Lead Evaluator (Into the Light Place Partnership)

The Role and Department

Research and Innovation Services (RIS) offers guidance, expert advice, and hands-on support for all aspects of research and research-related activities. This includes securing funding, collaborating with partners, undertaking knowledge exchange, demonstrating impact, commercialising outputs, ensuring good research practice, and supporting professional development. This post will sit in the Commercialisation and Economic Development team, under the management of the Senior Policy Engagement Manager.

The role will undertake evaluation of a major place-based creative collaboration, Into the Light. This three-year programme, which began on 1 April 2024, is funded by the Arts Council England, the Shared Prosperity Fund, Durham County Council and others. It has been designed to cultivate talent, widen access to creative education, enhance the skills of the cultural workforce, and break down barriers to working in the creative industries. Into the Light is delivered by Durham County Council in partnership with Beamish Museum, The Bowes Museum, Durham University, Ensemble ’84, The Forge, No More Nowt, Northern Heartlands, Redhills CIO and TIN Arts. The programme consists of eight projects over three interconnecting themes: Grow (Inspiring Children and Young People), Cultivate (Building the Cultural Workforce) and Engage (Connecting Communities through Culture).

Durham University is leading on the evaluation of the programme, with the aim of undertaking a programme-wide study to analyse the impact of investment in cultural and creative programmes, activities and events in the County through the principles of Inclusive Economy, an economic development model adopted by Durham, Newcastle and going forward by the North East Combined Authority (NECA).

The Lead Evaluator will be formally line managed by the Senior Policy Engagement Manager in RIS with academic oversight and support provided by Professor Janet Stewart, Executive Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The post-holder will report to the Into the Light Evaluation Advisory Board, chaired by Professor Janet Stewart, Executive Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

The Lead Evaluator will have access to the expertise of the Durham Research Methods Centre and will be assisted by two postdoctoral research associates, based in academic departments, who are due to be appointed in June 2025. As well as delivering this important project, the role will offer useful learning to wider work being undertaken to explore a future institutional evaluation offer. These include exploring potential frameworks with partners, which, in addition to providing capacity for programme and process evaluation, enhance the opportunity for a range of collaborative research opportunities.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

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