The opportunity 

We are recruiting an Evaluation and Learning Lead, to oversee evaluation and learning across two of our Impact on Urban Health programmes: Childhood Obesity and Health Effects of Air Pollution. This is a critical senior role, working across teams to drive our evaluation and learning practice forward, and improve its efficiency and effectiveness. 

At Impact on Urban Health, we are building a portfolio of programmes that demonstrate the power of long-term approaches to complex health issues in urban environments. We focus our efforts on the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark, working in partnership with residents, local and national government, community and private sector partners to improve the health of local residents. By doing this, we aim to influence others in the UK and internationally to create better health. The programmes focus on childhood obesity, multiple long-term conditions, the health effects of air pollution and adolescent mental health, and are all at different stages of development.  

Evaluation and learning are critical to ensure we are making the best use of evidence to achieve our intended impact, and to make change happen – not just for our local residents, but for others around the UK and beyond, through sharing lessons and influencing decision makers.  

The Evaluation and Learning team  

The Evaluation and Learning team leads on ensuring that rigorous evidence is both systematically used to drive impact for people living in Lambeth and Southwark, and synthesised to advance the emerging field of urban health. To achieve these aims, we provide expertise, set standards and lead the design and development of approaches to be increasingly rigorous and consistent, whilst pragmatic. We work closely with colleagues across several teams as well as external providers, and need to design our approaches thoughtfully, whilst keeping up momentum and focus. The ideal candidate will be skilled in multiple stakeholder management and the demonstrated ability to implement and improve meaningful evaluation and learning for complex and experimental interventions and programmes.  

The role reports to the Director of Evidence and Impact. Key internal relationships for this role are the Childhood Obesity programme team, the Health Effects of Air Pollution programme team, our Policy and Influencing team, our Communications team and the Executive Director for Impact and Urban Health. Key external relationships are our partners delivering projects, our external research and consultancy partners, and our colleagues at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. 

The Evaluation and Learning team comprises the Evidence and Impact Director, and three Evaluation and Learning Leads, who each focus on different Impact and Urban Health programmes and on our NHS Charities. 

Responsibilities 

Impact on Urban Health 

• Lead on evaluation and learning design and implementation for the Childhood Obesity and Health Effects of Air Pollution programmes, in partnership with the Programme Director 

• Ensure evaluation activity at project and programme level meets our strategic objectives, and is equitable and inclusive 

• Work closely with programme and influencing colleagues to improve the fit of evaluation designs with our internal and external evidence needs, and the use of insights for both decision making and external influencing 

• Oversee the commissioning and effective delivery of external programme evaluation partner support 

• Provide strategic and technical support to project evaluations 

• Lead the implementation of internal programme-level data collection systems and approaches 

• Manage the programme evaluation budget 

Evaluation and Learning Team responsibilities 

• Support cross-programmatic evaluation and learning alignment across Impact on Urban Health 

• Develop personal expertise in urban health evidence 

• Provide thought leadership in urban health evidence through blogs and speaking at events 

• Champion a culture of learning, reflection and evidence-based decision making 

• Deputise for the Evidence and Impact Director where appropriate 

Person Specification 

Experience, skills and attributes  

Essential 

• Extensive experience of leading social research and evaluation design and implementation in social sector context  

• Expertise in either, or both, quantitative and qualitative research methods  

• Expertise in developing inclusive evaluation designs in a test and learn and innovative context 

• Expertise in adapting evaluation methods and approach to different contexts and stages of programme development, and size/scale of projects 

• Experience of leading learning processes or implementing evidence-based changes to strategy or intervention delivery 

• Experience in relationship management 

• Experience of leading and managing complex projects  

• Expertise in synthesising and sharing complex findings which are clear, succinct and influential 

• Structured approach to strategic planning, task implementation and managing priorities 

• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic thinking and keeping long term goals in mind with operational task delivery 

• Demonstrated confidence in challenging the status quo   

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 

• Collaborative team-player and leader 

Desirable 

• Experience of commissioning and/or managing external research or evaluation partners  

• Knowledge of urban health context, health inequalities or social determinants of health interventions  

• Understanding of systems change principles and/or place-based intervention