Research and Evaluation Officer

Tempest Charities are recruiting for an anti-racist organisation embedding race equity into systemic change across London, Birmingham, Scotland, and Wales. The organisation addresses inequalities impacting mental health and well-being of underprivileged communities, working with statutory agencies, voluntary organisations, and local communities to tackle structural barriers.

Following successful funding, we're seeking a Research & Evaluation Lead to strengthen evidence and learning functions across the Scaling Systems Change programme, building robust understanding of community needs, mental health outcomes, and systems change impact.

Develop and implement evaluation frameworks, gather high-quality data, and support localities in monitoring, learning, and evaluation capacity. Working strategically and on the ground in community settings, you'll use mixed-methods research to design, deliver, and communicate projects that drive learning and improvement.

• Lead community-based research activities with regular engagement across localities, community organisations, grassroots partners, and residents
• Conduct mixed-methods community needs assessments capturing local conditions, emerging challenges, and gaps in support provision
• Build trusted relationships with community partners to co-design culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and accessible evaluation activities
• Facilitate participatory research approaches ensuring community voices are embedded in evaluation work
• Provide tailored research and evaluation support to localities delivering the Scaling System Change programme
• Deliver capacity-building workshops, coaching, and 1:1 support to strengthen data collection, interpretation, and usage
• Support localities in implementing mixed-methods approaches including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and feedback mechanisms
• Lead development of Scaling Systems Change evaluation, identifying community-relevant indicators and measurement approaches
• Develop and refine theories of change and logic models with programme teams and community stakeholders
• Oversee collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, synthesising insights into strategic recommendations
• Conduct qualitative data collection and apply rigorous, culturally informed analysis techniques
• Ensure high-quality documentation and coding using recognised analytical frameworks
• Produce annual evaluation reports, local summaries, dashboards, and accessible materials for stakeholders
• Translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for policymakers, community organisations, funders, and residents
• Present insights to senior leaders, programme teams, and key partners

Essential Requirements

• Community-based data collection ability (interviews, focus groups, surveys) and analysis (quantitative and qualitative)
• Competence using Excel for organising and summarising data
• Strong facilitation skills for participatory approaches
• Ability to build trusting relationships with grassroots organisations and community leaders
• Understanding of trauma-informed and anti-racist approaches
• Knowledge of research ethics, GDPR, data protection, and data sharing
• Experience conducting qualitative research in community settings
• University degree or equivalent
• Understanding of race equity issues and mental health inequalities
• Experience working with community organisations or grassroots groups
• Commitment to race equity and social justice

• Experience supporting community-led research projects
• Familiarity with evaluation frameworks or monitoring tools
• Knowledge of participatory research principles
• Data visualisation tools ability (Canva, Power BI)
• Previous capacity-building activities involvement
• Degree in social sciences, public health, or related field