JOB TITLE
Senior Grant Moderation and QA Lead
LOCATION
Remote / UK-based, with potential occasional London meeting if required
JOB TYPE
Part-time / Freelance / Self-employed / Temporary
CONTRACT LENGTH
Initial 6-month associate bench period, with potential extension subject to future call-off requirements and candidate availability.
PAY
£400–£475 per day, depending on experience, role fit, availability and assignment requirements.
DADA’s target range for standard moderation and QA work is £400–£425 per day. Higher rates within the advertised range may be considered for candidates with strong public sector grant moderation, panel leadership, feedback QA, funding assessment or specialist programme experience.
BENEFITS
- Work from home
- Flexible schedule
Please note: this is an associate / subcontractor opportunity. It is not a permanent employee role and does not include standard employee benefits. PAYE / umbrella options may be considered where appropriate, subject to the final engagement route.
IR35 / ENGAGEMENT STATUS
Anticipated outside IR35 for defined call-off assignments, subject to final assignment scope, status assessment and engagement route. PAYE / umbrella options may also be considered where appropriate.
ABOUT THE ROLE
DADA is building a pre-qualified associate bench of senior moderation and quality assurance professionals to support public sector grant assessment rounds.
We are looking for experienced moderation, evaluation, quality assurance or public funding professionals who can support fair, consistent, transparent and auditable scoring outcomes.
This is a call-off associate opportunity. It is not a guaranteed full-time role. Successful applicants may be contacted for specific assignments when assessment rounds are mobilised.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Depending on the assignment, you may be asked to:
- lead or support scoring calibration sessions;
- review scoring variance between assessors;
- challenge unsupported judgement or weak scoring rationales;
- support consensus scoring and moderation decisions;
- review written rationales and feedback for clarity, neutrality and evidence basis;
- maintain moderation records, QA logs and decision records;
- support challenge-readiness, auditability and lessons learned.
WORKLOAD EXPECTATIONS
Work will be call-off based and linked to specific public sector grant assessment rounds.
As a planning guide:
- larger rounds may require scheduled availability across a four-to-six-week delivery window;
- moderation and QA activity may require availability for calibration, progress reviews, moderation meetings, feedback review and close-out activity;
- some assignments may be part-time across multiple weeks rather than full-time;
- onboarding does not guarantee immediate deployment.
EXPECTED QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE
Candidates should have substantial experience in moderation, evaluation, assurance, audit, public funding, procurement evaluation or programme review.
We are particularly interested in candidates with:
- senior experience leading or supporting assessment, moderation, QA or evaluation panels;
- experience reviewing scoring rationales, evaluator comments, feedback letters or decision records;
- ability to challenge unsupported judgement and improve evidence quality;
- experience managing scoring variance, consensus discussion and audit trails;
- strong understanding of fairness, consistency, transparency, confidentiality and conflict-of-interest controls;
- degree-level qualification or equivalent senior professional experience in public administration, evaluation, audit, assurance, programme management, education, employment, social value, construction/capital delivery or related fields.
SCOPE OF APPLICATIONS YOU MAY MODERATE OR QA
You may support moderation or QA across mixed public sector grant assessment rounds, including:
- skills and employment programme applications;
- adult education, learner support and employability proposals;
- social value, inclusion and community benefit proposals;
- capital, estates, facilities or technical delivery applications;
- value-for-money, delivery risk, evidence quality and outcome-based assessment.
Your role is not simply to re-score applications. It is to test whether scoring is consistent, evidence-based, proportionate, neutral and challenge-ready.
LOCATION AND TRAVEL
The role is expected to be primarily remote. Candidates must be UK-based and able to work securely from home. Occasional London meetings may be required for mobilisation, calibration or client meetings, subject to assignment requirements. Any travel requirement will be confirmed before assignment.
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
You should be able to demonstrate:
- senior experience in moderation, quality assurance, public funding assessment, procurement evaluation, audit, assurance or programme review;
- ability to lead or support consensus scoring discussions;
- ability to review scoring rationales and feedback for quality, neutrality and defensibility;
- strong written judgement and evidence-based decision-making;
- ability to work to tight deadlines and maintain a clear audit trail;
- strong confidentiality and data-handling discipline.
DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE
- Grant assessment or public funding moderation.
- Skills, employment, education, capital, social value or inclusion programme experience.
- Experience leading moderation panels or evaluation panels.
- Experience of feedback QA, audit trail review or applicant challenge support.
- Experience with trackers, dashboards, RAID logs, SharePoint, Excel or structured reporting.
ONBOARDING REQUIREMENTS
Before any assignment, selected associates will need to complete:
- conflict-of-interest declaration;
- confidentiality / non-disclosure requirements;
- secure data-handling checks;
- availability and rate confirmation;
- scoring / moderation calibration where required.
APPLICATION TIMELINE
Applications will be reviewed after the initial two-week campaign period.
We expect to contact shortlisted candidates from 6 August 2026 onwards. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of applying, you may not have been selected for the first mobilisation tranche, although we may retain your details for future opportunities where you have consented to this.
HOW TO APPLY
Please apply via Indeed with:
- your CV;
- your expected day rate or hourly rate;
- your availability over the next 3–6 months;
- a short summary of your moderation, QA, grant assessment, procurement evaluation, audit or public-sector experience.
DADA welcomes applications from candidates from underrepresented groups, including women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, disabled candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates, people returning to work and candidates with lived or professional experience of supporting disadvantaged communities.
- Reasonable adjustments are available during the recruitment process.
Pay: £400.00-£475.00 per day
Benefits:
Application question(s):
- Are you UK-based and able to work remotely using secure systems?
- Are you available for associate / subcontractor call-off assignments rather than a guaranteed full-time role?
- Are you willing to complete conflict-of-interest, confidentiality, secure data-handling and scoring / moderation calibration checks before any assignment?
Work Location: Remote
