Senior Evaluation Manager (Maternity Cover)
Full time, up to 12 months fixed-term
Central London (with hybrid working - a minimum of one full day per week in the office)

The Organisation
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

We do this by supporting schools, colleges, and nurseries to improve teaching and learning through better use of evidence. We generate research evidence on effective practice in supporting learning outcomes and narrowing the socioeconomic attainment gap, and we work with education professionals to ensure this evidence is applied to achieve the maximum possible benefit for children and young people.

The EEF’s reach and impact have been tremendous: the English education system is now one of the most evidence-informed in the world. Over half of state primary and secondary schools have taken part in an EEF-funded trial, and 70% of all school leaders use the Teaching and Learning Toolkit to inform their decision-making.


The role
We’re looking for two Senior Evaluation Managers for fixed-term maternity cover posts to commission and oversee robust, cost-effective evaluations of promising projects, manage a portfolio of studies, and contribute to the development of methodological best practice at the heart of the EEF’s work.

As a Senior Evaluation Manager, you’ll play a pivotal role in commissioning and managing high-quality, cost-effective evaluations of EEF-funded projects. You will take a leadership role within the team, leading on strategic areas including working closely with other teams at the EEF, modelling quality expectations, managing a portfolio of complex projects and supporting Evaluation Managers with project management. You’ll oversee a portfolio of studies from design to delivery, working closely with external evaluators and programme teams to ensure rigorous, practical evaluations and clear communication of findings. This is a chance to shape influential research, strengthen the evidence base on what works in education, and contribute to the EEF’s wider strategic work.

Your responsibilities
Leadership
• Leading the evaluation team’s work in key strategic areas of responsibility (which could change over time depending on organisational need). It is expected that these posts will hold responsibility for our Early Years work and work in 16 – 19 education.
• Developing secure knowledge of typical challenges and mitigations for research projects implemented within your area(s) of responsibility, such that you are the authority within the team on this area.
• Working with Senior Programme Managers and with others across the organisation to review and refine our portfolio and practice within your area(s) of responsibility.
• Maintaining relationships with key external stakeholders such as evaluators, testing subcontractors, assessment providers, academic experts in your area(s) of responsibility.
• Leading on training and support for Evaluation Managers in your area of responsibility or in other cross-cutting areas.
• Line managing a small number of team members.
• Undertaking other duties which may from time to time be requested by the Head of Evaluation / Director of Research / Chief Executive.

Guidance development
• Developing, improving and monitoring implementation of evaluation guidance and resources to clarify best practice and build the capacity of evaluators to conduct high quality research.
• Providing pragmatic thought leadership, navigating the balance between rigour, relevance and actionability to develop evidence-based resources that summarise research and practice.

Grantmaking
• Commissioning evaluations in our priority areas, including critically reviewing evaluation proposals to ensure proposed designs are high quality and cost-effective and that the most suitable external evaluators are matched with projects.
• Managing a portfolio of complex evaluation projects once external evaluators are appointed, including management of contracts, budgets, monitoring delivery of evaluation plans and technical review of evaluation outputs.
• Working closely with the evaluator and delivery team to understand the practical issues involved in delivering evaluations, mitigating risks, and providing support when problems arise.
• Modelling effective grant management and supporting Evaluation Managers with problem solving on their projects.


About You
To be considered for the role, you will need:
• A commitment to the aims of the EEF and a genuine interest in the education sector in England.
• A Masters’ degree with substantial research methodological training, or equivalent research experience.
• An expert understanding of technical aspects of evaluation methodologies (implementation and process evaluations, randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, choice of outcome measurement, etc.) and an ability to identify high quality evaluation plans and reports.
• Extensive experience in delivering or commissioning rigorous evaluation projects in education, health, or another related field.
• A detailed, practical understanding of grantmaking relating to research generation (which may come from working within the EEF Evaluation Team or a similar role in another organisation).
• Experience leading or supporting strategic initiatives that require effective collaboration with internal teams and external partners.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to communicate complex information to a variety of audiences including practitioners, academics, and policymakers.
• Strong relationship management skills, including managing stakeholder performance and differences in opinion.
• An organised and methodical approach, with excellent project management skills and the ability to prioritise own workload and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• The ability to work independently with strong attention to detail and a commitment to fact checking own work, as well as the ability to work closely and collaboratively across teams.
• A proactive, flexible, and pragmatic approach to evaluation, with an ability to balance a commitment to rigour with accessibility and impact.
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring these principles are upheld in all aspects of your work.

If this sounds like the opportunity for you, please submit your application via our online recruitment portal.


Key Dates
Applications open: Friday 13th March
Applications close: Sunday 29th March
First stage interviews: Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th April
Second stage interviews: Thursday 16th and Friday 17th April

The EEF is committed to create a workforce that is diverse, promotes inclusion and supports everyone to progress and achieve, regardless of background characteristics.