Senior Evaluation Manager

Senior Evaluation Manager

Band: UKRI Band E
Salary: £46,743 per annum
Hours: Full-time/ Part Time (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available)
Reports to: Innovation Lead – Clean Energy Superpower Mission
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid working available
Contract: Fixed Term 23 months.

Closing Date: Wednesday 9th September 2026

R&D Missions Accelerator Programme

The R&D Missions Accelerator Programme (R&DMAP) represents an exceptional opportunity to create real world impact through R&D investment.    
The programme will utilise a £500m budget to bring together the private sector, the third sectors and academia to collaboratively develop innovative solutions to public sector problems, resulting in new technologies, services, IP and more.  
 
The programme has been designed to solve the key problems facing the Government’s five national Missions and enable delivery of the milestones in the Plan for Change.  

The Government has identified the key problems faced by the UK, to which the R&D Missions Accelerator Programme has designed Research and Innovation (R&I) Challenges to develop solutions.

The programme is currently developing its approaches across the Missions, and therefore by joining at this stage there’s a significant opportunity to establish and drive the strategic and operational direction of the programme.  
 
Clean Energy

The Clean Energy Superpower Mission is the UK’s world-leading response to climate change with its twin focus on Clean Power by 2030 and accelerating to Net Zero.  We're tackling two interconnected challenges that will shape the nation's energy independence, push peaking gas plant off the system, and drive down energy bills. We are looking at how new business models and approaches can unlock grid flexibility through AI and digital innovation, and developing new low-cost ultra-long duration energy storage solutions. Working with experts in system change such as the Energy Systems and Digital Catapults, market shapers at NESO and Elexon and leading industry players, we are investing in real-world solutions and growing UK-based innovators and skills, right at the forefront of building the flexible, resilient power grid that will deliver our clean energy superpower ambitions.  
We are looking for people who are highly self-motivated and who engage widely to find new solutions and ways of creating impact and bring real benefits to peoples’ lives and the economy. 

About the role

This will be a varied and interesting role to lead the delivery of a portfolio of monitoring, evaluation and related strategic activity. The role will lead/support the design and delivery of strategic evaluations of new activities, encouraging best practice and building evaluation capability. The role will provide support and guidance to developing logic models, execute evaluation plans, and taking part in steering and advisory groups. This role will involve developing evidence syntheses and processes to disseminate and embed evidence of impact. Additionally, the role will require strong stakeholder management across challenge teams and UKRI.

The role incorporates a joint focus on programme-level and mission-level M&E support. In addition to working across the Clean Energy Superpower Mission the postholder will be involved in the Evaluation Working Groups for the overarching R&D MAP evaluation. This provides an exciting opportunity to shape a mission portfolio while benefiting from, and sharing, experience and good practice across the missions.
The postholder will be a central member of the Clean Energy Superpower Mission team, reporting to a Grade F manager, with a secondary reporting line to the Head of M&E in the R&DMAP hub.

Hybrid Working

This position is based at our Swindon office, but hybrid working is available in accordance with UKRI policy. The team has a standing agreement to meet once a month at the Swindon office, and once a month at the London office, separately by two weeks. This post also may require travel to attend external visits and meetings. We welcome applications from candidates with special requirements.

Your responsibilities:

• Designing and delivering evaluation activity on behalf of the mission including contract managing independent evaluations of major challenge investments. 
• Working in partnership with key partners (internal and external) to co-develop and implement monitoring and evaluation plans for mission activities and investments. 
• Leading the team’s efforts to monitor and assess outcomes and benefits from mission funding activities. 
• Working with other relevant teams to develop and synthesise evidence around the impact of the programme and its key investments, including identifying and developing case studies. 
• Active involvement in the R&DMAP Evaluation Working Groups and two-way sharing of lessons and experience between the other missions and the Clean Energy Superpower Mission.
• Leading on set up and delivery of performance reporting structures and processes as required. 
• Contributing to wider team activities and priorities as required including scoping, and development, commissioning and management of high-quality research and innovation investments.

This is not a comprehensive list, and we may require you to undertake other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post.

Personal Specification  

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

Essential

• Professional competency and technical skills reflecting expertise in research, monitoring and evaluation, ideally through a recognised and certified qualification (S).
• A demonstrable understanding of monitoring and evaluation and its uses, including awareness of a range of evaluation approaches for meeting specific objectives (S&I).
• Strong experience in design and delivery of impact evaluations of complex programmes (S).
• Sophisticated analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, and an ability to think strategically (S&I).
• Translating evidence effectively, explaining technical information clearly, and describing to varied audiences the implications, risks and uncertainties of such analysis. (I).
• Ability to plan and prioritise own work and the work of others to deliver successful outcomes, including responding flexibly to changing requirements and ambiguity (S&I).
• Well-developed communication and interpersonal skills at all levels, with the ability to maintain connections and influence to secure effective outcomes (I).

Desirable:
 

• Energy sector knowledge and experience (S).
• Demonstrable understanding of, experience in, or willingness to develop expertise in economic evaluation methods, including Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA), Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA), Cost-Minimisation Analysis (CMA), and Cost-Utility Analysis (CUA) (S).
• The ability to build influential networks and experience in managing relationships across a broad range of stakeholder and cross-functional teams (I).
• A strong background of facilitation and/or stakeholder engagement and relationship management with experience of, for example, using focus groups or workshops to develop business case models and approaches (I).
• An understanding of the R&I funding landscape, and role of UKRI within it (I).

Benefits

We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning!

A list of benefits below:

• An outstanding defined salary pension scheme.
• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent).
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
• Flexible working options.

Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

For further information on our benefits please see:

Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact [email protected].