Head of data science jobs in reading, west berkshire

Main Purpose of the Role:

To lead the Support Team to provide emotional and practical support to families and individuals living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It includes leading the support team to provide 1-2-1 and group support provided in person or virtually, and creating and growing support networks for the wider Duchenne community which includes Duchenne parents/caregivers; young people and adults living with Duchenne; extended family and friends; and professionals in environments such as schools, local authorities and clinics. 

Specific Tasks:

The focus areas and key deliverables of this role are as follows:

• Develop a clear process for identifying case loads and capacity for the Support Team.

• Identify opportunities, alongside the team, for cross team working - including residentials; family events; Science Educations workshops with regional meetups and education visits to schools and local authorities.

• Obtain, decipher and provide training to the Support Team on new updates relevant to Duchenne families, such as DLA, EHCP and more.

• Work closely with your team, to ensure that each family receives the best support possible, and that long-term support is provided.

• Lead on the development and delivery of monthly reporting of engagement and support contact, which will feed into the wider All Through Support journey. 

• To work with the Head of Operations and Events to contribute to Agenda topics and speakers from the community; assign roles for the conference to the Support Team.

• Establish a database for external stakeholders also supporting those living with Duchenne on a national basis, fed in to from the Support Team.

• To develop a triaging and caseload process for the Support Team, and how best to regularly monitor this.

• Be involved in the recruitment, selection, and induction of volunteers appropriate to your area of work.

• To maintain the contact database, keeping it up to date and accurate.

• Coordinate cover for the Support Team when there is sickness or leave.

NB This is not an exhaustive list, the role holder will be asked to carry out additional tasks as required for the Team’s successful service delivery. Such tasks will always be reasonable and broadly in line with current knowledge levels and skill sets.

Person Specification Criteria (essential, except those noted specifically as desirable) 

Education and Qualifications

• Experience leading a team (either through line management or mentoring)

Knowledge and Experience

• A proven track record of providing support to those in need in a professional setting. 

• Experience of safeguarding reporting.

• Experience of reporting on services and development of monitoring dashboards.

• Knowledge of current legislation around either accessibility, equal opportunities, Disability Living Allowance, or Education Health Care Plan.

• Knowledge of networks and signposting for those living with a life-limiting condition.

• An understanding of and commitment to Equal Opportunities and the ability to promote this in the day-to-day work of the post.

• Experience working in the health sector or at a patient-led charity. [Desirable]

• Experience of a CRM system. [Desirable]

Skills and Aptitude

• Passionate about improving the lives of young people, adults and their families living with Duchenne.

• Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and verbally.

• Excellent organisational and time management skills, ability to work as part of a team and work on own initiative and to deadlines.

• Ability to be assertive but also have empathy and the ability to be sensitive with the families and young adults we support.

• Interest in networking and continued learning about new areas of support for those living with Duchenne. 

We have an exciting new opportunity to join Icebreaker One as a Senior Administrator

About Icebreaker One

We are a diverse collection of like minded people whose expertise spans policy and science, finance and engineering, data and systems—working together to tackle one of the greatest challenges of our time. We need your help.

Our mission is to make data work harder to deliver net-zero outcomes. 

The role

Reporting

You will be a member of the PMO team, working closely with Icebreaker One’s project managers. You will be responsible for supporting the successful delivery of projects and secretariat functions as directed by the Programme Director, Head of Project Management and the Programme and Policy Manager. 

