day).

      This work can be carried out with agreement from the Policy Manager, Sector Support from February – May 2023.

      About Open Rights Group

      Open Rights Group (ORG) is the UK’s premier privacy, data and digital rights campaigning organisation. Founded in 2005 by a group of grassroots activists, we now have over 20,000 members and supporters and 10 local groups across the UK. Our members and supporters inform our policy, power our campaigns and help us bring about change. 

      We uphold human rights like free expression and privacy. We condemn and work against repressive laws or systems that deny people these rights. 

      1. We DEFINE emerging harms and abuses through our research and investigation
      2. We PERSUADE allies and adversaries through our policy advocacy
      3. We EQUIP civil society partners to incorporate digital advocacy into their work through our coalition building
      4. We MOBILISE our members and supporters across the UK through our public campaigns
      5. We CONFRONT threats to our fundamental rights through our litigation 

      We campaign, lobby, go to court – whatever it takes to build and support a movement for freedom in the digital age. We work across three main areas: 

      • Combating Big Tech and Platform Power
      • Combating State Intrusion into Rights Online
      • Promoting the Rights of Vulnerable, Marginalised and Minority Communities against Digital Threats 

      How to Apply

      To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter (no longer than 1 side of A4), setting out how you are suited to the role by emailing recruitment@openrightsgroup.org by 26 February 2023, Midnight.

      Please ensure that your email has the subject heading ‘Research Consultant – Prevent’, and that all attachments are sent in PDF format.

      ORG is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that a diverse and inclusive team working in a supportive environment is vital to the success of our work. We particularly welcome applicants with lived experience of the issues addressed within our Immigration, Data and Technology programme as well as from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, and from LGB and Trans and non binary candidates.