Senior Impact and Evaluation Manager

UKRI International; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Defined benefit pension scheme

30 days annual leave plus 10.5 days (F

Job summary

AHRC within UKRI seeks a Senior Impact and Evaluation Manager to lead the design and delivery of MEL frameworks for the Research Programme on Gambling. This fixed-term role oversees impact strategy, monitoring, and reporting to demonstrate value and outcomes across government and research partners.

Based at Polaris House, Swindon, the role offers hybrid working with a mix of onsite and flexible hours. The successful candidate will establish the M&E plan in year one and collaborate across UKRI

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant scientific, technical, or professional discipline, or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Understanding of the UK research funding landscape and its broader societal impact.
• Experience of supporting monitoring and evaluation, analysis, programme delivery, or similar functions.
• Analytical skills to interpret data and generate clear, evidence-based insights.
• Experience contributing to reporting processes and producing high-quality outputs.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver a robust MEL strategy for the programme.
• Support regular reporting to DCMS.
• Engage with the programme’s portfolio of investments to monitor progress against objectives and identify outcomes and impacts.
• Collaborate with UKRI councils and corporate functions to enable delivery.
• Report to Head of Research Programme on Gambling.
• Develop cross-programme M&E plan in year one.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Written communication

Verbal communication

Stakeholder management

Reporting experience

M&E frameworks

Education

PhD in a relevant scientific, technical, or professional discipline

Job description

Senior Impact and Evaluation Manager | AHRC
Salary: £46,743 per annum.
Grade: UKRI Band E.
Contract Type: Fixed Term until 31st March 2031.
Hours: Full Time(flexible/part-time working considered).
Location: Polaris House, Swindon.
Closing date:Wednesday 28th October 2026

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:

• PhD in a relevant scientific, technical, or professional discipline, or equivalent demonstrable experience in a related field.(S)
• 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 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 [e-mail].