PEC Visiting Policy Fellowship 2026 (from a national government department)
The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (Modern Slavery PEC) is seeking to appoint a Visiting Policy Fellow (national government).
Duration
November 2026 - March 2027 (five months)
Time commitment
A minimum of 1 day a month in Oxford, plus at least one additional day a month of remote working. The working pattern can be agreed with PEC to fit the Fellow’s other commitments.
What we've been working on
The PEC works closely with the policymaking community to supply evidence that is timely, relevant and accessible – and with lived experience at the centre. At the UK level, recent activity includes co-convening a parliamentary event with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery; giving evidence to parliamentary committees; and working with government departments such as the Home Office and FCDO. In 2025 the PEC published its Statement of Research and Policy Priorities for 2025–27, following extensive consultation with its policy partners. In January 2026 the PEC hosted its first Visiting Policy Fellow (from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) for six months through the Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) scheme.
What we want to work on and who we are looking to host
The Fellowship is for a senior policy professional working within the UK Government. The PEC is seeking to bring in a fellow who has a keen awareness and deep understanding of human rights policy areas. The Fellowship will allow the policy professional to engage with the evidence in an academic environment, meet with others working and teaching in this area – including those with lived experience, share knowledge and discuss ideas.
The Policy Fellow will be a UK-based policy professional with at least seven years of relevant experience, employed by the UK government or parliament for the duration of the Fellowship. In particular, we are interested in hosting a senior policy official from either the Home Office or Ministry of Justice, although relevant applicants will be considered from other government departments.
Opportunities for the Visiting Policy Fellow
This is a genuinely mutual exchange. The Visiting Policy Fellow will become a peer within the PEC who will help shape its research agenda. They will NOT undertake any research for the PEC, but will advise its researchers on how to engage policy more effectively.
The Visiting Policy Fellowship offers:
A concrete contribution to their own priorities - objectives to be produced by the Fellow are agreed jointly with PEC lead.
Access to the evidence and the experts behind it - the PEC Lead, leading researchers across the PEC consortium, and facilitated introductions to relevant expertise at Oxford University and across the PEC’s wider networks.
The lived-experience dimension - engagement with the PEC’s lived-experience expertise via the LEAP to help shape a more survivor-centred and human rights-based approach.
A candid, neutral space to think and challenge - a trusted, non-attributable setting in which to step back from operational and political pressure and think strategically, with leading researchers and peers, about the hardest questions in the field.
PEC Lead
The Policy Fellow will work closely with the PEC Director, Murray Hunt. Murray is a human rights lawyer with a strong interest in bridging the divide between academic research on human rights and human rights law and policy. As an author and lecturer, a practising barrister and a former Legal Adviser to the UK Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Murray has first-hand experience of the worlds of academic research, legal practice and the making of law and policy. The focus of Murray’s current work is how to rebuild the political consensus underpinning the foundational values of the Rule of Law, human rights and democracy in both the UK and the wider world, and thereby secure their long term resilience against the existential threats they face in an age of populism. Murray is also interested in developing the research and policy infrastructure so that it is capable of generating robust and reliable independent research, evidence and expert analysis to inform the innovative policies that are required to re-legitimate democratic values.
Costs
The Fellow does not receive any payment from the University. A small budget is available to support the Fellowship to cover costs of workshops and events co-convened by the PEC and the Fellow.
How to apply
Please submit a CV and cover note (no more than 2 A4 pages) explaining your areas of expertise and interest, and any initial ideas for the Fellowship. Deadline for applications is 12:00pm on 23rd October 2026. Please submit to Dr Aidan Flegg at aidan.flegg@humanities.ox.ac.uk. Questions about this opportunity can also be directed to Aidan.
Applicants must have line-manager approval to take part.
Timeline for the Visiting Policy Fellowship
23rd October 2026, 12:00pm | Deadline for applications
26th October 2026 | Outcomes communicated
2nd November 2026 | Visiting Fellowship starts
17th March 2027 | Visiting Fellowship ends
PEC Visiting Policy Fellowship 2026 (from a devolved administration)
The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (Modern Slavery PEC) is seeking to appoint a Visiting Policy Fellow (devolved administration).
Duration
November 2026 - March 2027 (five months)
Time commitment
A minimum of 6 in-person days in Oxford (3 trips for two days each), plus at least one additional day a month of remote working. The working pattern can be agreed with PEC to fit the Fellow’s other commitments.
