Head of Impact

How do you measure impact in complex human systems? At SHiFT, we work with children and young adults caught in cycles of harm, exploitation, exclusion and crime — often across multiple overlapping systems including social care, education, youth justice, policing and mental health services.

We are looking for our first Head of Impact to help answer difficult questions:

• What does meaningful change look like in complex lives?
• How do we evaluate relational and systems-based interventions?
• What counts as credible evidence in messy real-world environments?
• How do we generate learning that improves practice, not just reporting?

This is not a conventional impact role. You will build an organisation-wide approach to evaluation, evidence and learning that helps us:

• Improve outcomes for children.
• Strengthen frontline practice.
• Influence wider systems change.

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS NOW

SHiFT has been busy developing our data and insights infrastructure and is now entering an exciting phase of focus on systems change, and this role is central to our next stage of development. We are looking for a senior leader who can build a high-quality impact and evaluation function that demonstrates the difference SHiFT makes for children, young people and systems.

As Head of Impact, you will hold organisation-wide accountability for evaluation strategy, evidence quality and impact measurement. You will lead the design of robust frameworks that assess outcomes at child, practice and systems level, and ensure SHiFT is ready to undertake independent external evaluation.

You will help us answer our most important questions:

• What difference are we making?
• For whom?
• How?
• Under what conditions?
• How do we use that learning to improve practice and influence wider systems change?

What you’ll do

• Hold overall responsibility for SHiFT’s impact, evaluation and evidence strategy.
• Formalise an organisation-wide evaluation framework for measuring outcomes at child, practice and systems level.
• Develop clear metrics, indicators, baselines and reporting processes across all SHiFT Practices.
• Lead SHiFT’s evaluation methodology, drawing on quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method approaches.
• Build readiness for a robust independent external evaluation within the next two years, including through strategic leadership relationships with our Practices to set up data-sharing direct from source and working towards the development of a control group for SHiFT by establishing experimental or quasi-experimental methodologies to isolate causal attribution and define reliable counterfactuals.
• Commission and manage external evaluators, researchers or academic partners where appropriate.
• Ensure evaluation activity is ethical, participatory, trauma-informed and methodologically strong.
• Hold responsibility for Research & Evaluation Committee and updating, providing high-quality evidence and analysis to the SLT and Board of Trustees.

• Build strong feedback loops between frontline practice, data and organisational learning.
• Translate findings into practical recommendations that improve delivery and outcomes.
• Identify what is working well, where outcomes vary, and where change is needed.
• Build confidence and capability across SHiFT in using evidence well.
• Ensure learning is shared clearly with staff, funders, commissioners and partners.

• Embed anti-racist, anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approaches across all impact activity.
• Ensure children, families and practitioners meaningfully shape how success is defined, measured and communicated.
• Review evidence, data and decision-making processes through an equity lens.
• Challenge biased assumptions, deficit narratives and harmful measurement approaches.

• Build strong relationships with funders, policymakers, researchers and sector partners.
• Position SHiFT as a trusted voice and thought leader in evidence-informed systems change.
• Translate learning into compelling insights that influence policy, commissioning and practice.
• Identify opportunities for research partnerships and funding to strengthen the evidence base.

• Lead, coach and develop a small high-performing team.
• Create an inclusive, psychologically safe and supportive team culture.
• Build capability across the wider organisation in impact, evidence and learning.

We know excellent candidates may not meet every requirement listed below. If this role excites you and you believe you could succeed in it, we encourage you to apply.

• Significant senior leadership experience in impact, evaluation, research or evidence functions.
• Experience designing and delivering evaluation strategies in complex organisations, partnerships or multi-site settings.
• Strong knowledge of evaluation design and delivery, including impact evaluation, mixed-methods evaluation, longitudinal study design, process and implementation evaluation, and contribution analysis.
• Experience developing impact evaluation frameworks, KPIs and performance measures across multiple services or locations.
• Building organisational capability in evaluation and learning and bringing people with you to understand the value of impact evaluation.
• Experience using evidence and insight to influence strategic decisions, policy or practice.
• Experience commissioning or managing independent external evaluations or research partners.
• Experience leading and developing teams through an inclusive leadership approach.
• Strong stakeholder management skills across senior internal and external audiences.
• Commitment to anti-racist, anti-oppressive and participatory ways of working.

• Experience in youth justice, children’s services, safeguarding, education or related systems.
• Experience of systems change evaluation.
• Experience with longitudinal datasets or linked administrative data.
• Experience influencing government, commissioners or national policy.
• Knowledge of public sector data systems, governance or information-sharing frameworks.
• Experience securing funding for research or evaluation activity.

• Strategic thinker who can also deliver practical results.
• Strong analytical capability and confidence interpreting complex evidence.
• Understanding of what constitutes credible causal evidence and meaningful impact measurement.
• Ability to balance rigour with pragmatism in real-world delivery settings.
• Excellent communicator who can make evidence clear, compelling and useful.
• Collaborative leader who builds trust and brings people with them.
• Strong judgement and comfort working with complexity and ambiguity.
• Curiosity, humility and commitment to continuous improvement.

SHiFT is committed to building an anti-racist, anti-oppressive and inclusive organisation. We recognise the over-representation of Black, Brown and Mixed Heritage children in the youth justice system, and the wider structural inequalities affecting many children and families we work alongside. We believe our team should reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.

We particularly welcome applications from people from racially minoritised communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, people with lived experience of the systems we work in, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. We know talent is widely distributed, while opportunity is not. If you need adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know. We are committed to making recruitment accessible and fair.

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check. Having a criminal record will not automatically exclude you from employment. Decisions will be made fairly, proportionately and in line with safeguarding responsibilities. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

• Flexible and hybrid working.
• Pension contribution.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Supportive and values-led culture.
• Opportunity to shape a growing organisation with national influence.

Please send applications to info@shiftuk.org addressed to the Director of Programmes and Policy. This should include:

• Your CV.
• A cover letter (maximum two pages) explaining your experience, suitability and motivation for the role.
• Details of two referees. We will not take up references without your permission. Please include details of your current notice period as part of your CV or letter of application.

Closing date: 23.59, 31 May 2026.

We use structured and inclusive recruitment processes and can share interview questions in advance on request. Applicants will be notified of shortlisting decisions w/c 1 June and invited for interview with one week’s notice. Interviews are likely to be held on Wednesday 10 June 2026, in person, at our offices in Coram (WC1N 1AZ). Candidates are asked to please note this date and hold it in mind where possible in their scheduling. The interview will comprise a short task, a presentation of your task and competency-based questions. Decisions will be made and communicated to candidates by 19 June.

A note to candidates: Research shows that women, people with disabilities and candidates from racially minoritised backgrounds are less likely to apply unless they meet every criterion. If you’re interested in this role but unsure whether you meet all the requirements, we’d still love to hear from you.

A rare opportunity: This is a rare opportunity to shape the evidence base of an ambitious organisation and build evaluation that not only proves impact, but improves lives.