Evaluation Officer

• Permanent. Full-time, 35 hours per week.

About TASO

The Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes (TASO) is an affiliate What Works Centre, and part of the UK Government’s What Works Movement. Our vision is to eliminate equality gaps in higher education (HE). Our mission is to improve lives through evidence-informed practice.

TASO was set up in 2019 and became an independent charity in April 2021. Our work focuses on the generation, synthesis and dissemination of high-quality evidence about effective practice in widening participation and student outcomes. We primarily focus on developing and disseminating causal evidence and encourage the sector to do the same by providing HE professionals access to research, toolkits, evaluation guidance, evaluation training and more to help improve equality within the sector.

The Role

The Evaluation Officer will work on TASO’s Research and Evaluation (R&E) programme to develop a better understanding of what works to support widening participation and student success. Under the guidance of an Evaluation Manager, the Evaluation Officer will help develop a suite of high-quality resources and step-by-step guidance to support universities and colleges to better evaluate the activities and programmes they deliver. This will include developing evaluation guidance documents, pages for our website, webinars, and training materials. The Officer will help deliver training based on these materials to a wide range of external stakeholders.

The Officer may also help commission new projects designed to develop evaluation guidance for practitioners, evaluators and researchers from multiple institutions. They will work across these projects to manage and monitor progress, collate findings, analyse data, and help steer the overall programme of work. They may also undertake internal research projects themselves, including synthesis of secondary research; and conducting qualitative, quantitative and/or survey research.

Key responsibilities include:

• Helping develop a suite of high-quality guidance to support universities and colleges to better evaluate the activities and programmes they deliver.
• Using these resources and materials to deliver training - in-person and online - to a wide range of external stakeholders.
• Helping develop theories of change and evaluation plans for individual interventions and multi-intervention programmes.
• Conducting desk-based research, reviewing existing literature to synthesise the quality of evidence on a given topic and collate examples of sector good practice.
• Providing support to the Evaluation Manager in the commissioning of external research and evaluation.
• Overseeing funded projects, ensuring delivery to timelines, value for money for TASO, and timely and proactive risk assessment and mitigation.
• Helping design, run and analyse the results of research projects in collaboration with multiple external organisations. This may include qualitative and quantitative research.
• Contributing to the administration and secretariat for a number of advisory panels formed of external stakeholders.
• Working with the Evaluation Manager to develop TASO’s relationships with key stakeholders in the HE sector.
• Develop/maintain knowledge of cutting-edge research and evaluation which is relevant to TASO’s work. Use this knowledge to contribute to the delivery of blog posts, literature reviews and research briefings, working with the Evaluation Manager.
• Contributing to the delivery of external training courses and events to disseminate the work of TASO’s wider research programme.

Why work for TASO

• Annual Holiday - 27 days per year, plus public/bank holidays and a day off for your birthday.
• Pension Scheme - TASO will contribute 8% to your pension.
• Flexible working - We are committed to flexible working where possible, with core hours of 10:00 - 16:00.
• Hybrid working - Currently, a two-day requirement to work from our London office.
• Team days - Regular team days in the office and team building days.
• Training and Development - Systematic performance reviews, personalised learning and development objectives and access to a training and development fund plus team training days.
• Volunteering - One day a year off to volunteer for an organisation of your choice.
• Wellbeing - Free Employee assistance programme which offers webinars, courses and counselling sessions. A yearly personal wellbeing budget.
• Sick Pay Scheme - 3 months full pay and 3 months half pay after probation has been passed.
• Staff Discounts - Discounts available via Perks At Work from a wide range of retailers for shopping, dining, experiences, car maintenance, study, etc.

How to apply

For more information on the role and how to apply, please go to our website via the 'Apply' button above.

Deadline: Wednesday 24th July 2024, 10.00 am.

Interviews are expected to be held on week commencing 5th August 2024 and candidates will be issued the task to complete in advance.