Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Manager

Company Description

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). We work in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR funds, enables, and delivers world-leading health and social care research that improves people's health and wellbeing and promotes economic growth. We are also a major funder of applied health research in low- and middle-income countries.

DHSC contracts directly with a number of NHS Trusts, universities and life science organisations that together host our two coordinating centres :

• NIHR Coordinating Centre (NIHRCC), hosted by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Southampton, and LGC.
• Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre (CRNCC), hosted by a consortium of the University of Leeds and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

These two coordinating centres share operational responsibility for the NIHR. Their work is directed by DHSC’s Chief Scientific Adviser and by the Director and Senior Management Team of DHSC's Science Research and Evidence Directorate.

This position reports to the NIHR Lead Economist and provides an excellent opportunity to join the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Team  team focuses on generating timely and suitable evidence and insights to help NIHR be innovative, adaptable, and effective in supporting and handling research impact.

This position will assist both organisational level NIHR MEL activity through the NIHR Impact Programme and local Programme / Scheme level MEL activity.

This role primarily focuses on advancing the development and reporting of the NIHR Indicators, a vital part of NIHR organisational MEL within the NIHR Impact Programme. These indicators allow NIHR to communicate progress with DHSC and other collaborators about our aim to improve the health and wealth of the nation. The framework is based on our 4 I’s :
Impact, Inclusion, Innovation, and Investment. Responsibilities include supporting the NIHR Impact Programme by leading the delivery and integration of cross-NIHR indicator evidence into products and communications. The person will support the creation and review of both quantitative and qualitative evidence. They will offer advice on data quality, method reliability, contextual interpretation, and impact visualisation. Furthermore, they will collaborate across sectors to encourage adherence to standard processes and ongoing improvement.

As part of your duties, you will provide evidence and communicate the effects of our health and social care research investments. You will guide activities that promote, develop, and embed enhanced monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) methods throughout NIHR. This fosters a learning environment that improves research management and amplifies its impact.

You will be a strategic problem solver who can view issues and solutions from various partner perspectives to understand the bigger picture. You will handle complexity well and lead the development, planning, and delivery of complex projects in a practical and balanced way. Excellent interpersonal skills and refined relationship-building abilities are crucial to work effectively with NIHR colleagues and important internal and external collaborators across the NIHR research ecosystem.

This is a hybrid role situated at LGC’s office in Twickenham, requiring you to be present 4 days each month.

• Chair of the ‘NIHR Indicators Delivery Group’ as part of the NIHR Impact Programme
• Provide progress reports in monthly Impact Leadership meetings and as needed. Update slide decks and reports and respond to given direction.
• Function as a liaison between other NIHR Impact Programme projects in other delivery groups, including providing and assessing NIHR indicator evidence for information requests and proactive activities, attending delivery group meetings, and reviewing products and reports
• Maintain and review key process-related documents, Terms of Reference, work instructions, RAID logs
• Manage a small…