Responsibilities

• Project administration

  • Creating meeting templates, slide decks and documents 

  • Attend meetings to take meeting minutes

  • Proof-reading project documents and artefacts

  • Assisting the project manager with task management using the Jira tool and preparing meeting agendas

• Icebreaker One secretariat administration for Steering and Advisory Groups

  • Preparation: 

    • Oversee diary management, meeting planning and scheduling

    • Creating Zoom meetings

    • Logistics, and room bookings for in person meetings/events

    • managing and updating attendee tracking lists

    • Prepare, collate and distribute meeting materials well in advance to attendees

    • Creating voting forms for items needing endorsement 

    • Ensuring co-chairs are supported in meeting logistics 

  • Execution

    • Host / managing Zoom/Teams for online meetings

    • Attend meetings to take meeting minutes, and post-meeting cleaning up the notes afterwards (for easy reading) 

    • summarising outputs

    • Tracking voting form responses and, if required, following up with individual members to ensure quorate is reached 

  • Post-AG wash up

    • Writing, disseminating, and publishing Advisory and Steering Group minutes

    • Writing/summarising, coordinating and sending post-event follow up emails and voting summary reports

    • Updating the SG/AG action tracker log of actions, ensuring follow-up with action owners before each meeting.

• Inbox Management: Oversee the Secretariat mailbox to ensure effective communication, timely responses, and coordination of meetings, while maintaining organised records and distributing information as needed

• Public webinar and in person events administration

  • Coordinating panellists, preparing agenda and slide deck templates

  • Managing Eventbrite & calendar invitations, Zoom administration

  • Assisting with the coordination of onsite logistics

• Participating in weekly Show & Tell meetings

• Additional ad hoc administrative tasks as appropriate

Results 

• Ensuring the smooth running of IB1 projects, meetings and Steering and Advisory Groups

• Ensuring project managers and meeting participants have all the required information to carry out meetings and activities

Knowledge, Skills, Experience

Demonstrable experience of:

• Attention to detail and administrative skills

• Ability to understand and take real-time notes in complex meetings

• Working with and in support of a group of team members

• Highly organised and capable of managing time and tasks effectively and independently

• Familiar with using and applying Google Suite/Workspace, Slack, Zoom, social media and other tools for working remotely and in the open

• The ability to work in a collegiate, collaborative and open environment

• Experience in supporting, coaching and delegating to junior administrators

Desirable

• A working knowledge of the UK’s Net Zero landscape 

Our approach

Fundamental to the success of our programmes is that solutions are developed in collaboration with the sector, for the sector and by the sector. 

Our Icebreaking approach underpins all our work and feeds into continuous iterative development.

Research sits at the heart of our systems-based approach and spans climate, finance, policy and industrial sectors (e.g. energy, water, transportation, built world, agriculture). 

Our Data Services team deliver market-facing services, including Trust Frameworks 

Our Membership, Community and Communications teams develop strategies that allow us to work in open, transparent ways and continuously seek industry feedback. 

All work is delivered using an agile-based, modular and iterative approach that includes continuous feedback from research and open consultations. Feedback and documentation are published alongside responses and actions taken on our website. 

All outputs, reports, developments and deliverables undergo internal quality assurance. Early-stage research is presented in a weekly Show and Tell for internal, external and peer feedback; fortnightly heartbeat sessions with clients and funders, checks on direction of travel and shows work early; sharing draft materials for feedback is core to our process. 

Benefits of being an Icebreaker?

• Flexible working -  to help you work around your needs and commitments we operate a four-day week, and don’t have work or meetings booked on a Friday.

• Remote working - we may all be working remotely but it doesn't get in the way of us working closely.  Regardless of whether working remotely is by choice or by necessity - daily standups and regular work and non-work related hangouts mean you are connected to the team. 

• Supportive working - Bring and share what you know as you’ll be working with people willing to learn and share knowledge. Foster support in getting the most of the virtual/remote TX from using GoogleDocs/GSuite to Show & Tell sessions

Apply today

Email your cover letter and CV/links to pages that show us what you have done, and can do, to help us achieve our mission

Applications must be received by 0900 GMT 2025-07-03

As a team, we are committed to equality and creating an inclusive culture with diverse and balanced backgrounds. We actively encourage applications from everyone and will help to support you to reach your full potential and to be yourself in a working environment based on dignity, respect and mutual support. Before applying you will need to ensure you have the right to work in the UK and can provide documentary evidence of this. 

