Senior Consultant

Employer: NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit

Employer type: NHS

Site: 23 Stephenson Street, Birmingham

Salary: £46,148 – £52,809 pa

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 17/02/2025 23:59

Interview date: 27/02/2025

Senior Consultant

NHS AfC: Band 7

Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Consultant: Mixed Methods Evaluation

Team: Evaluation

Accountable to: The Strategy Unit is leading research, analysis and change from within the NHS.

The NHS and its partners face significant challenges, and our work is in high demand. We support healthcare providers, commissioners, universities, charities, and government organisations to solve complex problems by providing evidence-informed analysis and advice.

Please submit your application through the NHS Jobs portal. We recognise that this is not a straightforward process but unfortunately, we can’t accept CVs. We\’ll do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process to accommodate your needs, please contact Lorna Crofts ( ) who will be happy to support you.

Main Duties of the Job

The Strategy Unit Evaluation Team works with NHS England (NHSE), as well as Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and patient charities to provide mixed-method programme evaluations. You will be working with a wide range of clients to deliver evaluations from small, local interventions to large, national complex and high-profile programmes. We use a range of qualitative and quantitative methods and work with stakeholders at all levels from the most senior strategic positions to patients and service users, so well-developed communication skills are an essential requirement for this role.

As a Senior Consultant in the Evaluation Team, you will work in a matrix structure across a portfolio of small to medium (£50,000-£100,000) projects evaluating complex programmes addressing sensitive topics. You will be the day-to-day contact for clients as Project Manager across multiple projects, as well as working with other Project Managers to deliver work for other clients. As Project Manager, you will work with the Project Director to develop and deliver the programme of work, managing and monitoring resources and leading on client engagement.

We offer a competitive remuneration package, flexible working arrangements, and all the benefits associated with NHS employment – driven by the desire to offer an excellent work-life balance.

Working for Our Organisation

Our Values: We operate as an independent consultancy but are part of the NHS, hosted by Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU), and driven by NHS values.

The Strategy Unit has an office in central Birmingham, but our staff are based all over the UK. Most of the Evaluation Team work to a hybrid model of home and the office; some work at home.

The Evaluation Team has a voluntary compressed hours nine-day fortnight with a common non-working day. We know that everyone has a life outside work, and other flexible working options are available (as well as standard hours!).

Selection: We are committed to an inclusive hiring process, where every candidate has the chance to showcase their unique skills and experience in an accessible, and supported environment, to ensure that we can make the best appointment for each job on merit. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage those from underrepresented groups in this field to apply to us.

Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities

As part of the Evaluation Team, you will be working on a wide range of evaluations from small, local interventions to large, national complex and high-profile programmes.

The Roles: The Strategy Unit is committed to being more representative of the people we serve. We would like to encourage applications from appropriately qualified individuals from underrepresented groups.

As a Senior Consultant , you will be leading evaluation project teams, working with our clients and taking responsibility for delivery; and be supported to develop and grow your skills and interests.

We are looking for someone with experience of managing mixed methods evaluation projects with strong research and writing skills. You will be familiar with different quantitative evaluation methods, NHS datasets and help to interpret complex findings for non-specialist audiences.

You will use your qualitative skills to deliver programmes of qualitative work. Often providing support and guidance for more junior colleagues, you will be responsible for: the development of topic guides and participant information sheets; research site engagement and negotiation; the recruitment of participants; interviews with stakeholders; developing and testing coding frames; the analysis of large qualitative datasets; and report writing. You will ensure a DPIA is agreed with the client for each project, and that all data collection and analysis is conducted to high ethical standards and information governance requirements.

You will attend and contribute to the Team’s developmental Mixed Methods Working Group, and others (currently AI, Patient and Public Involvement, and Ethics) aligned with your interests, join the monthly anchor day team sessions remotely or in person and weekly project meetings.

You will be a valued member of the Strategy Unit team, supporting the development of our services, systems, strategy, and reputation for excellence. Although based with the Evaluation Team, there will be opportunities to work with other teams depending on your interests.

MLCSU recognise that you deserve to develop your unique skill set. We encourage our staff to adopt a culture of learning to continually evolve and develop the organisation. You will be provided with all the opportunities you require to develop your skills and build your career, both through formal training and hands-on experience.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience in a similar or relevant work environment
• Experience of managing medium-sized or complex evaluation projects including budgets and team capacity

Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of quantitative evaluation methods and datasets used in healthcare impact evaluations, and able to describe these and interpret findings for non-specialist audiences

Abilities

• Ability to design, manage and deliver evaluation methodologies to meet clients\’ needs
• Ability to produce written outputs that present complex and sensitive findings clearly and appropriately
• Ability to proactively support development of the team, including suggesting areas for improvement and contributing to bids for new work

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