Evaluation and Impact Fellow

Salary: £48,337 to £57,666, pro rata

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 08 November 2026

The Role

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Inequalities Challenge: Maternity Disparities Consortium (MDC) is a £50million national programme which brings together a diverse range of organisations with expertise in research, capacity development and working with people and communities to deliver a step change in maternity and neonatal outcomes. The research carried out by the consortium focuses on inequalities before, during and after pregnancy. The programme is underpinned by an innovative and transformative capacity development programme of career development awards and opportunities, linked and embedded within the consortium’s research areas to support the next generation of researchers working to address maternity inequalities.

The NIHR MDC is co-ordinated from Newcastle University (Research and Capacity Development) and the University of Birmingham (Research). The postholder will be based at Newcastle University and work closely with the Consortium team at both Newcastle University and the University of Birmingham.

We are seeking a mixed-methods researcher who thrives in multidisciplinary environments to play a pivotal role in improving health outcomes and reducing maternal inequalities. The Evaluation and Impact Fellow at Newcastle University will evaluate the capacity development programme, and the impact of our work in PPIE and co-production, research inclusion and engagement with and impact on policy makers. There will also be an Evaluation and Impact Fellow at the University of Birmingham who will lead the design, coordination and delivery of the programme-level evaluation of the NIHR-funded MDC.

This post is a 50% FTE post (18.7 hours per week) until July 2030 and is based in Newcastle and it is expected you will spend the majority of your time on site.

At Newcastle University, we follow the Researcher Development Concordat: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/research/support/development/We enable all colleagues to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This commitment secures our thriving research culture and vibrant research environment. Our offer to each individual and their researcher development includes mentoring, annual research planning discussions, pooled research funding to support career development and research activities, peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications.

We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University. If you’d like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact [email removed]. We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and can provide additional support to adjustments to meet your needs.

To apply, we require a cover letter and CV. In the cover letter, you should outline how you meet the essential criteria listed in the job description.

Interviews will be arranged with advanced notice.

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/

Find out more about our Research Institutes here:

https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed three levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and, secondly, the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

The Evaluation and Impact Fellow at Newcastle University will evaluate the capacity development programme, and the impact of our work in PPIE and co-production, research inclusion and engagement with and impact on policy makers.

The postholder will co-design evaluation frameworks and apply a full range of mixed-methods approaches, including realist and other theory-driven evaluation methods, rapid evidence reviews, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, and synthesis of findings into clear, actionable insights. You will lead the development of the Consortium-wide Evaluation and Impact Framework, including programme theory, logic models, theory of change processes, common programme-level indicators and approaches to assessing the added value of the Consortium model. You will synthesise evidence across the MDC’s themes, workstreams and core functions to identify what works, for whom, in which contexts and why, and support evidence-informed decisions about what should continue, change, stop or scale.

You will contribute to drafting high-quality reports, peer-reviewed publications, horizon-scanning and developing competitive research and evaluation proposals.

The postholder will also contribute to the MDC Innovation strategy and engagement with industry partners, including identifying opportunities for responsible adoption, scale-up and wider impact.

Key Accountabilitites

• Plan, design and deliver research and evaluation activities and programmes under the guidance of senior staff and within agreed timelines
• Contribute to the development of research strategies
• Contribute ideas including on appropriate methodologies for research
• Lead, coordinate and guide day‑to‑day project activity, anticipating risks, resolving issues and supporting colleagues to achieve research objectives
• Lead on and support academic outputs and dissemination, including preparing publications, presenting findings at conferences
• Provide supervision and mentorship of doctoral and early career researcher where appropriate
• Deliver training in evaluation methods to the MDC members
• Build and maintain effective relationships with MDC partners, public contributors and community stakeholders
• Develop and maintain national collaborations
• Provide expert advice to colleagues and students within discipline
• Identify and undertake a programme of professional development
• Attend meetings and other events appropriate to the post.
• Undertake other activities as directed by the MDC’s co-leads
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Substantial experience of mixed-methods, theory-driven and/or implementation-focused evaluation
• Track record of integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence from multiple sources
• Experience of realist evaluation, programme evalu