Senior Research / Evaluation Officer

“Your insight can change someone’s justice story — that’s statistically significant.”

• Competitive salary: $129,464 - $142,665 pa (plus superannuation and leave loading)
• Ongoing Full-time 35 hours per week
• Flexible work arrangements available

About us

Legal Aid NSW delivers accessible legal services across criminal, family and civil law. We provide advice, court representation, and family dispute resolution through 28 offices and phone-based support, helping people navigate the legal system with confidence and fairness.  Our work is grounded in evidence, purpose and a strong commitment to social justice.

About the role

“Space to think. Time to analyse.”

The Senior Research / Evaluation Officer plays a key role in shaping how Legal Aid NSW understands client needs and improves services. You’ll design and conduct research, manage data collections, and analyse complex quantitative data. Your insights will directly inform strategic and operational decisions that support the Legal Aid NSW Strategic Plan 2023–2028.

This is a role for someone who enjoys deep thinking, rigorous analysis and working methodically with data—while also being able to translate complex findings into clear, practical insights for colleagues across the organisation.

What this role offers

• Space for deep, independent analytical work
• A calm, respectful, steady-paced team culture
• Work that makes a quiet but meaningful impact across frontline services
• Opportunities to collaborate in a supportive and thoughtful environment

About you

“When you look closely, you help us see clearly.”

You’re an analytical, detail‑focused researcher who enjoys thoughtful, focused work. You’re naturally curious, comfortable exploring data, testing hypotheses and making sense of complex information at a steady, considered pace.

You communicate clearly and work well with stakeholders, while also appreciating the independence to manage your own time and projects. You bring strong skills in quantitative  analysis, creating clear insights, visualisations and reports that communicate complex findings to diverse stakeholders, improving organisational efficiency and program impact.

With experience in the justice or broader human services sector, you’ll feel at home in our small, supportive team where careful thinking, calm collaboration and client‑centred research guide everything we do.

Key knowledge and experience

• Statistical analysis and experience (e.g. regression, multivariate analysis, causal inference, hypothesis testing) using statistical and data management tools (e.g. R, SPSS, Python, SQL, Excel advanced)
• Survey design and data collection (sampling strategies, weighting)
• Impact evaluation methods (difference-in-differences, propensity score matching)

WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN LEGAL AID NSW!

We are committed to diversity and inclusion

We are committed to creating a culturally safe and genuinely inclusive organisation and workplace for everyone who works and interacts with us. We strive to be a place where people from diverse backgrounds want to work, where voices and cultures are valued and where people feel valued, welcomed, respected and heard.

We want a workforce that reflects our clients, so we can deliver a service that meets the needs of the community. We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds — including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, the LGBTQI+ community, culturally diverse people and other diverse communities. 

We acknowledge, support and accommodate the diverse access needs of people with visible and invisible disabilities.

For application support (including accessing information or require the application in an alternate format) or recruitment adjustments please contact the Talent Acquisition Team at erecruitment@legalaid.nsw.gov.au or 02 9134 9347.

To learn more about Recruitment and Workplace Adjustments please visit Adjustments for individual needs | I Work for NSW.

Other benefits of working with us

• You will have access to training, development and mentoring opportunities.
• We are an accredited Flex Ready and Carers and Employers certified employer and are recognised as leaders in flexible work. Most of our staff work flexibly — for example, from home some of the time or in a way that helps them balance family and work life
• Find out more at Working at Legal Aid NSW 

The essential requirements for this role

You must:

• be willing to do a Criminal Record Check
• hold Australian or NZ citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency (for ongoing vacancies)
• have relevant tertiary qualifications in areas such as statistics, economics, psychology, social sciences, mathematics, data science, or equivalent quantitative research and/or evaluation experience
  
  

How to apply

You must submit your application online. Applications received late or by email, will not be accepted. Please make sure your application is complete, and that you have answered all questions before submitting.

Your application must include:

• your resume (no more than 5 pages)
• cover letter (no more than 2 pages). In your cover letter, please address the below target question:

Target Question: Briefly describe a complex quantitative research or evaluation project you led. How did you design the analytical approach and manage data quality and integrity to ensure your findings were robust enough to inform policy or program decisions?

You must clearly label your responses to the Target Question, for example, by using headings such as Target Question. Cover Letters that do not clearly label responses may be considered as not having addressed the Target Question.    

We may use this recruitment to create a talent pool for similar ongoing or temporary vacancies we have over the next 18 months.

Do you need help to apply?

If you have questions about the role, you can reach out to Naomi Cheetham, Manager Planning and Review at Naomi.Cheetham@legalaid.nsw.gov.au or (02) 9134 9326

If you are an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and are thinking about applying, you can contact Legal Aid NSW Aboriginal Services Branch to arrange a confidential conversation about any questions you may have.

The Role Description sets out the responsibilities and Focus Capabilities of the role.

The focus capabilities and key accountabilities in the role description indicate what is expected at that level. Being familiar with these will help you understand what the panel will be looking for in the successful candidate.

Applying for a role is a great NSW Government resource for helping you prepare your application.

Closing Date: Sunday 22 March 2026 at 11.59pm

“Small insights can have a large effect size — especially here.”