Senior Mixed Methods Specialist

The Senior Manager provides operational and managerial leadership and management The Senior Mixed Methods Specialist is principally a senior technical specialist role, providing advanced mixed methods evaluation expertise within the SVU. The postholder will be expected to work autonomously, lead complex evaluation workstreams, provide technical leadership, manage competing priorities and contribute to decisions that may be sensitive, contested, resource-constrained or methodologically complex.

The postholder will

Lead the design and delivery of mixed methods evaluations across strategic commissioning, transformation, Neighbourhood Health, pathway redesign and programme evaluation. Develop evaluation questions, theories of change, logic models, evaluation frameworks, protocols, data collection plans and reporting plans. Select proportionate evaluation designs that reflect the decision question, programme maturity, available data, implementation context, equity considerations and evaluation risk. Lead qualitative research and evaluation activity, including interviews, focus groups, workshops, observation, document review, case studies and thematic analysis. Design and interpret surveys, patient and staff experience data, stakeholder feedback and other structured or semi-structured data collection approaches. Work with quantitative analysts, statisticians, data scientists and health economists to incorporate routine data, outcomes data, utilisation data, activity data, financial data and population health data into evaluation outputs. Apply implementation science, improvement and systems thinking approaches to understand delivery context, variation, barriers, enablers, acceptability, fidelity, adaptation and sustainability. Ensure that evaluation methods are inclusive and reflect equality, diversity and health inequalities considerations, including appropriate engagement with underserved groups and attention to differential access, experience and outcomes. Ensure that evaluations are delivered in line with information governance, ethics, research governance, data protection, safeguarding and consent requirements. Produce clear, high-quality evaluation reports, analytical summaries, case studies, committee papers, presentations and briefings that support decision-making. Present findings to a range of audiences, including commissioners, clinicians, senior leaders, patients, public representatives and system partners. Translate evaluation evidence into practical recommendations, including commissioning decisions, redesign, or further evaluation. Support the development of SVU evaluation standards, templates, quality assurance processes, methods guidance and knowledge management. Explore and evaluate emerging methods and tools for evaluation, including qualitative analysis software, survey tools, text analysis, AI-enabled approaches and reproducible documentation, ensuring that any use is governed appropriately. Contribute to grant applications, academic collaborations, or publications where these support ICB priorities and are agreed as part of the SVU work programme.