ECMiSY Independent Evaluator
Fee: £21,600 - Days: 72 - Contract: Jan 2027 to Aug 2029 - Location: South Yorkshire
Reports to: ECMiSY Project Director

About ECMiSY

Early Childhood Music in South Yorkshire is an Arts Council England Place Partnership led by SYMCA, with Concerteenies as lead delivery organisation. A consortium of around 16 partners across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield is working together to grow high-quality, joined-up music-making for babies, young children and the adults who care for them.

The role

You will lead an independent, participatory evaluation that helps partners understand what makes a difference and uses that learning to shape the programme as it grows.

Key responsibilities

- Design an evaluation framework and Theory of Change with partners
- Develop creative, accessible tools for practitioners, settings and families
- Gather and analyse qualitative and quantitative data across four places
- Centre the voices and experiences of young children and their carers
- Feed learning back to partners regularly to inform delivery
- Work alongside the Project Director and wider learning team
Produce interim and final reports for Arts Council England and SYMCA
- Share findings openly with the early years and cultural sectors

About you

- Proven experience of evaluating arts, cultural or early years programmes
- Skilled in participatory and developmental evaluation approaches
- Confident with mixed methods, data analysis and clear reporting
- Experience of ethical practice with young children and families
- Understanding of early childhood development and music-making
- Able to work independently while building trusting relationships

Desirable: experience of ACE-funded programmes or multi-partner evaluations; knowledge of South Yorkshire.

To apply: Send a proposal of no more than eight sides of A4 (maximum, not a target!) to
[email protected] by 12 noon on Monday 16 November.