Media Literacy Evaluation Consultant

Please note: This is a temporary position with part time working expected. The number of days will be confirmed ASAP. If you have any questions about this please reach out to Laura.Mansbridge@ofcom.org.uk.

There are two positions available. We would welcome candidates from anywhere in the UK but please note there may be travelling required to Birmingham, Scotland, Wales, or one of the Ofcom offices.

When applying please submit your CV and also a short covering letter detailing why you wish to be considered for the role.

Team Overview

As the UK’s communications regulator, we are delivering vital work that helps keep the UK connected and shapes the future of how we will stay connected with each other.

Our work covers everything from phones and broadband, through to TV, radio, the postal service, and wireless devices. We are also taking on the challenge of making the online world a safer place. And we need people of all backgrounds, skill sets, and experiences to help us achieve our goal of making communications work for everyone.

Our culture is clear - we live by our values: Empowerment; Excellence; Collaboration; Agility and Respect. These define how we work to deliver our purpose, now and in the future. The behaviours which support these values set the path for a fully inclusive and innovative culture at Ofcom. We focus not only on what we do, but how we do it. We pride ourselves on being an organisation of people who genuinely care about helping others.

The successful consultants will work closely with Ofcom’s Making Sense of Media (MSOM) team, a cross-disciplinary team delivering a programme of work to improve the ability of adults and children in the UK to engage effectively with online services and other media.

Purpose of the Roles

Ofcom has a requirement for two evaluation consultants. These consultants will work closely with up to five organisations who successfully secured an Ofcom tender to deliver a local media literacy approach in four communities across the UK. A key aim of the project is to better understand what works in place-based media literacy interventions and to share good practice within the sector.

Commissioned organisations are required to produce impact and process evaluations and to share any evaluation tools with Ofcom. They will produce evaluation reports, aspects of which will be shared widely, and will also inform Ofcom’s own research into evaluative methods.

Ofcom therefore requires two evaluation consultants to work with commissioned organisations on their evaluations. The evaluation consultants will have a strong track record in the evaluation of interventions led by third sector or charity organisations, including the creation of data collection tools, data analysis and report writing. Ideally, they will also have a strong understanding of media literacy outcomes.

Successful applicants will be comfortable working in a range of settings across each of the four UK nations and be sensitive to meeting the needs of commissioned organisations where they are. They will be able to support the commissioned organisations to work towards demonstrating the impact of their interventions.

We are looking for someone who is analytical, methodical and also a good communicator who is comfortable building relationships swiftly.

Requirements of the role

• Build relationships with commissioned organisations in order to support their evaluation process according to agreed milestones
• Familiarise themselves with Ofcom’s media literacy evaluation guidance including the toolkit and outcomes bank.
• Act as a mentor/ support for commissioned organisations regarding their evaluation needs
• The level of evaluation support required is likely to vary by organisation but could include:
• Capacity building
• Support in developing evaluation methodology
• Providing feedback on evaluation tools e.g. surveys, interview questions
• Data analysis
• Contributing to an evaluation report

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Evaluation skills: Experience of working with third-sector and/or public sector organisations on evaluation of interventions or projects, as an independent evaluator
• Relationship building skills: Ability to build and maintain working relationships with a broad range of people, including Ofcom internal stakeholders
• Communication skills: Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written with experience of delivering to variety of levels of seniority
• Teamwork and leadership skills: Demonstrate planning and organisational skills, and the ability to collaborate with and incorporate insights from a range of colleagues
• Understanding of media literacy (desirable): Experience or knowledge of the media literacy sector in the UK