About EngineeringUK

We want to drive change so more young people choose engineering and technology careers. In the UK, we don’t have enough engineers and demand is going up. So, we need more young people to realise there could be a future for them in engineering and technology. To really thrive, we need a stronger, more representative workforce and for that we have to do things differently to make engineering more appealing.

We are a not-for-profit working with hundreds of organisations across business, education, professional institutions and the third sector so we can all grow the future talent pool together. We drive that collective effort through research and evidence, leadership, activities for schools and advocacy, with a focus on long-term sustainability.

We guided by a series of values that we apply to all our activity:

·       We are inclusive and care about diversity. We understand that we have different needs and create opportunities for everyone's voice to be heard

·       We are collaborative. We listen, share and work in partnership to achieve our vision

·       We are curious and keen to learn. We challenge ourselves and others to innovate and experiment

·       We are insightful. We evaluate what we do and draw on research to make decisions and to improve our collective understanding

·       We are driven by a strong sense of purpose. We are determined to make an impact and achieve our goals

About the role

Reporting to the Director of Communications, you will be responsible for the ongoing development and delivery of EngineeringUK’s work to understand the impact of our activity at a programme and organisational level. You will have responsibility for developing and embedding our approach to impact evaluation that enables us to measure progress against our organisational mission, measure and evaluate the impact of our activities and support the wider community in improving approaches to monitoring and evaluation. You will manage a small team and work in close partnership with the Head of Research with whom you may be responsible for joint objectives and deliverables. You will also work closely with the Policy & Public Affairs and Communications teams.

A key part of this role will involve leading and quality assuring evaluation plans and delivery, as well as distilling and reporting findings in a meaningful way to shape and evidence the direction of EngineeringUK’s work. A strong understanding of qualitative and quantitative methods, data analysis and experience communicating complex information to a range of audiences is therefore required.

The role is London-based at the EngineeringUK offices at 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN and may involve some travel in the UK. We believe that hybrid working has many benefits and are pleased to offer flexible working with a minimum of 2 days (or 40%) a week in the office and core hours of 10am to 4pm.

Role responsibilities

·       To lead on the delivery of the relevant elements of the 2023-8 strategy, specifically:

o   Providing evidence so that engineering and tech engagement and careers information can be delivered more inclusively and effectively, increasing its impact on young people’s career aspirations and choices

·         To lead on the development and implementation of EngineeringUK’s impact and evaluation strategy and the associated elements of the annual business plan in support of the corporate strategy ensuring the organisation uses appropriate methods to assess impact and evaluate programmes

·         To update EngineeringUK’s Impact framework for engineering outreach and articulate an organisational theory of change, both of which will underpin programme-specific theories of change

·       To develop and implement an approach to measuring the return on investment of EngineeringUK’s STEM engagement activity

·         To lead, design and drive a programme of robust, proportionate impact measurement and evaluation across the organisation to include:

o    Developing a monitoring and evaluation framework that informs our approach to our programmes

o   Annual evaluation of EngineeringUK activities; reporting on and publishing the outcomes of those evaluations, including making recommendations for improvement as appropriate

o   Assessing evaluation requirements, preparing data specifications/tender documents for externally commissioned projects, and managing relationships with agencies and data providers

o   Designing high-quality and appropriate data collection instruments, tailored to each activity and suitable for the intended methods of analysis

o   Reviewing/maintaining appropriate methodological approaches for EngineeringUK’s projects

o   Implementing research ethics, data storage and data management protocol, ensuring that research is conducted in line with relevant policies, codes and applicable legislation

·       To work with engagement programme and fundraising teams to co-create programme outcomes and appropriate impact measures to support their activity

·       To lead the design and delivery of a programme of impact reporting to key (internal and external) audiences. This is likely to include in-year/ad hoc findings, end of programme funder reports, annual impact report etc. 

·       To work closely with the Head of Research keeping up to date with their activity, providing peer review for their (team’s) outputs and providing cover/additional resource as appropriate

·       To provide input/evidence to support the development of EngineeringUK policy positions, including distilling our own and others’ insights

·       To provide input to communications activity

·       To work collaboratively with colleagues across EngineeringUK to:

o   ensure we derive maximum leverage from our evaluations

o   embed learning into the development of future activities

o   respond to queries from the engineering sector and internal colleagues

·       To establish EngineeringUK as the ‘go to’ organisation on ‘what works’ in engineering engagement, producing regular reviews and guidance based on evidence and supporting the sector to fill evidence gaps in a proportionate manner

·       To provide leadership to the evaluation and impact team, setting clear objectives and ensuring their delivery through training and development plans that enable you and the team to keep up-to-date with developments in contemporary approaches to measuring impact, the latest evaluation findings in areas where EngineeringUK is active and more generally developments in STEM education

·       To manage the annual evaluation budget

·       To represent EngineeringUK externally, communicating its evaluation findings and identifying opportunities to forge relationships that benefit the organisation’s strategic objectives

·       To contribute to the wider success of the organisation, participating in decision making as part of the senior leadership team and undertaking other tasks or duties as directed and required

·       To work in line with EngineeringUK’s Quality Management System (QMS), complying with EngineeringUK’s data protection policies and safeguarding policies at all times

·       To commit to our mission and values, you will be able to engage with our values and work in a way that supports our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

·       Undertake any training and development as required for the role

This is a general guide to the key responsibilities of this role, it is not exhaustive. Similarly, the amount of time that you spend on various aspects of the role may vary. 

Person specification

Essential skills/competencies

Professional competencies and attributes

·   An interest in social research researching social issues

·   Strong data analytic skills

·   Strong knowledge of evaluation theory and methods

·   Experience in developing theories of change and impact frameworks

·   Experience of measuring (social) return on investment

·   Demonstrable experience leading evaluation projects, developing appropriate methodologies and corresponding primary research instruments for social research 

·   Good working knowledge of social statistics and understanding of inferential techniques (e.g. regression and multivariate analysis)

·   Excellent IT skills and adept working in Excel, SPSS and/or STATA 

·   Strong time management skills, with experience working on multiple projects at once, adapting to changing priorities, and meeting hard deadlines 

·   Ability to think creatively and innovatively whilst working under pressure

·   Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality 

People/delivery management 

·   Excellent programme and project management skills, with experience leading on research projects, quality assuring outputs and ensuring they are on time and within budget

·   Experience of building and managing small teams 

Stakeholder relations and communications 

·   Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex findings for non-specialist audiences

·   Experience producing impact reports and presenting findings to a range of audiences

·   Experience creating, maintaining and developing effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, fostering collaboration on shared objectives

Desirable experiences and attributes

·   Understanding of the STEM education landscape and/or wider policy making processes and issues

·   Experience of innovative data visualisation approaches

Education/level of experience

·   A first degree or equivalent evidence of analytical and problem-solving ability 

·   A qualification and/or work training in the application of research methods

EngineeringUK is committed to being an inclusive workplace, where everyone feels they belong.  This is supported by the dedicated work we are doing to ensure our policies and practices are inclusive and that our staff are trained to be able to fulfil this commitment.