Senior Research Fellow (Evaluation)

This is a Senior Research Fellow position within King's College London's Evidence Development and Incubation Team. The role involves leading the evaluation of social and economic programs, with a focus on labor market and welfare. Key responsibilities include designing and conducting mixed-methods evaluations, securing funding for projects, and supervising junior researchers. Essential requirements include a PhD, expertise in RCTs and quasi-experimental designs, proficiency in R, and strong project management and communication skills.

• We are seeking a Senior Research Fellow to join and help lead the Evidence Development and Incubation Team (EDIT), within the Policy Institute.
• The Policy Institute addresses complex policy and practice challenges with rigorous research, academic expertise and analysis focused on improving outcomes.
• EDIT focuses on designing robust, pragmatic evaluations of complex social programmes, combining academic rigour with agility and pragmatism.
• We are seeking to appoint a Senior Research Fellow to lead on evaluations of social and economic programmes.
• At present the team focuses on education and youth, homelessness, social justice and inclusion
• we anticipate that the SRF would be positioned to drive forward our work in labour market and welfare evaluations, but we are open to a candidate who will build their own portfolio of research and evaluation projects across areas that are of interest to them, which could include the above, health, youth violence reduction, communities, or other domains.
• We deliver mixed methods evaluations, combining quantitative and quasi-experimental analysis, Randomised Controlled Trials, online and phone surveying, interviews, focus groups, and cost analysis.
• We also conduct capacity-building work, helping organisations develop their own evaluation approach.
• The successful candidate will need to be a skilled quantitative researcher with end-to-end experience running RCTs and a range of quasi-experimental designs, and an ongoing interest in developing their research skills.
• The Senior Research Fellow will provide leadership, guidance and supervision to junior colleagues to ensure projects are delivered to the required standard of quality and timeliness.
• The Senior Research Fellow will also be expected to secure and lead their own portfolio of evaluation projects, and will work with the Director and colleagues to successfully compete for sole source and competitive opportunities for this work.
• They will be an innovative, robust and pragmatic quantitative evaluator, a skilled project manager, and a strong written and verbal communicator with a demonstrated commitment to evidence-based policy and conducting research with real world impacts.
• This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), but part-time arrangements (0.6FTE or above) will be considered, and you will be offered an indefinite contract.

• To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:
• PhD qualified in relevant subject area, or equivalent professional experience (a PhD is equivalent to 3-5 years of work in a research capacity)
• Research or practitioner experience of a relevant policy domain, particularly employment support.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with funders, delivery partners and collaborators, both in person and in writing
• Experience leading complex research or evaluation projects, from project inception through to production of deliverables, including specifying impact evaluation methods, monitoring delivery of evaluation activities, monitoring and mitigating risks, oversight and allocation of junior researchers, analysis production and/or quality assurance, and maintaining a strong relationship with funders and stakeholders.
• Ability to work flexibly on emerging priorities, across multiple projects, to tight deadlines
• Track record of securing research or consultancy funding, including preparing competitive or sole supplier bids and working with colleagues and (prospective) funders to land projects
• Experience or training in conducting economic/cost analysis as part of a mixed-methods evaluation.