Head of Research: Evaluation and Qualitative Methods
London or Leicester (with hybrid working)
The Organisation
Our client is a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on supporting better working environments and benefits packages for people across the country.
They’re now looking for a Head of Research: Evaluation and Qualitative Methods to join them on a full-time, permanent basis. Requests for flexible working will be considered with a minimum option of 0.6 FTE, working condensed hours with flexible start and finish times.
Your Rewards
- Salary of £45,650 - £59,080 per annum (pro rata for part-time), dependent on experience and location
- 31 days' holiday increasing to 33 days after 5 years’ service, of which 3 are shutdown days in addition to public holidays (pro rata for part-time)
- Company pension scheme with 8% employer contribution
- Group Life Assurance 3*salary
- Hybrid working: 40-60% in an office. Our client’s offices for this role are currently in Leicester and London, but if you are based elsewhere, please contact them to talk about how the role could work for you (contact details will be available when you apply)
- Flexible working practices
- Employee Development Scheme
- Retailer Discounts
- Enhanced occupational maternity, adoption, paternity and shared parental pay
- Enhanced occupational sick pay
- Eye care scheme
- Employee Assistance & Wellbeing Programme
- Gold award in Investors in People
This is an exceptional opportunity for a talented research and programme management professional to take their next step with a vital national charity.
You'll be playing a leading role across the organisation, providing training to upskill the team, supporting tenders to aid funding, and driving change across research programmes, meaning this is the perfect role for those who love challenge, thrive with variety and are eager to enhance their own skills.
What's more, you'll be joining a purpose-driven organisation that delivers real impact locally and nationally and is enthusiastic about learning and improving, so you know this is the right role for both now and your future career.
Your Role
As the Head of Research: Evaluation and Qualitative Methods, you will be taking on a brand new role directing research projects across all areas of our client’s work, developing research skills within the team and playing a vital role in tender responses.
Specifically, you will provide leadership and expertise to programme and systems-level evaluations and projects. You will utilise innovative or advanced qualitative methods, such as system mapping, co-design methods, ethnographic methods, creative methods and/or theory-based/realist evaluation, to ensure accurate outcomes for research.
Working with colleagues to develop proactive research proposals, you will seek to build external relationships with funding commissioners and shape projects to deliver meaningful insights that solve the problems practitioners and policymakers face.
Additionally, you will:
- Line manage members of the R&D team
- Write and contribute to reactive and proactive funding proposals
- Identify potential research partners
- Ensure that all projects generate meaningful insights and recommendations
- Act as Project Director for research and evaluation projects
- Help develop appropriate comms and influencing plans for projects
About You
To be considered as the Head of Research: Evaluation and Qualitative Methods, you will need:
- Experience of delivering and directing high-quality programme evaluation and policy-relevant research, shaping research plans, working with funders and delivering meaningful insights
- Experience of responding to research and evaluation tenders and writing proposals
- Experience of managing, supporting and developing researchers and research managers
- Advanced qualitative evaluation and research skills, e.g. one or more of theory-based evaluation, ethnographic methods, creative/art-based methods, co-design methods, system-level evaluation
- Effective and efficient relationship management skills
- A clear and direct written communication style
The closing date for this role is the 20th February 2026.
Other organisations may call this role Head of Research Evaluation, Head of Qualitative Research, Senior Research Manager, or Research Fellow.
Webrecruit and our clients are equal opportunities employers, value diversity, and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business, and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.
So, if you want to take your career to the next level as the Head of Research: Evaluation and Qualitative Methods, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.