Evaluation Manager

The National Lottery Community Fund

South Western Scotland

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in less than 3 weeks

Policy

Full time

£36,000 - £43,000 per year

Job summary

At The National Lottery Community Fund we are committed to making a bigger difference. Our 2030 strategy ‘It starts with community’ puts impact at the heart of what we do and our Evidence and Impact Strategy explains how we will do this. We want to transform the use of evidence in our organisation to identify the communities that most need our funding and demonstrate the difference we make.

We’re recruiting for an Evaluation Manager to join our Impact and Evaluation Team. In this role, you will design, commission and manage large-scale, complexity-appropriate evaluations, focused on programmes in England that are funded via Dormant Assets. You’ll also be involved in UK-wide work about the impact of Dormant Assets funding in other parts of the UK. And, you will advocate for the importance of high quality evaluation.

Job description

A typical week in the role might include:

a contract management meeting with an external contractor to feedback on a Theory of Change they have developed
developing an evaluation Invitation to Tender with internal funding colleagues
discussing learning from a recent evaluation conference with peers in the Impact and Evaluation team
meeting with analysts in the civil service to discuss overlap between an evaluation you are managing and work they are doing.

Your strong evaluation expertise will be complemented by stakeholder management skills that mean you to get the best from contracts we procure. You'll effectively communicate evaluation findings to a variety of audiences, including those who are not evaluation experts. You'll be committed to professional development, staying up-to-date with best practice in evaluation design and delivery.

We are looking for someone with a passion for understanding the difference that the voluntary and community sector makes and using that evidence to improve practice. You will be motivated by helping ensure The National Lottery Community Fund makes the greatest difference for communities across the UK.

Interview details:

Date: 5 August 2026
Format: Online
Location: UK Wide

We have a hybrid approach to working. Work pattern and location will be agreed with the successful candidate. The role can be based at any of our UK offices: Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, and Newtown. There will be some travel required within the UK.

We will be hosting a briefing session on: 6th July, 12.00-12.45. To register or ask any questions please email: recruitment@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

Person specification

How to apply:

Upload your CV in word format and write a supporting statement (1000 words) with the following criteria, we will use this to score your application.

Essential criteria

A professional qualification or equivalent level of experience in a relevant discipline covering quantitative and qualitative research methods, and/or evaluation approaches.
Knowledge of standards and best practice for evaluation, including the Magenta Book.
Experience of designing tenders, commissioning evaluations and of managing external research/evaluation consultants.
Knowledge of research ethics and data security requirements and experience putting these in to practice
Experience of working with multiple stakeholders, often with competing priorities, to gain agreement.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate with different audiences.

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of the voluntary and community sector and the funding landscape, and a passion for working in this area.
A commitment to continuous professional development, learning about new approaches to evaluation and sharing this knowledge with others

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Communities in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. National Lottery funding is for everyone – therefore, we are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and we work hard to ensure our funding reaches where it is needed.

We also believe our people should represent the communities, organisations and individuals we work with. That’s why The National Lottery Community Fund is committed to being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. We recognise and celebrate the fact that our people come from diverse backgrounds. We positively welcome applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities or longstanding health conditions, people who are LGBTQ+, and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as well as people of all ages.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we take a proactive approach in making reasonable adjustments, if needed, throughout the recruitment process and during employment. (This can be related to a physical and mental health condition.)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,000, The National Lottery Community Fund contributes £10,429 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

A full list of our benefits can be found on our website using the link:

Generous Civil Service Pension scheme
Flexible working
Enhanced paid maternity/ paternity leave
Paid volunteering leave
Season ticket loan

Watch this video to see a full list of benefits available.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Please click the link to apply and upload your supporting statement (1000) and CV when you are submitting your online application to us via our vacancies page. Any application sent to recruitment with your attached documents will not be considered.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

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Contact point for applicants

Salary range

£36,000 - £43,000 per year