Role outline and purpose  

The Head of Impact and Evidence is accountable for leading the team providing evidence and learning to inform operational and strategic decision-making across the organisation, support fundraising and inform the organisation’s policy development and campaigning activity. This includes evaluating interventions to generate robust evidence about what works to reduce the need for food banks and leading impact measurement across our programmes of activity. The Head is also responsible for working with other teams to build capacity across the Trussell Trust’s network of food banks to gather and use data and evidence effectively.   

Role responsibilities 

• Lead, design and drive a programme of robust impact measurement and evaluation across the organisation, informing strategic decision-making and organisational development.  

• Ensure the organisation uses appropriate methods to assess impact and evaluate programmes and actionable insight is generated and shared effectively.  

• Combine operational data with bespoke in-house and commissioned evidence to give operational teams the tools to understand their impact and direct future activity, and support leaders to make strategic decisions about programme design, scale and resource allocation. 

• Investigate and develop new ways to draw on operational and evaluation evidence to inform policy development, campaigning and local community action, including learning from other organisations.  

• Lead design and delivery of impact reporting to key internal and external audiences through a combination of a regular reporting cycle (e.g. annual impact report, impact monitoring) and one-off studies (as appropriate).  

• This includes providing internal consultancy to programme and fundraising teams, supporting them to shape and upscale programmes, define suitable programme outcomes and develop appropriate impact measures and data to support their activity.  

• Ensure the Impact and Evidence team works effectively with colleagues in other parts of the organisation and across the network of food banks, providing a high quality, tailored and supportive service and leading the development of effective impact measurement and evaluation across the organisation.  

Person Specification 

Technical skills and minimum knowledge: 

• Advanced knowledge of a wide range of evaluation and research methods, including both qualitative and quantitative methods and expertise designing effective outcome measurement. 

• Highly experienced in designing ways to analyse data, draw out insight and use data visualisation and other techniques to present findings in a compelling, accessible and accurate manner.  

• Experienced in managing research and evaluation specialists, designing and leading research, evaluation and analytical programmes and ensuring a robust approach to quality control across all projects.  

• Experienced in managing multiple internal stakeholders and competing demands, establishing clear priorities and delivering a high-quality service that meets organisational objectives.  

• Demonstrable ability to develop and maintain a network of relevant external stakeholders to enable the Trussell Trust to learn from the experience and ideas of other organisations.  

 Behaviours and competencies: 

• Advanced written and verbal communication skills, presenting information and insight persuasively, in a format tailored to the audience.   

• Highly effective in building relationships and influencing across the organisation in order to drive change. 

• Demonstrates strong commitment to the values of the Trussell Trust and to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion across the organisation.  

• Demonstrates empathy for people from disadvantaged, marginalised or socially- excluded backgrounds.  

• Role model inclusive behaviour and leadership. 

Key Stakeholders 

• Director of Policy, Research & Impact 

• Chief Strategy Officer 

• Head of Policy & Research  

• Head of Strategic Intelligence 

• SLG and SLT 

• The Trussell Trust’s network leads for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and food bank network across the UK 

• Public Engagement department Heads, particularly in the Strategic Communications, Audience Insight and Engagement, and fundraising teams 

• Research and sector organisations in relevant fields. 

• Funders 

Our Values 

The Trussell Trust is a charity that works to end the need for food banks. It is founded on and shaped by Christian principles. 

Our values of dignity, justice, compassion and community, are central to all that we do and therefore supports our aim to be an organisation where the diversity of all employees is valued.  We welcome people of all faiths and none and those that are committed to these values. 

We recognise that we have under-represented groups within our workforce. As part of our commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity we are actively encouraging applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people who are LGBT+, from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions and those with a lived experience of poverty as well as any other under-represented group in our workforce. We are committed ensuring the safety and protection of our employees from all forms of harm.