The role does require the applicant to be able to work within a UK time zone

Full details are avaialble on our website 

Consultancy work (Afghanistan Programme)

Terms of Reference for a Final Evaluation and Report

ToR

Consultancy work: Final Evaluation and Report

Commencement date

4 July 2025

Duration

c. 8 weeks (subject to change)

Accountable to

CAFOD Afghanistan team – Grace How and Kitty Chevallier

Overview: Conduct a Final Evaluation for a project entitled ‘Provision of humanitarian and livelihood support’, also known as ‘HELA’ (Humanitarian and Economic Livelihoods Assistance’). The 3-year project is funded by Misereor / Katholische Zentralstelle für Entwicklungshilfe (KZE), with co-funding provided by CAFOD. It is implemented by two local partners in Afghanistan, in three provinces, between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2025.

CAFOD has been supporting local organisations in Afghanistan, including the two implementing partners for this project, since the 1980s to help tackle issues of poverty and injustice and to respond to humanitarian emergencies.

Background and Context

Project Brief: This project is a result of partnership and joint work between CAFOD and the consortium members. The project builds on CAFOD’s existing programming in Afghanistan which strengthens the capacity of at-risk households by diversifying their livelihood options. The project focuses on meeting basic needs as well as promoting inclusive development, with the objective of strengthening resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable. As the project approaches the final few months of implementation, CAFOD is seeking to engage an external consultant to conduct a participatory final evaluation for this project. This will evaluate how effectively the project has been implemented, its major impacts and lessons learned, and recommendations for future similar programming. It is expected that the final evaluation will have a particular focus on the consortium partners’ ways of working: the strength of their collaboration, the efficacy and suitability of monitoring and evaluation approaches, and the benefit of learning events and strategies used through the project.

CAFOD and our partners are working with the same target group throughout the duration of the project, not only providing humanitarian and livelihood support, but also raising awareness amongst participants of families' rights from an Islamic perspective. Over the past two decades, much work has been undertaken to empower Afghan households and enable them to exercise their agency. Partners are taking a variety of approaches to further these aims in the project.

Ultimately, the project aims to support and ensure that the rights of poor and vulnerable people in Bamyan, Kabul, and Kunduz provinces are upheld and they have increased agency in their social and economic development.

Directly, the project has been planned to achieve programme outcomes:

1. The basic needs of targeted households are met.
2. Targeted participants have improved resilience through diversified livelihoods.
3. Targeted community leaders and members (male and female) are equipped and empowered with the knowledge and skills to promote and uphold their rights from an Islamic perspective.

Project Target Group and Location: The project will reach a total of 350 participants in three provinces of Afghanistan (Bamyan, Kunduz and Kabul) with a combination of humanitarian assistance, livelihoods training and other activities.

Project Duration: September 2022 – August 2025 (36 months)

Scope of the Final Evaluation:

The purpose of this final evaluation is to assess the overall performance and objectives of the completed project, in relation to the specified objectives, logical framework, and work plans. The evaluation will examine the extent to which project outcomes have been achieved, the quality and sustainability of results, and the relevance and appropriateness of strategies employed and ways of working. This participatory evaluation will analyse not only what has been achieved, but how it was achieved, how it was measured, and what could have been improved. This will include an examination of accountability measures, and how participants and other stakeholders were engaged throughout the implementation process, including how participants were given the opportunity and encouraged to share feedback and help shape the design of the project. The consultant will make and explain recommendations for consideration in implementing future projects of a similar nature.

The evaluation should include a review of the project’s monitoring data, secondary documents, a workshop with staff, and some direct data collection from key stakeholders including targeted participants taking part in the livelihoods training activities, as well as their relatives and community members. Findings of the evaluation will be used to guide and improve future project design and implementation. They should be written up into a final evaluation report (no more than 30 pages) which will be made available to CAFOD, Misereor and both partners.

