Evaluation Officer

Evaluation Officer Salary: £37,614 – £ 38,577 plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension. Fixed term: 12 months. Location: Bristol.

About us

The Office for Students (OfS) exists to ensure that English higher education offers the best experience and the best value - for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good. It is the independent regulator of higher education in England – we regulate higher education on behalf of all students.

Our vision is that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. The evaluation team is small and friendly, with big ambitions and diverse expertise. We work across the OfS to ensure that the work of the OfS is supported by robust evidence.

About the role

The Evaluation Officer will help the OfS work more effectively, by supporting impactful evaluation activity and evaluative thinking across the organisation. In this role you will work with an Evaluation Manager to:

• Scope, design, run, and commission evaluations of OfS activity.
• Manage commissioned suppliers to conduct evaluations.
• Provide expert support, advice and quality assurance to evaluations led by other teams.
• Support teams and senior decision‑makers across the OfS to learn from and improve their regulatory interventions through their evaluations, and through facilitating learning / reflection exercises.
• Engage stakeholders and ensure evaluation findings are translated into actions.
• Take notes in formal meetings (steering groups, workshops, etc.).
• Conduct data collection and qualitative analysis.
• Drive organisational culture change to celebrate evaluation and embed a learning mindset (for example, delivering internal training sessions and presentations, writing blogs, building evaluation into organisational processes).
• Develop your own knowledge of relevant research and evaluation and share this to build the knowledge of the team and wider colleagues.
• As you develop in the role, there may be opportunities for you to take a leading role on smaller areas of activity.

We typically conduct impact and/or process evaluations with a strong focus on theories of change, utilising theory‑based approaches and use mixed‑methods designs. This is an exciting time to join the team as we evaluate several of the OfS’s core approaches to regulating higher education. You are likely to work on one to two of these projects, which may include evaluations of how we regulate Access and Participation Plans, quality, free speech, financial sustainability, and consumer protection. The team also continuously looks for ways to further build evaluation culture and capability in the organisation. Sitting within the Strategy, Delivery and Communications Directorate, the work of the Evaluation Team is a priority for the OfS to make sure our regulatory model is underpinned by rigorous evaluation and a commitment to learning, improvement, and ultimately impact. The role reports to one of two Evaluation Managers, and works closely with the whole evaluation team (one other Evaluation Officer, the two Evaluation Managers, and the Head of Evaluation). The role also involves collaborating with colleagues across the organisation. The Evaluation Team works in a hybrid way, coming together regularly in person in the office as a team.

About you

We are looking for someone who is pursuing a career in evaluation or social research. We anticipate that you might come from a social sciences, economics, public policy, psychology, or applied research background, but the main criterion is that you have experience with – and can apply – relevant social research and evaluation methods. You should be organised, proactive, enthusiastic about using evidence to improve practices and further impact, collegial and value working collaboratively, and place high importance on learning, development, and sharing knowledge and expertise.

Essential

• Holds an undergraduate degree in a subject with a relevant research component or has equivalent experience.
• Good knowledge of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods, and familiarity with evaluation concepts and methods.
• Demonstrable ability to apply critical and analytical thinking to assess research methods and findings.
• Skilled in taking initiative, following instruction, and recognising when a problem should be referred to others.
• Working accurately with attention to detail, producing high-quality outputs under pressure and in the face of competing demands.
• Clear and positive written and verbal communication. Ability to communicate technical concepts to non‑technical audiences to achieve impact.
• Ability to collaborate, build and manage effective relationships, and support others.
• A passion for evaluation, evidence, and learning.

Desirable

• Holds a postgraduate level qualification in a relevant discipline or has equivalent experience.
• Ability to develop theory of change models for social policy activities.
• Experience of analysing qualitative and quantitative data using appropriate specialist software (e.g. R, SPSS, NVivo, MaxQDA).
• Experience in managing external contracts, to achieve high quality outputs.
• Expertise with facilitating discussions with people from a range of backgrounds, including delivering training and/or presentations.
• Experience of policy and/or research work relating to regulation, higher education, or within the public sector.
• Understanding of quasi‑experimental and theory‑based approaches to evaluation, and their limitations and strengths.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you through the application stage, please contact us at recruitmentteam@officeforstudents.org.uk and we will be happy to help.

Working for us

We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do. We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Office for Students Benefits

Our Total Reward Framework offers a range of benefits to suit your way of life:

• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
• Comprehensive learning and development – we’re invested in your future
• Generous Civil Service pension scheme
• Health benefits

Closing date for applications: Monday 12 October 2026 at noon.

The OfS does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence.

Useful Links

Guidance for applicants - Office for Students OfS careers site