Salary: £50,000 - £57,000 per annum
Employment type: Permanent
Hours per week: 37
Reporting into: Head of Operational Research
Department: Analysis, Insights and Performance
Locations
* Coventry head office
* Birmingham campus
* Leeds campus
* Manchester campus
* Nottingham
* Newcastle
* London area (Tower Hill, Holborn & Ealing)
About Arden University
We are an aspirational and multi-award‑winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career‑focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.
About the Department
The Analysis, Insights & Performance department at Arden University plays a vital role in driving data‑driven decisions, supporting the university's mission to enhance student outcomes and drive continuous improvement.
About the Opportunity
As Strategic Insight & Evaluation Manager at Arden University, you will be a key partner in shaping how data and insight inform decision‑making across the institution. Working closely with senior leadership, you’ll lead the development of high‑quality, actionable insight that supports governance, performance management, and long‑term planning.
You will deliver a clear and structured reporting suite aligned to the University’s strategic priorities, lead the student survey agenda, and use data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities across the organisation.
Acting as a trusted partner to executive stakeholders, you’ll provide expert analysis, challenge assumptions, and recommend evidence‑based actions to drive continuous improvement.
About You
You are an experienced insight and evaluation professional with a strong track record of turning complex data into clear, strategic insight. You have expertise in research design, analytics, and insight generation, and you are comfortable engaging and influencing senior stakeholders in complex environments. You manage competing priorities and deliver impactful, evidence‑based recommendations.
Essential Skills / Experience
* Degree or significant equivalent professional experience in insight, evaluation, or analytics roles
* Advanced analytical and digital capability, including Microsoft 365 and data visualisation tools such as Power BI (non‑technical)
* Strong expertise in research design and evaluation methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed‑method approaches
* Proven ability to translate complex data into clear, executive‑level insight and strategic recommendations
* Experience presenting to and influencing stakeholders and executive committees
* Ability to synthesise cross‑functional data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities
* Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility and collaborate effectively across teams
* Ability to work autonomously, exercise sound judgement, and manage competing priorities
* Experience delivering large‑scale, organisation‑wide insight or evaluation projects
Desirable Skills
* Experience working within Higher Education or a similarly regulated environment
* Exposure to Executive‑level committees, including presenting or supporting senior decision‑making forums
* Experience developing or implementing intervention tracking and evaluation frameworks
* Knowledge of student lifecycle metrics and sector frameworks (e.g. NSS, OfS, TEF)
* Strong understanding of systems and services within an insight, research, or analytics function
* Awareness of current and emerging trends within the Higher Education sector
* Broad understanding of the priorities, challenges, and future direction of the sector
Benefits
* 30 days holiday + bank holidays on‑top, and a Christmas closure
* A generous Aviva pension plan, with company contributions starting from 7%
* SimplyHealth plan option
* Private Medical Insurance coverage (applies to certain job roles)
* Access to Perkbox benefits
* Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
* Other excellent benefits
* Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role. By applying, you consent for this information to be shared with the hiring team.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and we actively welcome applications from all groups.
Closing Date: Thursday 14th May (Midnight)
We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or to respond to business needs. Please submit your application as early as possible.
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