Marking its 15th anniversary in 2026, Shubbak seeks a consultant (or team of consultants) for a multi-project research and evaluation opportunity spanning three interconnected strands that together capture the organisation’s journey, impact, and community learning.
About the role
The consultant will design an research study and creatively document Shubbak's journey and impact across three strands:
- Shubbak 15-Year Evaluation and Impact Research & Report: a major reflective study tracing Shubbak’s fifteen-year evolution, mapping its impact on Arab and SWANA representation, artistic innovation, and community empowerment in the UK.
- Voices of Resilience Evaluation: evaluation of a National Lottery Heritage-funded participatory heritage project preserving Arab and SWANA stories in London through intergenerational oral histories, archiving, and creative outputs.
- Community Participatory Project Evaluation (Case Study): an in-depth evaluation of one of Shubbak’s community-led participatory projects to deepen understanding of co-creation models, cultural wellbeing, and sustainable leadership pathways within Arab & SWANA communities.
Together, these strands will weave a powerful narrative of Shubbak’s collective impact - illuminating how an Arab- and SWANA-led organisation has transformed from a festival model into a platform for justice-oriented, community-driven cultural leadership.
This body of work will inform Shubbak’s 10-year strategy, refreshed branding, and transition towards becoming a forward-thinking, equitable organisation rooted in sustainable, community-centred change.
Approach and Methodology
The evaluation should follow a participatory and mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative tools to reflect the project’s artistic and community-centred nature. The approach is expected to include:
- Collaborative Design: Work closely with the Shubbak team, young participants, and partners to co-create evaluation questions that reflect diverse perspectives.
- Mixed-Methods Data Collection:
- Quantitative: attendance and engagement tracking, survey analysis against key indicators, digital platform analytics.
- Qualitative: in-depth interviews, focus groups, reflective journals, and creative evaluation techniques (storytelling, visual mapping).
- Ethical & Culturally Sensitive Practice: Ensure evaluation tools are inclusive, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive to Arab-SWANA participants.
- Learning-Centred Reporting: Move beyond metrics to explore how and why change happens, connecting data with stories, creative practice, and community wellbeing.
- Creative dissemination & Visual Communication: Translate findings into visually engaging summaries, infographics, or short-form content suitable for sharing publicly.
- Reporting: a visually compelling report for each of the projects as well as creating easy reads formats.
Contract Type: Freelance Consultancy
Duration: November 2025 – June 2025 (7-8 months)
Fee: £12,000
For more information & detailed scope of work & person specifications, please download the Consultant Brief PDF.
Application Process
If you are passionate about heritage, community engagement, and participatory arts and would like to work with a team committed to amplifying Arab & SWANA voices, we would love to hear from you.
Please submit an Expression of Interest (two A4 pages) including:
- Your relevant experience and evaluation approach;
- Examples of at least two recent impact reports or arts & culture/heritage evaluations;
- A brief proposal & methodology for this project;
- Your CV as a separate attachment
- Confirmation of submitting the equal opportunities form
Please email the above to recruitment@shubbak.co.uk by Nov 6, 2025 at 03:00 PM.
Interviews will take place w/c 10th November.
Shubbak encourages applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those from BAME, global majority, and / or lower socio-economic backgrounds, to apply for this role.
If you’d like an informal conversation about the role or need more information please contact dima@shubbak.co.uk
About Shubbak
Shubbak (meaning ‘window’ in Arabic) supports and celebrates the diversity of Arab artists' creativity and innovation through its professional and participatory programmes, national touring and biennial multi-artform festival. Working nationally and internationally, we commission, initiate and develop projects that encourage a wide range of creative approaches in an artist-centred, audience-focused process. We are Europe's largest biennial festival of contemporary Arab cultures, bringing new and unexpected voices alongside established artists to London every two years.
Working Culture & Values
We believe creativity is a collective right and a shared responsibility. We welcome applications from those who identify as Black, Arab, Afro-Arab, Indigenous, or People of Colour, as well as disabled, d/Deaf, and neurodivergent candidates, and those who have experienced barriers to accessing the arts.
Flexible working patterns are welcomed, and we prioritise working conditions that allow care, creativity, and collaboration to coexist.