Opportunity Review: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager
Are you a seasoned professional passionate about understanding research impact and driving continuous improvement? This Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager position, available on a fixed-term contract until March 31, 2027, presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to world-leading health and social care research.
The NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) is at the forefront of funding, enabling, and delivering impactful research that significantly enhances public health and wellbeing, both domestically and internationally. Joining their Insight and Evaluation team means becoming part of an organization dedicated to making a tangible difference.
What This Role Offers You:
This role offers a compelling blend of strategic contribution and hands-on execution, making it an attractive prospect for career advancement. Key advantages for potential candidates include:
- Impactful Work: You will directly influence the understanding and communication of research impact, ensuring valuable insights reach key stakeholders and inform strategic decision-making.
- Collaborative Environment: The position emphasizes working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, fostering strong relationships and enabling the translation of complex needs into actionable evaluation outputs.
- Professional Development: The NIHR demonstrates a strong commitment to personal development, offering opportunities for growth and learning within a supportive culture.
- Flexible Working: Enjoy the benefits of hybrid working, typically requiring 20% office-based presence, and the flexibility to consider part-time arrangements (minimum 28 hours per week).
- Culture of Wellbeing: As a signatory to the Mental Health at Work commitment, the NIHR prioritizes a culture of wellbeing and support for its employees.
Key Considerations for Your Career Path:
To thrive in this role and leverage it for your career growth, consider the following aspects:
- Analytical and Communication Prowess: A strong ability to analyze and synthesize complex data, coupled with excellent communication skills, is paramount. You will need to clearly articulate findings to various audiences in different formats.
- Evaluation Expertise: A proven track record in planning and delivering multi-method process and outcome evaluations is essential. Familiarity with specialist software like NVivo will be advantageous.
- Stakeholder Management: Building excellent relationships and understanding stakeholder needs, including identifying potential risks and solutions, will be critical for success.
- Strategic Contribution: The role requires contributing to the broader work of the University and the NIHR, indicating an opportunity to gain exposure to a wider organizational landscape.
- Project Management Skills: The ability to manage conflicting priorities and work across multiple projects is a key requirement, highlighting the need for strong organizational and time management skills.
- Fixed-Term Contract: While offering a substantial opportunity, it's important to note the role is on a fixed-term basis until March 31, 2027.
This MEL Manager position is an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to deepen their expertise in evaluation and impact assessment within a prestigious research organization. By focusing on the collaborative aspects and the commitment to continuous improvement, candidates can position themselves for significant professional growth and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of health and social care research.