Research Director

The organisation

ImpactEd Group supports education and purpose-driven organisations to maximise their potential. We do this by helping our partners to be consistently impactful and operationally sustainable. The Group currently consists of:

• ImpactEd Evaluation, which works with schools, multi-academy trusts and education organisations, to analyse the impact of programmes, processes and interventions to help partners do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

• ImpactEd Consulting, which offers strategic and operational support for its partners, to address challenges and underpin carefully managed growth.

• ImpactEd Philanthropy, supporting organisations seeking and providing funding.

• ImpactEd Data and AI, providing specialist support to manage the opportunities and risks of new technologies.

In addition to the practices, we are supported by several central functions, including research and external affairs, finance and operations, and our product team.

We are also home to The Engagement Platform (TEP).

The Opportunity

We are seeking an exceptional leader in research and evaluation to drive ImpactEd Group’s research strategy. Reporting to the Group Directors and Board, the Research Director will lead, design and represent high-quality research and evaluation outputs across ImpactEd Group, in support of our practices.

The Research Director will be responsible for overseeing research quality, outputs and methods across the Group. This role is ideal for an individual with a strong track record in research leadership, evaluation, and research partnerships. You will bring a pragmatic, evidence-based approach to research and implementation, with a deep understanding of the education sector.

Working across our practices, the Research Director will design methodologies for Targeted Research and Action Projects, support complex research partnerships and quality assurance. This will likely include, but not be limited to, research and evaluation design and delivery on key projects across our practices, supporting the delivery of Targeted Research and Action Projects, development and delivery of training for colleagues in research methodologies, reviewing proposals and reports, designing and leading research-based engagement with the sector (e.g. programme of webinars), writing articles, and representing the Group at events.

Alongside this, the successful candidate will play an active role in business development, bringing in revenue to the Group through lead generation, tender applications, and high-quality proposal writing and project design. As well as sitting on the Group Leadership Team, the Research Director will sit on the Practice Board of ImpactEd Evaluation, where they will support the practice leadership in the development of methodologies and training that will position the practice as the first port of call for education leaders who want to understand the impact of their work.