The Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) is looking to attract someone with very good qualitative research skills and who has the ability to build effective relationships both internally and externally in order to help us maximise the impact of CLES’s work in the longer term.

Brief description of the organisation

The Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) is the national organisation for local economies and the UK centre for excellence on community wealth building. From our base in Manchester, we work with people across the UK and internationally to create better economies for people, places and the planet.

In particular, we support local areas to develop new solutions to the economic and social justice challenges we face at the current time. We do research, conduct analysis and convene conversations with partners working in local economies, including devolved and local governments, civil society and business. We use their innovation and commitment to delivery to make the case for radical change in the UK nationally.

The need for CLES’s work has never been greater, given the challenges we face. Over the next few years we will be prioritising our work to look at how economic change can help local places address economic democracy, the climate emergency, health inequalities and the inequalities of land and property.

Key roles and responsibilities

Manage and deliver high quality projects Build relationships and opportunities Represent the organisation.

Experience and skills

• Knowledge of local economic policy and how it is developed and implemented in different contexts.
• Good quality qualitative research skills Analysis and synthesis of empirical and qualitative data facilitation and participative methods.
• Planning and project management.
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal (e.g., report writing and presentations)
• IT – Microsoft Office, Word and Excel as well as Teams/Zoom A commitment to the values and ethos of CLES.