Senior Impact and Evaluation Manager

Senior Impact and Evaluation Manager | AHRC
Salary: £46,743 per annum.
Grade: UKRI Band E.
Contract Type: Fixed Term 23 months.
Hours: Full Time (flexible/part-time working considered).
Location: Polaris House, Swindon.
Closing date: 6th September 2026.
Interview date: W/C 28th September 2026.

Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period of time, please refer to the Recruitment Policy for further information in the first instance. If you are made an offer, please ensure you liaise with your Line Manager and the designated HR Team as soon as possible in order that implications of any move are clear and understood, prior to a move taking place.

About Arts and Humanities Research Council

The AHRC supports world-class research, skills and infrastructure that furthers our understanding of human culture and creativity. It supports research and postgraduate training in a wide range of subject areas, from ancient history and heritage science to modern dance and digital content. Research into these areas helps us to interpret our experiences, probe our identities, interrogate our cultural assumptions and understand our historical, social, economic and political context. It adds to the economic success of the UK, through its contributions to the knowledge economy and innovation agenda. The research we fund can lead to improvements in social and intellectual capital, community identity, learning skills, technological evolution and the quality of life of the nation.  The infrastructure, digital and physical collections, facilities and resources we help develop and sustain for arts and humanities are integral to UKRI’s broader commitment to a long-term national capability for research.

Further details can be found via the following links: https://ahrc.ukri.org/  

About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI encompasses the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.  

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.

About the role

As Senior Evaluation and Impact Manager for the Research Programme on Gambling (RPG) you will be responsible for the design and delivery of a monitoring and evaluation framework and impact strategy for the newly established Programme, a multidisciplinary initiative funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). This fixed term appointment offers a unique opportunity to deliver a significant cross-sector programme that addresses gambling-related harms through collaborative, evidence-led research. 

The role combines monitoring, evaluation and reporting with identifying and capturing outcomes and impacts in order to demonstrate the value and effectiveness of the Gambling Levy and research programme.

Within the first year, the post-holder will have worked with the Head of RPG to establish a cross-programme M&E plan, supported flagship investments in project-specific M&E and reporting needs, and positioned the RPG as a credible, trusted programme across government and the research community.

Your work will include:

• Design and delivery of a robust MEL strategy for the programme
• Supporting regular reporting to DCMS
• Engaging with the programme’s portfolio of investments to monitor progress against objectives and identify outcomes and impacts
• You will be part of a small team and work across UKRI councils and corporate functions to enable delivery.
• You will report to Head of Research Programme on Gambling.

Main Responsibilities

• Contribute to developing and applying logic models, theories of change, SMART objectives, baselines and metrics, in line with agreed standards and guidance.
• Support development of programme-level KPIs to agree shared expectations across stakeholders.
• Work with the RPG team to develop reporting requirements, implement systems, and manage regular reporting cycles.
• Analyse quantitative and qualitative data and contribute to producing clear, evidence-based insights for decision-making and reporting.
• Support commissioning and management of external evaluations and contribute to analysis for internal and DCMS reporting.
• Build relationships internally and externally to support collection of data, case studies and impact evidence.

Person Specification

The following criteria will be assessed at shortlisting (S), at interview (I) or both (S/I).

Essential:

• Understanding of the UK research funding landscape and its broader societal impact (S/I).
• Experience of supporting monitoring and evaluation, analysis, programme delivery, or similar functions, including applying frameworks such as metrics or performance measures (S/I).
• Analytical skills with the ability to analyse, interpret and synthesise quantitative and qualitative data to generate clear, evidence-based insights (S/I).
• Experience of contributing to reporting processes and producing high-quality written outputs (S/I).
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders, internal and external (S&I).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly (S/I).

About Hybrid Working

We support a hybrid approach, and you can expect a mix of working from home, the office, and occasionally at other UK locations.

AHRC staff will be assigned to Tier 2 meaning a standard expectation of 40–60% onsite attendance (pro-rated against working time) including those hosted by AHRC. This will come into effect on 1st October 2026.

At times, this may involve overnight stays and/or occasional work outside of standard office hours.

Benefits

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

A list of benefits below:

• An outstanding defined benefit 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]

Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee, and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact [email protected].