IN A NUTSHELL

The Centre for Homelessness Impact is searching for an Evidence Lead who will help to continue growing our Evidence work. The ideal candidate will be adept at uncovering insights from data and evidence, skilfully translating insights into simple, yet meaningful messages for policy, service design and innovation. This person will be comfortable with different evaluation methods particularly Randomised Controlled Trials, but also other methods (i.e. Quasi-experimental designs, Systematic Reviews, Qualitative methods) and how to adapt them to ensure research is robust and relevant for decision-makers. 

The Evidence Lead will work in close collaboration with the Head of Evidence and Data to scope opportunities for our evidence and work and capitalise on opportunities for collaboration with other organisations in this space.  

We are a small and focused team with great ambitions. We are looking for someone with an entrepreneurial spirit - a self-starter who gets excited by uncovering the insights and sees how they can be used to unlock new opportunities. We work with multiple partners on a variety of projects - so it is crucial that the Evidence Lead is capable to prioritise effectively and devote resources to the activities that are likely to generate the greatest impact. 

WHY IS THIS ROLE IMPORTANT FOR THE CENTRE’S WORK?

At the Centre, we help people to harness the power of evidence and data to improve policies and interventions to support people experiencing homelessness. 

You will help grow and shape the direction of our evidence work. Working under the oversight of the Head of Evidence and Data, you will help scope, oversee and run studies using different methodological approaches,  guaranteeing methodological excellence and policy relevance, and pushing the boundaries for how we identify insights from research findings. 

Most importantly, you will ensure those lessons are captured and fed into all the other streams of our work. Your skillset is critical to our work because you have the ability to both cultivate relationships with stakeholders and support the development of world-class researchers.

WE’RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN

• Manage the day-to-day development of our primary studies (Impact Evaluations, Qualitative Studies and Policy Papers), providing technical quality assurance at every stage of the project and ensuring the policy relevance of any commissioned research;

• Manage the day-to-day development of some of our Evidence Tools (Intervention Tool, Evidence and Gap Maps, Evidence Finder, SHARE platform), providing technical quality assurance at every stage of the project and liaising with the Product Team to ensure the needs of the users are considered for all updates;

• Write concise and actionable summaries of insights for policymakers and practitioners based on data and what we know works (Evidence Notes, blogs, and others); and support the dissemination of data and findings in other formats (presentations, social media, etc);

• Work in close collaboration with the Head of Evidence and Data to help develop and shape the Centre’s research agenda, contributing to scope, plan, and deliver new research (Impact Evaluations, Qualitative studies and Policy Papers);

• Work closely with members of the Implementation Team to engage with homelessness practitioners to use evidence and data and with members of the Comms Team to support the dissemination of findings to our wider audience.

• Manage multiple projects and diverse stakeholders’ needs effectively and sensitively; with the capacity to build and nurture good relationships with diverse stakeholders.

• Flexibility to contribute to CHI’s other strands of work in a small, focused team; with openness to critique from other disciplines and curiosity to learn from the spectrum of perspectives represented by different members of the team and other stakeholders.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND BEHAVIOURS

We need a self-starter, capable of scoping and delivering data-led projects and articulating effectively how these are aligned with our strategic priorities and the needs of decision-makers.

Your experience includes:

• Mastery in a social science discipline, e.g. economics, data science, public policy or related discipline

• Demonstrable experience in complex Project Management.

• Experience working in applied research, a What Works Centre or an organisation with a similar mission, with a track record of undertaking applied research using a variety of methodologies and experimenting with new research approaches.

• Experience in impact evaluation design, particularly Randomised Control Trials; as well as the practical challenges of implementing these in practice.

• Experience writing and communicating: drawing insights from data and research findings and communicating them to decision-makers.

• An entrepreneurial approach and an ability to work effectively and flexibly in a lean, diverse and agile organisation with big ambitions. Keenness to stay abreast of data and statistical developments which may have implications for CHI’s evidence and data programme.

Nice to have:

• Experience in cost-effectiveness methodologies.

• Nuanced understanding of homelessness policies across the UK.

• Experience using data visualisation tools such as PowerBi or Flourish

You will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Ability to push the boundaries for how data and evidence can generate insights and contribute to designing intelligent services and systems to improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness or a risk.

• Ability to set clear priorities and work to tight deadlines

• Capacity to build and nurture good relationships with diverse stakeholders

• Commitment to both the aims and values of the Centre.

• Openness to critique from other disciplines and curiosity to learn from a spectrum of perspectives.