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. Their Office is in SW London, Hybrid, 2 days in office.

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.

Key Responsibilities

• 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