Research Director - Economic Evaluation

NatCen is looking for an experienced economist to help build and grow its economic evaluation and value-for-money offer. This is a senior, hands-on role for someone who can lead economic evaluation work independently, shape methodological approaches, support business development and strengthen NatCen’s capability in this area. The successful candidate will play a leading role in designing and delivering economic evaluations, value-for-money assessments, cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, economic impact assessments and economic appraisal work. They will also support the growth of a new economic evaluation strand at NatCen, with an immediate focus on winning new work and building internal capability. This role is particularly suited to someone with experience in a research agency, consultancy, economics consultancy, public policy consultancy or international development organisation, where they have led value-for-money or economic evaluation studies from design through to final reporting.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead high-quality economic evaluations and value-for-money assessments, including cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, economic contribution analysis and economic impact assessments.
• Design approaches for collecting, analysing and interpreting cost and economic data.
• Develop robust and transparent economic models to assess programme costs, benefits, efficiency, fiscal impacts and wider societal effects.
• Lead or provide senior technical input into bids, support pipeline development and contribute to income generation.
• Advise clients and colleagues on HM Treasury Green Book guidance, public sector appraisal frameworks and appropriate value-for-money methodologies.
• Manage senior client relationships, including advising on methodological options, managing expectations and presenting findings clearly.
• Work collaboratively with researchers, academic partners, consultants and colleagues across NatCen to deliver multidisciplinary studies.
• Mentor colleagues, quality assure analytical outputs and help build internal capability in economic evaluation and value-for-money methods.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• An undergraduate degree in economics or a closely related discipline with a strong quantitative component.
• Significant experience leading economic methods within policy research or evaluation settings.
• Strong experience applying HM Treasury Green Book guidance or equivalent public sector appraisal frameworks.
• Strong value-for-money expertise, including cost-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis.
• Experience designing and leading economic appraisal, economic evaluation or modelling work in complex public policy settings.
• A track record of leading or contributing significantly to successful bids for research contracts or grants.
• Strong quantitative analysis skills, including experience using or overseeing analysis in tools such as Excel, Stata, R or equivalent.
• The ability to communicate complex economic concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong project, budget, client and stakeholder management experience.
• Experience leading teams, providing technical quality assurance and developing junior colleagues.

Desirable Experience

• A postgraduate degree in economics or a related discipline.
• Experience analysing administrative or large survey datasets in areas such as health and wellbeing, education, employment, crime and justice, or related public policy areas.
• Experience of quantitative impact evaluation methods, including randomised controlled trials or quasi-experimental designs such as difference-in-differences, matching or regression discontinuity.
• Familiarity with process evaluations, theory-based approaches or large-scale quantitative survey design.

Job Benefits

This role offers the opportunity to build and shape NatCen’s economic evaluation and value-for-money capability from an early stage. It will suit someone who enjoys technical leadership, client-facing work, business development and translating complex economic evidence into practical insight for public policy decisions. As well as a competitive salary and flexible hybrid working, you’ll be joining the UK’s largest independent social research organisation. Benefits include:

• 25 days holiday, plus 8 bank holidays, rising to 30 days after 3 years
• Flexible working
• Generous pension scheme
• Life insurance and health cash plan
• Cycle to Work scheme and season ticket loan
• Career development and professional development support

At the National Centre for Social Research, we believe social research has the power to make life better. By understanding people’s lives and views in depth, we help ensure the public has a powerful voice in shaping services and policy. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, we focus on high-quality research that works for society.

Our Values & Behaviours

• We Are Curious - Proactively investigates systemic issues; Uses data and insight to challenge current practice.
• We Move with Purpose - Translates diagnosis into structured, measurable improvement action; Drives initiatives to completion with discipline.
• We Act with Integrity - Ensures transparent communication during change; Balances efficiency with fairness and operational risk management.

We are proud to say we are a Disability Confident Committed Employer, so if you require any reasonable adjustments during the interview process please make us aware and we will endeavour to support you to help you showcase your best self during our hiring process.