Impact & Evidence Manager

Overview 
Drive Forward Foundation (DFF) is a London-based charity dedicated to empowering care-experienced young people to transition from care into sustainable and fulfilling careers. Guided by our values – visionary, people-focused, collaborative, and empowering – we strive to create a future where care-experienced young people thrive across all areas of their lives. 

Each year, we work with around 750 care-experienced young people, offering tailored support that spans holistic 1:1 guidance, bespoke counselling, career mentoring, exclusive work and training opportunities with employer partners, and our established youth policy forum. Our programmes address the diverse factors that influence young people’s ability to thrive, including mental health, housing, and criminalisation. 

As our first Impact & Evidence Manager, you will have the exciting opportunity to establish and shape DFF’s impact measurement framework. Your work will capture the effectiveness of our wide-ranging services and create a foundation of evidence that reflects the lived experiences of the young people we support. 

This role is ideal for someone who thrives on a relatively blank canvas and is passionate about building an evidence-based culture – integrating both data-driven insights and qualitative narratives – to enhance outcomes for young people. By combining internal evaluation with sector-wide research, you will amplify the voices of care-experienced young people, ensuring their experiences drive meaningful change in our programmes and beyond. 

This evidence base will underpin DFF’s policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and thought leadership, helping to reduce systemic barriers to employment for care-experienced young people. Reporting to the Director of Fundraising, Policy, and Communications, you will be part of a dynamic team contributing to our sector leadership by benchmarking DFF’s practices, identifying emerging trends, and strengthening our advocacy work. 

Key Responsibilities 

Impact Measurement and Framework Development 

• Co-design and develop an impact measurement framework with programme users and other stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of DFF’s interventions. 

• Evaluate programmes such as mentoring, counselling, and skills development, measuring their impact on sustained employment, personal growth, and career progression. 

• Provide evidence-based recommendations to refine and enhance programme design, ensuring maximum impact for care-experienced young people. 

• Develop annual impact reports that blend quantitative data with compelling qualitative narratives, showcasing DFF’s outcomes holistically. 

Data Integration and Visualisation 

• Leverage tools such as MAXQDA, Tableau, and/or Power BI to analyse and visualise data, integrating client feedback, case studies, and Salesforce metrics. 

• Collaborate closely with the Systems & IT Manager to develop live dashboards and infographics to ensure insights are accessible and actionable for internal teams and external stakeholders. 

• Create interactive dashboards and user-friendly reporting formats tailored for funders, policymakers, and programme teams, enabling real-time engagement with key findings. 

External Research and Evidence Building 

• Build partnerships with academic institutions, think-tanks, and sector bodies to benchmark DFF’s practices, contribute to wider evidence bases, and enhance credibility. 

• Commission and manage external research contracts or consultants, where required, to complement internal evaluation and ensure depth in analysis. 

• Undertake sector-wide research to identify trends, innovative approaches, and emerging best practices, integrating these findings into DFF’s strategic development. 

• Organise or participate in webinars, roundtables, and forums to share research insights and position DFF as a knowledge hub for care-experienced youth employment. 

Strategic Insights and Reporting 

• Prepare detailed reports, infographics, and dashboards to communicate outcomes to funders, policymakers, and internal teams. 

• Provide tailored impact updates for employer partners, highlighting the results of their collaborations and contributions. 

• Support colleagues in meeting monitoring and evaluation (M&E) requirements for external funders, ensuring the collection of relevant data. 

• Explore innovative ways of reporting impact, including the use of compelling case studies, personal narratives, and engaging media, to highlight the depth of DFF’s interventions. 

Advocacy and Policy Influence 

• Translate data and insights into compelling narratives to support policy campaigns, particularly addressing barriers like mental health, housing, and criminalisation. 

• Collaborate with the Policy and Communications Team to strengthen DFF’s profile as a thought leader through policy briefs, impact updates, and stakeholder engagement. 

• Produce robust, evidence-based reports for strategic use: 

• To influence policy by providing clear, actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders. 

• as media hooks to amplify DFF’s profile and advocate for systemic change, showcasing key findings in public-facing campaigns. 

Youth Voice and Continuous Improvement 

• Incorporate insights from care-experienced young people into impact measurement and programme design, ensuring their voices drive change. 

• Establish feedback loops to continuously adapt and align impact measurement with DFF’s values and strategic objectives. 

• Develop tools and systems for youth-friendly reporting, such as visual summaries or short videos, to ensure that young people can engage with and benefit from the findings. 

Person Specification 

Essential 

• Proven experience in impact measurement, evaluation, and research, preferably within the charity sector. 

• Strong analytical skills, with proficiency in qualitative data analysis tools (e.g., MAXQDA) and data visualisation platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI). 

• Demonstrated ability to design and implement evaluation frameworks, ideally co-developed with programme users and stakeholders. 

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex data as actionable insights through engaging reports, infographics, and dashboards. 

• Experience managing research projects or commissioning external consultants. 

• Strong project management skills and the ability to balance multiple priorities. 

Desirable 

• Knowledge of issues facing care-experienced young people and/or experience in the youth or employment sector. 

• Experience in policy influencing and advocacy. 

• Familiarity with GDPR and data protection best practices. 

Our Values in Action 

• Visionary: You will innovate and explore new methods for measuring impact, positioning DFF as a sector leader.  

• People-Focused: Your work will prioritise the experiences of our care-experienced young people, ensuring their voices shape our programmes.  

• Collaborative: You will work alongside colleagues and stakeholders to build a strong, data-driven community of practice.  

• Empowering: Your insights will help dismantle barriers and enable positive change within and beyond DFF.  

Benefits 

• Competitive salary with growth opportunities. 

• 27 days annual leave plus public holidays. 

• Pension scheme. 

• Professional development opportunities. 

• Individual professional development allowance and access to a Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). 

How to Apply 

We are looking for passionate individuals who share our vision and values. To apply, please submit the following: 

1. Your CV: Highlighting your relevant skills, experiences, and achievements. 

1. A Cover Letter (maximum 2 pages): Tell us about your motivation for applying, how you align with our values, and what you can bring to the role. 

Application Process 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an in-person interview to discuss their experience and alignment with DFF’s mission and values. You will complete a practical exercise to demonstrate your approach to impact measurement and data analysis. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. Close to 20% of our workforce is care-experienced, reflecting our values in action. If you require adjustments to the application process, please contact us using the email provided above.