Senior Associate, MLE Strategy

About Evidence Action

Evidence Action is a global nonprofit organization with an approach distinctive in international development - we exclusively scale interventions that are backed by strong evidence and can be delivered with exceptional cost-effectiveness. Our programs have grown since our founding in 2013 to reach over 280 million people annually. We deliver high impact for every dollar spent, as recognized by GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, and Charity Navigator.

We do development differently. We take a data-driven approach to identifying, scaling, and continuously improving programs which deliver immense impact, ensuring these solutions measurably improve the lives of millions. Our Deworm the World Initiative has helped governments in Africa and Asia deliver over 1.4 billion childhood deworming treatments, improving health, education, and incomes. Dispensers for Safe Water provides sustained safe water access to over 4 million people in rural Africa, preventing childhood illness and deaths. 

We drive innovation: Our Accelerator builds the next generation of exceptional programs, taking an approach most similar to a venture capital model. We are ruthless in exiting programs which do not meet our criteria; those that advance deliver outsized impact for millions of people. 

We are global. Across eight countries in Africa and Asia, our 400 people are united by a tremendous passion for our mission and impact. We are strong because of our diversity of experience, geography, and background - with over 90% of our people in the countries where our impact is focused. 

We have big ambitions. Our goal is to double our impact by 2024, to fulfill our vision of a world where hundreds of millions of people in the poorest places have better opportunities and their lives are measurably improved. We believe in bold and urgent action - because poverty doesn’t wait, and neither should we. 

We need great people. Our success to date is due to the collective work of our amazing staff. To achieve our ambitious goals, we are looking for people who share our passion for evidence, cost-effectiveness, and scale. We seek individuals who take an entrepreneurial approach, enjoy tackling hard problems, and have a bias to action and results. If our vision and approach excite you as much as it does us, we invite you to join us. 

What We’re looking for

The Senior Associate, Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) Strategy is an important member of the Global MLE team who supports the design and development of program M&E frameworks and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) plans; coordinates M&E implementation and reporting with in-country teams; designs and supports research and evaluation projects according to program objectives;; conducts rigorous analysis of program and M&E data; conducts desk research into MLE best practices for the purposes of development or innovation; and effectively communicates MLE designs, KPIs, and results to programs and partners. The Senior Associate is also responsible for ensuring there are quality MLE processes to meet program deadlines and MLE standards in the team’s deliverables. As such, the Senior Associate must be highly motivated and flexible to adapt to MLE and program team needs. 

Responsibilities will include:

The Senior Associate, MLE Strategy is responsible for providing high quality MLE design, analysis, and communication support to ensure program objectives and goals are met. This support may include the following duties, but the exact responsibilities will ultimately be determined based on program needs.

 Design program monitoring frameworks and plans for new and existing programs

• Draft and enhance relevant monitoring plans including monitoring frameworks, sampling plans, survey designs, monitoring protocols, analytical frameworks, and reporting templates.
• Maintenance of existing MLE frameworks, plans, analyses, and reports, such as updating KPIs, drafting and reviewing monitoring reports, and enhancement of MLE systems.
• Assist in adaptation of program monitoring frameworks for the purposes of program expansion and/or program sustainability efforts.

  Support technical projects including research and evaluation

• Provide design input and management support to research and evaluation projects including contributing to technical project plans, drafting protocols, providing oversight of data collection, conducting data analysis, and drafting research and evaluation plans.
• Draft comprehensive and well-designed quantitative and qualitative data collection tools to capture relevant and reliable data as defined in individual research plans.
• Conduct technical tasks including but not limited to power calculations, qualitative and quantitative data analyses, and data quality assessments.
• Draft research and evaluation reports describing the objectives and methodologies, synthesizing key results, and recommending actionable next steps for changes to program design and/or monitoring. 

   Effectively communicate and engage with program teams on MLE work

• Support Associate Director and Senior Manager, MLE Strategy with coordination between MLE Delivery and Strategy teams for program scope of work deliverables.
• Collaborate with and seek inputs from program and MLE Delivery teams in designing monitoring, research, and evaluation projects.
• Engage with program teams to ensure data-driven decision making using M&E data.

 Support administrative and coordination tasks for the MLE Strategy team

• Coordinate and organize the MLE Strategy work plan and ensure work plans are streamlined across the MLE team.
• Facilitate team meetings and workshops by generating agendas and ensure proper record keeping.
• Support management of and compliance with MLE quality requirements and guideline documents to ensure MLE deliverables are high-quality.
  
  

Location

This position will be based in Washington, D.C. or Nairobi, Kenya (Remote flexibility for up to 1 year).

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• Master’s degree in economics, public policy, statistics, international development. or any other relevant quantitative field, and a minimum of 1 year experience in design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation projects
• Knowledge of M&E design concepts and methodologies, and experience designing and managing M&E plans
• Demonstrated knowledge and familiarity using statistical software like Stata/R, and Excel; experience managing, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data
• Ability to translate technical concepts to effectively communicate technical concepts to both technical and lay persons
• Strong writing skills to deliver high-quality deliverables to international program teams and donors
• Previous experience working with an international organization and supporting work in international settings
• Demonstrated ability to self-manage and prioritize assignments in an efficient manner and in alignment with program deadlines
• Willingness to travel to program locations in countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Malawi India, Nigeria, Liberia, and Pakistan; travel is likely to be up to 15% of the year, depending on safety and travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19

Preferred qualifications:

• Interest in the design and development of monitoring frameworks to be implemented by programs
• Knowledge and experience using softwares such as Tableau, PowerBI, R Shiny, ArcGIS, QGIS
• Familiarity with health data, research, and surveys
• Familiarity with the evidence base for leading global health interventions