Head of Strategic Analysis

At The National Lottery Community Fund we are committed to making a bigger difference in the years ahead. That's why being 'impact-focussed' is one of our core values. We want to transform how we use insight in our organisation so that we can: identify the communities that most need our funding, demonstrate the difference we make and take an equity-based approach. Our 2030 strategy 'It starts with community' sets stretching goals and puts impact at the heart of what we do.

We're recruiting for a Head of Strategic Analysis in our newly formed Evidence and Impact team. You will help us build stronger insight into the challenges faced by communities across the UK and the case for action in each of our four mission areas. You will connect this evidence about the external environment in which we operate and the future trends for society and the economy to our ongoing performance monitoring and KPIs. You will lead your team's work to communicate evidence in a compelling and engaging way to a wide range of audiences. The strategic analysis and research your team delivers will support advocacy and influencing at both a UK-wide and country portfolio level.

Ultimately your work will ensure that The National Lottery Community Fund has the evidence we need to deliver the full impact and benefit of 'It starts with Community' and that we have the processes in place to adapt and learn, including in preparing the insight that we need to set strategy beyond 2030.

We're looking for a strategic thinker who can connect the evidence and insight our team creates to the decisions at hand at all levels of our organisation. This means you must be able to demonstrate experience of presenting insight to senior stakeholders at Executive and Board level in a way that promotes evidence-led strategy and policy.

We aim to 'lead the agenda' with insight, so you will have strong experience of leading teams to develop clear and purposeful insight products for use in strategic communications and advocacy. Your people management skills will be crucial to this role as you lead the 5-strong Strategic Analysis team, developing a supportive culture of high-performance. You will forge strong partnerships with a wide range of colleagues in the UK-wide Evidence and Impact function and play a key role in our leadership team as we strive for 'One Fund' ways of working.

This role can be based in any of our offices. Some travel is expected to attend leadership meetings and connect with colleagues who are based in different locations of the country.

Interview Date: w/c 3 rd February.

Location: UK - We have a hybrid approach to working, work pattern and location will be agreed with the successful candidate. The role can be based at any of our UK offices, these are Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Newcastle and Newtown.

On application, please align your supporting statement to the criteria below.

Essential criteria:

• Educated to undergraduate level, or equivalent level of experience in a relevant discipline such as quantitative or qualitative methods, evidence synthesis or trends analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate with different audiences.
• Experience of working with multiple stakeholders (including at Board level), often with competing priorities, to gain agreement.
• Proven experience in driving insight to action and in communicating compelling evidence to senior stakeholders, particularly at Executive and Board level.
• Proven experience of delivering impactful evidence at different stages of the strategy cycle, including one or more of the following: consultation, horizon scanning, performance and KPI reporting and policy analysis

Desirable criteria:

• Educated to undergraduate level, or equivalent level of experience in a relevant discipline.
• Familiarity with functional standards for analysis and in how they apply to the work of multi-disciplinary teams.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Communities in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. National Lottery funding is for everyone - therefore, we are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and we work hard to ensure our funding reaches where it is needed.

We also believe our people should represent the communities, organisations and individuals we work with. That's why The National Lottery Community Fund is committed to being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. We recognise and celebrate the fact that our people come from diverse backgrounds. We positively welcome applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities or longstanding health conditions, people who are LGBTQ+, and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as well as people of all ages.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we take a proactive approach in making reasonable adjustments, if needed, throughout the recruitment process and during employment. (This can be related to a physical and mental health condition.).