What we've been working on
The PEC works closely with the policymaking community to supply evidence that is timely, relevant and accessible – and with lived experience at the centre. At the UK level, recent activity includes co-convening a parliamentary event with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery; giving evidence to parliamentary committees; and working with government departments such as the Home Office and FCDO. In 2025 the PEC published its Statement of Research and Policy Priorities for 2025–27, following extensive consultation with its policy partners. In January 2026 the PEC hosted its first Visiting Policy Fellow (from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) for six months through the Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) scheme.
The PEC also has a strong track record of direct collaboration with the devolved nations in developing strategies and responses the modern slavery and human trafficking. For example, it recently co-funded research in Northern Ireland on identifying modern slavery and human trafficking in the context of child criminal exploitation, and has worked collaboratively with Scottish Government to develop and strengthen Scotland’s Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy. It also shares research with the Welsh Government and participates in its antislavery groups with sector partners. This Visiting Policy Fellowship intends to build upon these previously successful partnerships with devolved administrations.
What we want to work on and who we are looking to host
The Fellowship is for a policy professional working on modern slavery and human rights in a devolved administration. In particular, the PEC is seeking to bring in a Fellow who is shaping their administration’s strategic response to modern slavery and adjacent areas of human rights. The fellowship offers the opportunity for a policymaker to work with leading researchers in the field to ensure that, from the outset, their work is informed and driven by the best available research and by what has worked well throughout the UK.
The Policy Fellow will be a UK-based policy professional with at least seven years of relevant experience, employed by a devolved government or parliament for the duration of the Fellowship. We are keen to hear from policy professionals who would like to take forward a timely area of work, which would benefit from academic learning and knowledge.
The Fellow would work closely with PEC to agree outputs and a plan of work.
Opportunities for the Visiting Policy Fellow
This is a genuinely mutual exchange. The Visiting Policy Fellow will become a peer within the PEC who will help shape its research agenda. They will NOT undertake any research for the PEC, but will advise its researchers on how to engage policy more effectively.
The Visiting Policy Fellowship offers:
A concrete contribution to their own priorities — objectives to be produced by the Fellow are agreed jointly.
Access to the evidence and the experts behind it — the PEC Lead, researchers across the PEC consortium, and facilitated introductions to relevant expertise at Oxford University and across the PEC’s wider networks.
Comparative and international perspective — structured insight into how other jurisdictions and UK administrations have designed and delivered strategies, policies etc.
The lived-experience dimension — engagement with the PEC’s lived-experience expertise via the LEAP to help shape a more survivor-centred and human rights-based approach.
A candid, neutral space to think and challenge — a trusted, non-attributable setting in which to step back from operational and political pressure and think strategically, with leading researchers and peers, about the hardest questions in the field.
PEC Lead
The Policy Fellow will work closely with the PEC Lead, Dr Rowshan Hannan. Rowshan leads the Policy Impact Team, which works closely with both researchers and the policymaking community to strengthen research relevance and uptake. Rowshan’s previous work in international development involved overseeing research and governance programmes in conflict affected areas, examining what drives violent and peaceful behaviours in communities. She has worked with government ministries at the national and local levels, helping to strengthen democratic accountability through civic engagement. Rowshan has also held elected office at the local level in the UK, working directly with policymakers at local, regional and national levels.
Costs
The Fellow does not receive any payment from the University. The Fellowship covers travel and other associated costs for in-person days in Oxford, in line with the University’s travel and expense policies. A small budget is available to support the Fellowship to cover costs of workshops and events co-convened by the PEC and the Fellow.
How to apply
Please submit a CV and cover note (no more than 2 A4 pages) explaining your areas of expertise and interest, and any initial ideas for the Fellowship. Deadline for applications is 12:00pm on 23rd October 2026. Please submit to Dr Aidan Flegg at aidan.flegg@humanities.ox.ac.uk. Questions about this opportunity can also be directed to Aidan.
Applicants must have line-manager approval to take part.
Timeline for the Visiting Policy Fellowship
23rd October 2026, 12:00pm | Deadline for applications
26th October 2026 | Outcomes communicated
2nd November 2026 | Visiting Fellowship starts
17th March 2027 | Visiting Fellowship ends