Senior Economic Evaluation Manager

About the role

The key purpose of the role of the Senior Economic Evaluation Manager is to work with colleagues in the Performance and Evaluation Team and across UKRI to support the development of robust socio-economic evaluations as well as support the development and quality assurance of persuasive business cases (often asking for significant funding of around 100M plus).

This role supports EPSRC staff to run often complex socio-economic evaluations or write and produce detailed cases which make the case for further funding. Both business cases and evaluations have a strong focus on understanding and evidencing the benefits at a UK level of the research EPSRC fund, with impact wide ranging from scientific, to economic, social and environmental. This enables EPSRC to use evidence to improve the narrative to government; providing sound economic evidence for the case for further funding and driving best practice in strategic decision making through data and evidence.

Support for cases will involve the use of robust evidence to make the case for funding, supporting the development of logic models, theory of change and monitoring and evaluation plans for the proposed funding, and often supporting the creation, development and quality assurance of the economic case.

This role will work closely with EPSRC and UKRI Portfolio Managers and Analysts, with a strong focus on supporting project teams through the sharing of best practice in economic analysis.

Hybrid Working

These posts are based at our Swindon office, but hybrid working is available in accordance with UKRI policy. This post also may require travel to attend external visits and meetings. We welcome applications from candidates with special requirements.

Your responsibilities:

• Working with portfolio managers and external consultancies to ensure economic analysis within EPSRCs evaluations is robust, independently accepted and well defined, thus enabling our evaluations to make the strongest case possible for Government funding.
• Working with colleagues to directly run economic analysis on available data to produce new insights for the benefit of the whole of UKRI where possible.
• Working closely with the Theme Lead and the wider Evidence and Evaluation team to ensure EPSRCs monitoring and evaluation approach remains fit for purpose, working to adapt to and influence thinking in high-level monitoring and evaluation policies and developing innovative solutions.
• Working autonomously but in close collaboration with UKRI economists to develop and deliver a high-quality work programme across priority areas and providing a quality assurance function of the economic impact of investments in science and research.
• Translating evidence effectively, explaining technical information clearly, and describing the implications and uncertainties of analysis.
• Maintaining awareness of current best practice and latest thinking on economic evaluation approaches and methodologies relevant to assessing benefits and impacts of research.

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

Essential

• Professional competency and technical skills reflecting expertise in economic analysis, ideally through a recognised and certified qualification. (Degree or equivalent in Economics (or international equivalent), or a postgraduate degree in Economics.) If it is a joint degree, a good proportion of the degree modules should be in Economics. (S)
• Key skills should include advanced quantitative analysis, data modelling, and knowledge of micro/macroeconomic theory, including the use and development of economic tools, analytics and theories to demonstrate the robust evidence of investments return in publicly funded research. (S)
• Sound knowledge or experience of business case development tools and techniques within public sector guidance frameworks (e.g. Green Book / Magenta Book, logic models, theory of change tools etc.). (S)
• Sophisticated analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, and an ability to think strategically. (S/I)
• Translating evidence effectively, explaining technical information clearly, and describing to varied audiences the implications, risks and uncertainties of such analysis. (I)

Desirable

• The ability to build influential networks and experience in managing relationships across a broad range of stakeholder and cross-functional teams. (I)
• A strong background of facilitation and/or stakeholder engagement and relationship management with experience of, for example, using focus groups or workshops to develop business case models and approaches. (I)