Justice & Change  Freelance Project Evaluator

Metroland Cultures is seeking a Justice & Change Freelance Project Evaluator to work with us to develop and implement a framework and methodology for evaluating the Justice & Change programme.

Justice & Change is a new project by Metroland Cultures that will explore how the law impacts and shapes our lives. The project takes its starting point from the Brent Community Law Centre (BCLC), one of the first community law centres to be set up in the U.K in 1971. BCLC developed a unique approach to community law that focused on collective action rather than individual cases, alongside creating The Brent Young People’s Law Project that specifically worked with young people and the legal struggles they were facing in four areas – care, employment, education and criminal justice. 

What can looking at the existing archives of a law centre tell us about life in Brent during the 1970s, and what can it teach us about how the law impacts and shapes our lives today? How can it support us to imagine and practice justice as community care? How can listening to past community responses to harm offer us lessons in healing, repair and prevention for now, and in the future? How can exploring these histories creatively support people to respond to the issues that are most impacting them today?

Justice & Change Freelance Evaluator Role

Metroland Cultures is looking for an experienced Freelance Project Evaluator to work with us to develop and implement a framework and methodology for evaluating the Justice and Change programme. This will be a 2 year project, running from Winter 2025 to Autumn 2027.

This role will work closely with the Metroland Cultures team and will be accountable for delivering their objectives in line with the organisation’s strategy and the key priorities (outlined below and to be further finalised upon appointment).

We would like the Freelance Project Evaluator to work on a hybrid basis with some remote work and some in-person meetings and workshops, mainly taking place at our building in Kilburn, London. Given the nature of the work, the Freelance Project Evaluator would be expected to work some evenings and weekends to be able to attend community workshops and events that may take place in the evenings and weekends.

Key Responsibilities:

• Framework Design: Co-create an evaluation framework and research questions that align with NLHF’s four investment principles and the project’s core inquiries, establishing a structure that captures the process-based nature of community-engaged practice.
• Collaborative methods: Co-design an accessible evaluative approach that gathers reflection and feedback from a broad range of partners and collaborators.
• Data Analysis & Insight: Lead on analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, generating insights and clear analysis..
• Internal Capacity Building: Support Metroland Culture’s team in collecting insights and embedding evaluative thinking, acting as a critical friend.

The Freelance Project Evaluator will be given access to all existing Justice & Change materials and planning and will attend Justice & Change programming throughout the project in order to shape their work. They will also  work closely with the team, partners and collaborators in order to synthesise learnings from the project into the development of an evaluation framework and methodology.

What We’re Looking For:

To successfully support this partnership and help us achieve the above mentioned priorities, the evaluator must be able to demonstrate the following knowledge and skills:

• Interdisciplinary and collaborative research skills, including facilitating group reflection and collecting, analysing and presenting both quantitative and qualitative  learnings..
• Interest in heritage and community work, and experience in developing sensitive research approaches through co-design and co-production.
• Experience of designing and evaluating research grounded in the knowledge of communities experiencing marginalisation.
• Experience of facilitating groups, in particular, young people who are being impacted by the criminal justice system.
• Facilitation and interview skills to create reflective spaces for the community partners, collaborators and audiences.
• Project management skills.  
• Creativity and flexibility in responding to issues quickly and adjusting plans and workflow.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to building an inclusive, diverse team. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Global Majority, D/deaf and disabled individuals, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, to ensure our team reflects a range of cultural and socio-economic experiences. We recognise the value that diverse perspectives bring to our work and outlook. 

Fee: £8,000, including expenses and VAT. The role is a fixed term 2 year contract which will begin December 2025

How to Apply:

There is no application form, please submit an A4 PDF including:

• One side cover letter and one side CV (2 A4 pages) 
• Please include your name in the file name 
• A completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form which can be downloaded here

Alternatively, you may submit a short video covering the same information :

• Format: MP4, max 5 minutes
• Orientation: filmed horizontally on a phone (does not need to be professionally filmed)

If you have any access requirements or prefer to apply in a different format, we’re happy to support this – just get in touch.

Please send your applications along with the equal opportunities form to team@metrolandcultures.com by Monday 1st December 12 midnight. 

If shortlisted you will be invited to an interview on Thursday 11th December