Listed on Orbital Diplomat 15 Jul 2026
RAND Europe is an independent, not-for-profit research organisation based in Cambridge, Brussels, and The Hague, conducting rigorous policy research for government, foundation, and NGO clients across Europe. Its Defence, Security and Justice (DSJ) research group is one of the most active policy research teams in the UK security and defence space, delivering over 200 projects per year across a diverse portfolio that explicitly includes space programmes as a core thematic area. This Research Leader role focuses on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and leads a portfolio that spans four areas directly relevant to the Orbital Diplomat community: space programme strategy, research, and evaluation — including large-scale evaluations for the UK Space Agency; defence research and innovation policy including evaluation of R&I portfolios and landscape reviews; defence workforce; and criminal justice. The space and defence innovation dimensions make this a strong fit for candidates with policy research or evaluation backgrounds who have worked in or alongside the civil or defence space sector. The postholder will design and lead M&E studies, develop innovative evaluation methodologies, drive business development including leading multi-partner bid proposals, mentor junior researchers, and contribute to RAND Europe's profile through publications and conference engagement. Experience with UK Government evaluation frameworks (Magenta, Green, and Aqua Books) is explicitly valued. The role is hybrid, with a minimum of two in-person days per month at the Cambridge office.
Postgraduate degree or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline (note: this is a policy research role, not a technical or engineering position) Proven track record designing, delivering, and managing M&E studies and research projects Familiarity with common evaluation methods including impact, process, and value for money evaluations Strong project leadership and management experience including budget management Commercially astute with experience in bid writing and business development Fluency in English essential; proficiency in other EU languages an asset Desirable: expertise aligned with UK Government evaluation frameworks (Magenta, Green, and Aqua Books) Desirable: experience evaluating space programmes, defence R&I portfolios, or UK government-funded research Desirable: novel evaluation methodologies and experience with RAND Europe's Data Science Lab approaches