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 Governments 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?theres?a significant opportunity to?establish?and drive the strategic and operational direction of the programme.
Clean Energy
The Clean Energy Superpower Mission is the UKs 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.
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 teams 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.
Personal Specification
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,…