public affairs jobs

Principal UK Domestic MEL Lead

Location: Hybrid/Brighton

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £75,000 - dependent on experience

Closing date: Wednesday 17th December, however, please note, we will be interviewing candidates on a rolling basis, early applications are encouraged.

About Itad

We are a global consultancy united by a strong set of values and a common purpose: to help build a more equitable and sustainable world for all.

We do this by providing expert monitoring, evaluation, learning and strategy services that help organisations create positive lasting social, economic and environmental change.

For 40-years, we have collaborated with governments, foundations, businesses and global alliances to generate the evidence needed to understand the impact of their work and improve their performance.

In all our work we are committed to equity, inclusiveness and technical excellence to meet the highest professional and ethical standards.

Itad is increasingly partnering with UK government departments, agencies and philanthropies to deliver high-quality Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) services for domestic programmes. This builds on our strong reputation for rigorous evaluation, evidence synthesis, and advisory work across international development and public policy. Our aim is to generate actionable insights that improve decision-making and maximise impact for clients.

Purpose: Drive UK government MEL market entry; lead evaluation strategy and business development.

Key Responsibilities:

• Identify and position the organisation for strategic opportunities in the UK domestic market, develop winning bid strategies, and oversee the end-to-end execution of high-quality proposals that secure new business.

• Lead client engagement with UK government departments (DEFRA, DSIT, DESNZ, MOD, Home Office, UKRI, etc.).

• Drive success in UK domestic market by adapting our current bid management processes as well as mentoring and upskilling colleagues.

• Design and oversee evaluations aligned with UK Government standards such as ‘Magenta’ and ‘Green Books’, and applying advanced evaluation methods (experimental, quasi-experimental, theory-based).

• Mentor staff and build internal evaluation capability for UK domestic market.

Essential Skills:

• 10+ years in MEL/evaluation, ideally within UK government or consultancy.

• Proven UK Gov networks such as DSIT, DESNZ, Home Office/MoD, UKRI etc

• Experience with UK Foundations is also desirable.

• Track record in BD and winning bids

• Expertise in delivering a range of relevant mixed method evaluation methodologies such as impact evaluation and cost-benefit analysis.

• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.

• Familiarity with government procurement and business case processes.

• Experience in regional development, economic development, environment, or inclusive growth sectors.

Benefits include:

• Pluxee offers significant discounts at over 100 UK retailers, including supermarkets, travel agents, restaurants, cinemas, and gyms.
• A matched company pension up to 5% with a wide range of fund options.
• 26 days holiday per year, plus 3 flexible days and the option to purchase another 5 days, flexible bank holidays (you can take these whenever you wish) and the opportunity to buy holiday
• Hybrid and flexible working from anywhere in the UK
• Cycle to work scheme
• Itad Rewards: Offers up to 20% discount at over 100 UK retailers. There are savings on gym memberships, holidays, restaurants, cinemas, and gym memberships and an average of 5% discount on supermarkets - giving you the option to take advantage of the benefits which are most impactful for you.
  
• Discretionary bonus scheme

If you’re enthusiastic about this opportunity but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway and demonstrate how your experience is transferrable. You may be just the right candidate.

We are committed to equality and inclusion to empower people both within our organisation and through our work. We know that employees with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences make us a more effective and innovative company and we therefore welcome and encourage applications from interested candidates regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, or belief.

Please note, we will be interviewing candidates on a rolling basis, early applications are encouraged.