Senior Evaluation and Performance Analyst - Swindon, United Kingdom - UK Research and Innovation

Description

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UK Research and Innovation

Salary: £43,116

Hours: Full time or Part time (Minimum 0.8 FTE)

Contract Type: Open Ended.

Location: Polaris House, Swindon. ** Employees who are already based in London may retain this location when accepting this role**

Closing date: Monday 6th May 2024

This is an exciting opportunity to join the dynamic, multi-disciplinary analysis team working across the remit of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The UKRI Evaluation and Performance Team has a mission to maximise and understand UKRI's impact through robust monitoring and evaluation and embedding the use of impact evidence within policy design. The team manages the overall framework for measuring UKRI's performance and impact and leads on the M&E strategy for cross-cutting R&I investment including the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) and UKRI's response to Covid-19.

The team also works with the councils to support monitoring and evaluation best practice; is involved in work to streamline and improve monitoring and evaluation processes across UKRI; and leads work to build the evidence base on 'what works' in R&I funding policy and funding practice.

We are a team committed to diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from anyone with the skills needed. The role is available to people working full-time, part-time or job-shares, and flexible working is the norm. The team works across the London and Swindon offices, a good proportion of the work can be done from home and there will be opportunities to visit colleagues in London/Swindon offices and other UKRI sites.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

We are committed to supporting each other's personal and professional development and will support your learning and development ambitions in this role.

The role

We are recruiting for a Senior Evaluation and Performance Analyst role. This is a high profile and diverse role, working with a wide variety of teams across UKRI to identify and advise on evaluation priorities and leading delivery of a portfolio of evaluation activity. The successful candidate will also be responsible for delivering the analytical components of UKRI 's performance reports.

Although an understanding and experience of evaluation would be useful, we are primarily looking for people with skills and experience in using qualitative and quantitative evidence with critical thinking to help understand what works and support learning and decision making.

This is a varied role and responsibilities will change to meet new team priorities, but the key elements of the role include:

• Delivering the analytical components of UKRI 's performance reports.
• Working with stakeholders across UKRI and beyond to develop new performance indicators .
• Leading on planning, commissioning, and managing independent evaluations of key investments and programmes, and working with stakeholders to design and implement monitoring and evaluation plans .
• Communicating evaluation evidence internally and externally, explaining technical information clearly, and working to ensure impactful dissemination of findings.
• Delivering and disseminating analysis using a range of quantitative and qualitative methods to inform strategy, support learning and drive improvement .
• Contributing to the UKRI evaluation community including developing evaluation guidance, maintaining awareness of current best practice , and sharing latest thinking on evaluation methodologies.

About you

You will have:

• A relevant degree or equivalent work experience in a subject such as social research, social sciences, economics, mathematics, or other numerate subjects. You do not need to be badged to a Government Analytical Profession to apply for this role.
• H ighly developed analytical skills with experience of gathering, synthesising and interpreting information from multiple primary and secondary evidence sources.
• An understanding of a broad range of approaches to evaluations, including the limitations and appropriateness of different methods to meet specific objectives .
• Ability to apply critical thinking skills to develop and implement creative solutions to complex problems .
• Ability to plan and prioritise your own work and the work of others to deliver successful outcomes, including responding flexibly to changing requirements and ambiguity.
• S trong written and verbal communication skills, with experience of communicating effectively to a mixture of audiences using a range of media.

While not essential, the following experience is highly desirable:

• An understanding of the research funding landscape, and the role of UKRI within it .
• Experience of a relevant specialist area of evaluation, benefits realisation , performance analysis, or economics, including associated qualitative and quantitative research techniques.

Assessment criteria

Applicants are invited to submit a CV and a cover letter which demonstrate your technical analysis skills and demonstrate your experience against the Civil Service behaviours listed below:

1. Analytical Skills: experience in delivering robust quantitative and qualitative analysis, ideally in the context of evaluating funding or policy interventions, including steps taken to ensure it was robust.

2. Making Effective Decisions: have strong analytical judgment, and the ability to draw conclusions from complex and incomplete data .

3 . Working Together: the ability to develop strong, trust-based relationships with others, even when objectives are not aligned.

4 . Communicating and Influencing: the ability to co mmunicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact.

A t interview you will be assessed on Analytical Skills (both knowledge/application, and communication), Making Effective Decisions , Working Together and Communicating and Influencing . S ifted candidates will be reminded of this and asked to prepare a brief presentation prior to interview.

For guidance see Success Profile s - Civil Service Behaviours ) - this role is equivalent to a "SEO" senior executive officer banding in the Civil Service so applicants should provide evidence at least on a par with 'Level 3 - HEO and SEO or equivalent'

Please note that we select people to interview based on the strength of the evidence supplied in the cover letter. We recommend that you invest some time in making your cover letter as strong as possible and use it to demonstrate your analytical skills and experience. The cover letter is the main source of evidence for the sift of applications - not the CV.

How to Apply

Applicants are invited to submit a CV and a cover letter which demonstrate your technical analysis skills and demonstrate your experience against the Civil Service behaviours.

• Your CV must evidence a relevant degree, or equivalent experience as described above.
• With a maximum length of 1000 words, your cover letter should focus in turn on each of the essential criteria described above (Analytical skills; Making Effective Decisions; Working Together ; Communicating and Influencing ).
• It is advisable that you apply the STAR approach when describing your experience against these behaviours. For each select a specific example from your career and use ~250 words to describe the (1) situation, (2) task, (3) action and (4) result.
• We recommend you upload your cover letter as an attachment, and indicate that you have done that within the cover letter box on Taleo .

We will sift applications based on above competencies. If we receive many applications siftings of cover letters shall be done on the lead competency, Analytical skills.

If you have any questions contact the hiring manager, Rick Hamilton rick . hamilton

If you experience any issue applying, please contact

About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK. Together we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at .

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI .

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ' How we support EDI in the workforce '.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.