As well as assessing progress towards logical framework indicators, the evaluation should focus on capturing, documenting and assessing lessons learned to inform future project design and implementation.

The assessment will be conducted in close coordination with CAFOD’s Afghanistan team, including the Country Programme Representative, Programme Officer, and Programme Support Officer.

Objectives of the Final Evaluation:

1. To assess the project and its effectiveness in meeting its three outcomes and supporting targeted Afghan households, through material assistance, livelihoods skill training and associated support, advocacy initiatives, and other activities.
2. To evaluate the strength and appropriateness of the projects MEAL systems:
   1. To what extent did project monitoring and evaluation help track project progress and achievements?
   2. How effectively was participation and accountability built into project design and implementation, and partners’ ways of working with stakeholders?
   3. How effectively were learning opportunities used throughout the project (including peer learning and exchange visits, learning workshops, regular progress workshops, etc.)?
3. To assess and review consortium functionality, partnership dynamics, and collaboration.
4. To capture and assess key lessons learned from the project from various stakeholders including project staff, participants, civil society groups involved in the project, community leaders and other community members.
5. To assess the sustainability and impact of project achievements, including:
   1. Changes in participants’ social and economic agency and participation
   2. Shifts in community attitudes and behaviours
   3. Capacity built among local partners and stakeholders.
6. To produce a high-quality report, no longer than 30 pages, which will be shared with CAFOD, Misereor and implementing partners.

Deliverables and proposed deadlines:

• Develop a short inception report with proposed methodology, plans and tools for collecting data from stakeholders, for the final evaluation (1st and 2nd week of contract), to be discussed and agreed with CAFOD and partners.
• Gather data from relevant stakeholders (3rd and 4th week of contract)
• Submission of draft report (6th week of contract)
• Review and revision of report based on feedback (6th and 7th week of contract)
• Submission of final report (8th week of contract)
• Presentation of report to CAFOD and partners– date to be confirmed.

Methodology:

• The evaluation should adopt a participatory mixed-methods approach, beginning with a desk review before integrating quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure that data collected is triangulated and can be communicated, explained and contextualised.
• It is expected that the consultant will combine surveys/questionnaires with structured interviews, FGDs and KIIs. Note that to enable the open and unrestricted sharing of opinions and information, the data can be anonymised where relevant and appropriate.
• Evaluation team members are encouraged to use innovative methods to collect and analyse data. The qualitative component will allow for more in-depth data gathering to gain more insightful findings from relevant target groups regarding their experience of the project and its impact.
• Data is expected to be gathered from key project stakeholders, including:
  • Targeted participants (in vocational training, first aid training, and Local Leaders Committees).
• The midterm evaluation will be supported by two workshops: an initial developmental workshop in which the data collection methods will be discussed with CAFOD staff and representatives from partners to obtain feedback and input; and a feedback and validation workshop after submission of the draft report, to obtain input on findings and recommendations.
• The consultant(s) are expected to propose the most suitable method of sampling/randomisation and the sample size will be determined in collaboration with CAFOD and partners. Information shall be collected from across specified beneficiaries, partners and stakeholders.
• All data collected during the baseline study will be disaggregated by age, gender, disability, and location.

Ethical Considerations

The below ethical considerations will be adhered to during the midterm evaluation:

• The evaluation will be conducted by an independent and impartial external consultant.
• Quantitative data will be obtained from a randomly selected representative sample. 
• Participation in the study will be voluntary, and individuals must be able to curtail their participation in the study at any time. 
• The safety of participants and implementing partner staff will be paramount.
• Anonymity, confidentiality and safeguarding of study data (both during data collection and for data storage) will be guaranteed. 
• There will be no risks and benefits for individual participants.
• The culture, norms and traditions of study populations will be respected and laws of the country upheld.
• Participation in the evaluation will involve no additional security or safety risks for participants, in light of the current context in Afghanistan.
• The content of the evaluation will be treated confidentially and only shared with CAFOD, partners and Misereor.

