Meet our people – Amanda Taylor-Short
Find out more about our staff, their roles, and what their day to day looks like!
What was your path into evaluation/ARTD?
Most evaluators have an unexpected pathway before they land into the profession. I studied a Master of Public Policy, which probably makes evaluation seem like the obvious next step, my path wasn’t quite that straightforward. During my studies, I took a particular founding in research methods, so much so I began to explore research as a career. I was lucky enough to have found ARTD whilst working in government and realised many of the skills I’d developed were highly transferable. I applied for a role being advertised and that’s taken me through to today!
Can you sum up your role as an Senior Consultant in one sentence?
I help solve problems clients may not have the time, resources or speciality expertise themselves to do.
What was the best opportunity/ your proudest work moment since starting at ARTD?
The first project I ever worked on. It ran for 12 months and gave me the opportunity to learn about qualitative evaluation methods and, more importantly, how they work in practice. Another highlight has been interviewing people about their experiences with different services. Every conversation is different, and it’s a privilege to hear individual stories and understand the impact those services have on lives. I get to be the non-judgmental ear and make participants feel safe and seen which is incredibly important to me.
What is your favourite thing about working at ARTD?
Everyone says the people and I couldn’t disagree. I work alongside colleagues who I see as friends and managers who I’ve learnt so much from – and I don’t take that for granted! Beyond that, I love the variety. Every project brings a new challenge, a different topic, another opportunity to learn something new, which keeps the work interesting.
What does a ‘day in the life’ look like for you?
There is no such thing as a standard day and that’s the beauty of this field. As you start to do things more often, you get better at dealing with it and navigating uncertainty until it becomes routine.
What’s something your clients may not know about you?
I have a habit of picking up new hobbies and moving onto the next not before long. One thing that has stuck though is staying active. I’m currently training for a half marathon and occasionally even run into the office!