Head of Evaluation & Insights
The Opportunity
Evaluation is central to UCLPartners’ mission of accelerating research and innovation into practice. We are seeking an exceptional Head of Evaluation & Insights to lead our evaluation portfolio and support the continued growth of our Evaluation & Insights function.
Reporting to the Director of Evaluation & Insights, you will provide operational leadership across a portfolio of service evaluations, mixed-methods studies and evidence syntheses. You will ensure high-quality delivery, methodological rigour and demonstrable impact across programmes that improve health outcomes, support system transformation and address health inequalities.
This is an exciting opportunity for a senior evaluation professional to shape how evidence informs decision-making across health and care systems, while helping to scale innovations that make a real difference to patients and communities.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and Portfolio Management
- Lead the day-to-day operations of the Evaluation & Insights team, ensuring high-quality, on-time and on-budget delivery across the portfolio.
- Line manage and develop three colleagues, fostering a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture.
- Implement and deliver the Evaluation Strategy in line with organisational priorities and partner needs.
- Provide oversight of governance, quality assurance, risk management and performance reporting across evaluation programmes.
- Hold delegated budget responsibility and oversee financial planning, forecasting and resource management.
Evaluation and Methodological Leadership
- Lead the design, delivery and assurance of complex evaluations, ranging from rapid assessments to large-scale mixed-methods studies.
- Provide expert advice on evaluation design, measurement frameworks, outcomes, indicators, sampling strategies and analytical approaches.
- Ensure robust quality assurance standards, methodologies, protocols and reporting processes.
- Oversee appropriate ethics, information governance and data protection requirements across projects.
- Translate complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations for boards, programme teams and frontline services.
Strategic Development and Partnership Working
- Develop and strengthen UCLPartners’ evaluation service offer, including products, pathways and methodologies.
- Identify and pursue new opportunities, contributing to bids, tenders, grant applications and commissioned work.
- Build strong relationships with NHS organisations, Integrated Care Systems, academic institutions, industry partners and funders.
- Act as an ambassador for UCLPartners, presenting at regional and national forums and contributing to sector thought leadership.
About You
You will be a highly experienced evaluation leader with a strong track record of delivering complex evaluations in health and care settings.
You will bring:
Experience
- Significant experience (typically 7+ years) leading complex evaluations or applied research programmes within health and care.
- Experience managing portfolios of work and influencing senior stakeholders across organisations.
- Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
- Experience working with NHS organisations, academic institutions and system partners.
- Experience in financial management, resource planning, bid development and contract management.
- Strong understanding of governance, quality assurance, ethics, information governance and data protection within service evaluation.
Knowledge and Skills
- Expertise in mixed-methods evaluation, including qualitative, quantitative and implementation approaches.
- Strong understanding of NHS priorities, Integrated Care Systems, population health and health inequalities.
- Excellent programme and project management capabilities.
- Ability to analyse complex information and translate insights into practical recommendations.
- Outstanding communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to operate confidently in complex environments with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
Why Join Us?
We offer flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working at UCLPartners. All staff will typically spend a minimum of 40% of their working time at the UCLPartners office—i.e. for a minimum of 2 days/week if full-time or 40% of your working time for part-time staff. This can be averaged over a 3-month period.
As part of our benefits package, employees are entitled to 27 days of annual leave (plus bank holidays), company pension (employer contribution 10% of annual salary), life assurance coverage, cycle to work scheme, travel season ticket loans and flexible working.
If you require this information in a different format, please let us know by emailing hr@uclpartners.com
Closing date – 13th July midday
Interviews likely to start week commencing – 20th July
*Please note we may close job adverts early, even when there’s a published deadline, so if you are keen, please apply as soon as possible.
Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve; for those who work for us to feel heard, valued and a sense of belonging; and for our work to help tackle wider health inequalities. Read more about our approach. UCLPartners is committed to equal opportunities and all people acting on its behalf must perform their duties in a manner that supports and promotes this commitment.
We welcome applications from candidates who are neurodiverse, have a disability or long-term health condition.
Once the job closes you may lose access to the job description and person specification, so please download a copy before the closing date.
