Working at the IfG

Working culture, conditions and benefits

At the IfG, we’re proud of our friendly and supportive working environment. We have a pleasant central London office in Carlton Gardens, next to St James’s Park, and we have embraced a hybrid working model in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic – most staff work from the office three days a week and remotely for two. Lunch is a very important feature of the IfG working day – provided for staff when they are in the office, and everyone usually eats together in our dining room.  

We are always busy, our work can be fast-paced at times and everyone works hard – but we are keen to ensure that no one works excessively, and everyone is encouraged to take their full entitlement of 30 days of annual leave (pro-rated for non-full time colleagues). Enhancing staff wellbeing and providing an enriching working experience is a big priority at the IfG, and we also have an Employee Assistance Programme that all staff can access as required. 

We are keen to give all staff every opportunity to grow and develop in their roles. Junior colleagues are often given responsibility and ownership over key elements of projects at an early stage, and everyone across the organisation is encouraged to contribute ideas and take the initiative to explore them. There are regular internal training and skills-sharing sessions, and we support staff to access external training too where that is needed.

A full list of contractual and non-contractual benefits is always included in our job application packs, which can be found on the current vacancies page.  

Impact

Working at the Institute will give you opportunities to change the way government works – whether that’s by conducting research and analysis, by helping to communicate that research and the recommendations we make, by working with external partners to secure funding for our projects, or as part of the operations team keeping the whole organisation running smoothly.  

The Institute’s excellent network and strong reputation in Whitehall and Westminster mean our work is influential; we are frequently consulted by government, invited to give evidence by parliamentary committees and asked for advice by civil society organisations seeking to understand government. In recent years, for example, we have helped shape government  thinking on policy making and public finances as well as on Brexit and coronavirus. Our work offers the opportunity to make a real difference to how government functions. 

The Institute has built a strong public reputation as a trusted commentator and communicator on government and how it works. Our staff are regularly asked to contribute to discussions on current events in the media, and we recently won the Political Studies Association’s 2021-22 Political Communicator of the Year Prize for enhancing public understanding of politics – the first time this award has been given to an organisation.