Job Details Employment type: Full-time / Part-time considered Hours of work: Mon - Fri, 9am to 5.30pm Place of work: Birmingham/remote Salary: £50,000-£65,000k About M·E·L Research M·E·L Research is a social research agency, with a strong social ethos. Our vision is to make a positive difference to organisations, employees, customers, and wider society. We pride ourselves on fostering a working environment that not only strives for excellence in social research but also embodies a deep-rooted commitment to making a positive difference in society. Our approach is underpinned by a set of core values and a philosophy that places people at the heart of everything we do. You can read more about what it is like to work at M·E·L Research here. Click here to see our recently published Social Value report. About the role We are looking for a talented and experienced Evaluator, to join as Head of Evaluation to lead the development of our Evaluation team. You will be well versed in a range of evaluation approaches and techniques, have a strong desire for your work to make a difference to clients and wider society and your broad values should align to ours. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of our evaluation offering and grow the team to deliver a portfolio of projects. We are lucky to work with a range of amazing clients, from smaller third sector bodies to leading charities, and local government interventions to multi-year programmes led by central government. Recent and current clients include: Health and Wellbeing: Invictus, Royal British Legion, Mind, Macmillan Cancer Support, Mental Health Foundation Culture & Arts: Birmingham 2022 Olympic Games Cultural Programme, UNBOXED, Eurovision Social Issues: South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit, Kick It Out, NSPCC, YMCA, Transport for West Midlands, Unipol …and a range of other clients across sectors. We have a proven track record in fields such as mental health and wellbeing and primary/secondary care, including cancer pathways and end of life care, arts and culture, and a range of social issues such as environment and recycling, poverty (period poverty, energy poverty, housing issues). We are open to adding team members with different experiences as well as to those who might reinforce our team in existing sectors of strength, such as arts and culture, transport, tech-for-good, or skills and employment, through this appointment and other new additions to the team. Person profile We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded evaluation professional to take a senior role in our growing team. The successful candidate will combine extensive technical expertise with proven leadership and business development skills, alongside a passion for social research and driving positive change. Essential Requirements Extensive evaluation experience : Minimum of 7 years in an evaluation role, including at least 3 years in a leadership and/or commercial role. Commercial acumen : Demonstrable experience of achieving business objectives, including meeting new business and turnover targets, and developing sales leads. Sector expertise : Track record of leading evaluation projects for clients in the third and public sectors. Methodological breadth : Skilled in applying a range of evaluation methods and approaches. Project management excellence : Strong ability to oversee multiple projects simultaneously, managing resourcing needs across teams. Proposal development : Proven ability to interpret client briefs and produce compliant, high-quality evaluation proposals. Client relationship management : Outstanding written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex findings clearly and persuasively. Commitment to values : Passionate about evaluation, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and social research, with a commitment to delivering positive social impact. Self-starter : Highly motivated and able to work independently, while contributing to a collaborative team environment. Desirable Attributes Full UK driving licence and access to own vehicle. Specialist expertise in economic evaluations. Knowledge or experience of experimental and/or theory-based evaluation approaches. Proficiency in qualitative analysis software (e.g., Nvivo ). Flexibility to work evenings and weekends when required. Salary and benefits Hybrid working, with the majority of your time spent working from home, and a good reward package, will be available for the successful candidate. The salary will be in the range of £55,000 – £65,000 (depending on experience) plus profit bonus, pension and other benefits. As standard, our benefits package includes: Flexible working arrangements based around the needs of the employee (such as family commitments/needs/childcare). We are a very family-orientated business and encourage flexible hours and homeworking. Paid annual leave allowance of 33 days per annum, including bank holidays (pro-rated for part time hours), your birthday and a half a day at Christmas. 2 paid volunteer days per year. Provision of employer contributions to Royal London personal pension scheme starting from a 4% contribution and rising to 8% (subject to employee contributions that meet the auto enrolment requirements). Life assurance policy at 3x basic annual salary. Free health cashback medical care scheme and employee benefits scheme, which includes retail discounts. Eligibility for annual company profit and performance bonus scheme dependent on company performance. Annual pay reviews and cost-of-living pay increases in addition to performance related appraisals. Applicants must be based in the UK.