Required Competencies:

• A minimum master’s degree in social sciences or relevant field;
• Other training/certifications in thematic areas relevant to the project will be an asset (livelihoods, gender, behavioural change communication etc.);
• Other professional training on Research Methodology, Development Evaluation, and Impact Evaluation from recognised institutes/universities would be an asset;
• A proven track record of an ability to pragmatically apply in-depth knowledge and experiences of issues and practices in the fields of humanitarian, livelihoods and gender in Afghanistan;
• Strong computer and analytical skills with ability to write and review technical documents/ reports, conduct interviews as part of background research.

Demonstrable Skills and Experience:

• Record of publication of social research documents, evaluation reports, survey reports, study reports on livelihoods and rights issues is a strong asset;
• Experience of carrying out mixed-methods studies and evaluations and in producing high quality analytical reports (at least 2 recent reports should be submitted with the RFP);
• Strong background of statistical data analysis skills and strong proficiency with data analysis packages (in Stata or SPSS);
• Member of professional societies/forums (e.g. evaluation society) will be an asset;
• At least 6 years’ experience managing evaluations, baselines and/or assessments for community-based programmes, including since August 2021;
• Experience in delivering high quality assessments, research or evaluations for institutionally funded projects such as FCDO/DFID, EU or USAID;
• Experience working with and/or evaluating the work of national NGOs and CSOs in Afghanistan;
• A gender-balanced team (at all levels) is highly desired;
• Ability to adapt plans and approaches, sometimes at short notice;
• Fluency in English essential; ability to conduct interviews in Dari and Pashto essential.

CAFOD is committed to creating a safe environment for all project participants, especially children, young people and vulnerable adults, and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. The consultant will be expected to follow these commitments and sign and adhere to all relevant policies and procedures.

Interested candidates are requested to submit the following by 29 June 2025. Please see CAFOD website to email the documents requested below

• Updated CVs (lead consultant and associates if any)
• Technical proposal with proposed methodology and detailed work plan
• 2 examples of similar assessments, evaluations, research, analytical report writing in English
• Financial proposal: Up to a maximum of USD 14,000. This fee should include all consultancy costs, including data collection costs (travel, accommodation, food etc.) as well as all applicable VAT and Tax.

Submissions will be reviewed and scored according to a) the criteria and considerations listed in this Terms of Reference, b) the suitability of the project plan/method statement and c) value for money.

Management and Reporting Arrangements:

The recruitment and initial briefing to the consultant will be managed by CAFOD, in consultation with the project partners.

Both in-country implementing partners will provide logistical and administrative support and guidance, including supply of relevant documentation, and help with the organisation of meetings and interviews (the financial costs of this will be covered by the consultant). Additionally required costs such as refreshments for FGDs will be paid for by partners. The consultant will be responsible for working with partner staff to arrange interviews and field visits ensuring all relevant stakeholders are available at the place and time agreed; the consultant(s) will provide facilitation of workshops, FGDs, meetings and field visits.

Deliverables will be reviewed, appraised and accepted by members of CAFOD’s Afghanistan staff, in consultation with the relevant partner staff members. 

Summary Timeline (subject to change):

19 – 29 June

Circulation of TORs and Invitation to Submit Quotations

29 June

Closing date for applications

2 July – 3 July

Interviews with short-listed consultants

4 July

Final consultant selection and contract signing

5 July – 4 August

Planning, document review and fieldwork

14 August

Submission of draft report to CAFOD

15 - 23 August

Review, feedback and revision of report

31 August

Presentation of report findings and recommendations to CAFOD, partners, and Misereor.

The selection consultant(s) will be expected to fully agree to comply with all relevant CAFOD policies during the contracted period including the Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct, and provide references.