Organisation: An Taisce

Project: A Bog Worth Keeping – Creative Climate Action Fund III (2026–2029)

Contract value: €40,000 inclusive of VAT, for the full contract term

Contract term: November 2026 to December 2029

Location: Flexible, with visits to Sliabh Beagh at key moments

Application deadline: 8 November 2026

Apply by email: abogworthkeeping@antaisce.org

The Opportunity

A Bog Worth Keeping is an ambitious creative climate action project led by An Taisce, supported by Creative Ireland. Its central idea is that art can deepen people's connection with Sliabh Beagh and that, through connection, we can inspire lasting care for the bog.

What changes when artists, people with deep ties to a place, and peatland specialists spend time together? Can creative work open new understandings of a bog, its histories and its future and inspire a lasting commitment to caring for it?

We are seeking a thoughtful, experienced evaluator to explore these questions alongside the project team. This is a collaborative role with genuine scope to shape the evaluation from the outset, while retaining independence over research, analysis and conclusions. The findings will inform the project as it develops and contribute to national learning about creativity and climate action.

The project begins on An Taisce's land on Sliabh Beagh, which spans Monaghan and Tyrone, with an aspiration to take a holistic approach across the wider mountain. The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) is the project's ecological learning partner.

Scope of Services

Design and agree an evaluation framework with the project team, reflecting our outputs, outcomes, indicators and measures of success, and establish a baseline in 2027.
Gather and analyse qualitative and quantitative evidence through proportionate methods, assessing artistic experiences as well as community and climate outcomes, and capturing the depth of people's responses, not only participation numbers.
Assess progress against the Creative Climate Action Fund's four areas of change: conceptual shifts in understanding climate change; behavioural or cultural change; organisational change; and enduring connectivity.
Support learning through simple reflective tools and three review points (2027, 2028 and 2029), each producing a short findings note.
Provide monitoring data, case studies, participant insights and findings to Forvis Mazars for its interim (2027) and final (2029) evaluations of the fund, and take part in the Embedded Evaluators' Community of Practice (about three to four meetings a year) and related training.
Apply ethical, inclusive research practice, with appropriate consent, confidentiality and data protection.

Working Arrangements

This is a contract for services. You will propose your methods, and the workplan and timings will be agreed with the Project Manager, who will be your main point of contact.

The project team will support routine monitoring and data collection, so your time on Sliabh Beagh can focus on key moments such as the baseline, gatherings and review points.

You will be responsible for your own tax, insurance (including professional indemnity and public liability) and VAT.

What We Are Looking For

Experience in evaluation, applied social research or impact assessment, ideally involving culture, communities, climate or the environment.
Strong qualitative and quantitative skills, sound judgement about proportionate methods, and clear, accessible writing.
The ability to work constructively with artists, community members, ecological specialists and public bodies while preserving your independence.
An interest in how artistic, cultural and relational change can be understood without reducing it to simple numbers.
Care with participation, local histories, consent and inclusion, and the capacity to deliver a multi-year contract.

Direct experience of peatlands is welcome but not essential. We value curiosity, sensitivity to place and the ability to work across disciplines.

Deliverables and Payment

The total maximum contract value is €40,000 inclusive of VAT across the full contract term (November 2026 to December 2029); it is not an annual fee. The services will be delivered against an agreed workplan, including the deliverables below.

You will invoice quarterly for work completed, starting with preliminary work in 2026 such as attending the Forvis Mazars introductory session, with 20% of the contract value payable on acceptance of the final evaluation report. Timings are indicative and will be agreed in the workplan as the project develops.

Key deliverables:

Evaluation framework and baseline plan, agreed with the project team.
Baseline report.
Review Point 1 findings note, and monitoring data and case studies for Forvis Mazars' interim evaluation (end of 2027).
Mid-point review findings note and progress update (end of 2028).
Final evaluation report, plain-language community summary, and final data for Forvis Mazars (autumn 2029).
Follow-up note on early custodians, and contribution to the project's legacy report (end of 2029).

How to Submit a Proposal

Please send a short proposal (no more than two pages) outlining your approach and an indicative breakdown of costs by deliverable, together with a CV or profile.

Send proposals to: abogworthkeeping@antaisce.org

Deadline: 8 November 2026

Forvis Mazars, Creative Ireland's evaluation partner, holds an introductory session for embedded evaluators on 18 November 2026; please let us know whether you would be available to attend.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a conversation and asked for an example of previous work and two referees. Proposals will be assessed on the quality of the approach, relevant experience, understanding of the project and value for money.

If you have access needs, please get in touch.

An Taisce The National Trust for Ireland

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