Sam Hawkins

About

Sam leads our most complex programmes, the ones with several partners, layered funding and high-stakes evidence.

As Project Director, he designs and directs our larger commissions, often where several organisations, funders and evidence needs have to pull in the same direction. He’s overseen more than £3m of contracts and commissions across economic development, employment and skills, culture, community resilience and the environment.

His strength is holding strategy, evaluation and delivery together. He builds Theory of Change models and evaluation frameworks, manages governance, budgets and risk, and makes sure what we learn mid-programme actually changes what happens next. His systems-thinking approach gives clients enough structure to stay accountable without making a programme too rigid to adapt.

Before joining Always Possible he was a Partnership Manager at Creative & Cultural Skills, leading employer and education partnerships across London, the South East and East of England, and before that he led vocational programmes for young people at DV8 Sussex. He’s also an experienced grant fundraiser, so he understands evidence from both sides of the funding table.

Sam’s career began in cultural production. He co-founded the London Word Festival, which won a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Breakthrough Award, and he still brings a producer’s instinct to every project.

EXPERTISE: Programme design and direction · Evaluation and Theory of Change · Governance, budgets and risk · Public funding and grant management · Skills, employment and culture

QUALIFICATIONS: MA Philosophy, University of Glasgow · Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training · MA Systems Thinking in Practice, Open University (in progress)

TRAINING: Assessing Theory of Change (UK Evaluation Society) · Systems Thinking and Project Management (UCL) · Help to Grow: Management (University of Brighton)