Director Right Fit Evidence Unit at Innovations for Poverty Action

Job Description

Position Summary

IPA’s Right-Fit Evidence (RFE) Unit is seeking a Director to develop and oversee the delivery of a portfolio of evidence- and learning-related advisory services. You will provide these services for a wide range of implementing organizations, funders, and governments that work across many sectors in development and humanitarian contexts around the world. You will also be a member of the RFE global leadership team and contribute to its strategic development. As a Director, you will report primarily to the Senior Director of RFE, but will also work closely with the other 3-4 RFE (associate-) directors and many members of the team through various advisory engagements.

RFE Summary

The Right-Fit Evidence (RFE) Unit is a global advisory team within IPA that aims to help global development organizations more effectively use data and evidence to achieve greater impact. We have supported dozens of high-profile, influential implementers, funders, and government agencies on the design and execution of evidence-based learning strategies and plans. RFE works with implementers, funders, and governments to create learning-focused measurement systems, to test and adapt programs, and to strengthen internal data and evidence use capabilities. The RFE team draws insights from each engagement and from across its portfolio to help advance evidence-based scaling, support external organizational strategy, produce public goods, and influence global discourse and practice related to monitoring and evaluation for learning. We also work in close collaboration with experts from IPA’s sector, policy and country office teams worldwide to offer relevant, responsible cutting-edge design approaches and execution of evidence-based learning strategies and plans.

Responsibilities

Lead the delivery of a portfolio of advisory engagements (60 – 70%)

As the senior point of contact for a wide range of clients, including implementers, funders, and government agencies, you will have a strongly client-facing role with senior-level stakeholders. You will lead multiple project teams to develop tailor-made solutions for their evidence, learning and M&E needs, and support their implementation. As a Director, you will be leading, at any moment, several engagements (e.g., 6-8) that are often the largest and most complex in our portfolio. In doing so, you will have a very high level of or complete autonomy in their delivery. You will likely work across multiple sectors, including education, technology, agriculture, and livelihoods, among others. Depending on your sector expertise and/or interest, we will leverage our staffing flexibility to have you engage with opportunities that match your skills and interest to the extent possible. Specific responsibilities may include:
Overseeing various types of external evidence-, learning-, and M&E-related workshops, such as theory of change and learning plan development, and of other written advisory deliverables;
Providing technical assistance to implement learning plans, MEL systems, and to support internal evidence use capability strengthening;
Leading implementer communities of practice, in collaboration with funders;
Providing support to a wide array of funders, from high net worth individuals to major global foundations and bilateral aid agencies, on issues such as internal learning systems, initiative design, grantmaking processes, and grant implementation;
Occasionally leading the design, analysis and write up of various kinds of evaluations and other studies; and
Advising and supporting IPA policy and country office teams worldwide on their own technical assistance engagements, often with government partners.
Line manage multiple Senior Managers and Managers working on various engagements, and support their professional development

Provide leadership for new business development and external relationship management (20 – 25%)

As a leader in RFE, you will have the opportunity to create an exciting lineup of new engagements, providing valuable services to our clients and expanding our impact on MEL practices in development and humanitarian sectors. You will:
Identify new potential partners and business opportunities and lead the development of a portfolio of new potential engagements, both self-initiated and assigned, at times in collaboration with other IPA teams;
Interface with active and potential funders, possibly serving as organizational relationship steward, and externally representing RFE, and more broadly IPA, in conferences and other events; and
Provide significant contributions to RFE thought leadership and global influence through production and dissemination of public goods

Contribute to RFE’s leadership and development (10 – 15%)

As a member of RFE’s global leadership team, you will be part of driving the growth and development of a dynamic, diverse team of approximately 30 staff based in over ten countries around the world. You will:

As a senior member of RFE’s global leadership team, take an active role in the innovation and implementation of various products and services;
Develop and strengthen internal management systems;
Provide expertise and mentorship to team in one or more specific areas (e.g., sector, methodology, MEL for systems change, etc.)
Lead multiple streams of RFE’s annual strategic plan (with specific assignments based on skills and interest);
Provide leadership to encourage a positive work environment rooted in IPA values, with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as well-being and sustainability; and
Occasionally assume Senior Director responsibilities during absences

Qualifications

Required

There are several different profiles that could fit this position well. Here are some examples, but these are not exhaustive so if you do not have these backgrounds but feel like you meet the qualifications below, you are encouraged to apply.
Consulting professionals with some international development experience who would be excited to apply their skills in an entrepreneurial and impact-focused environment
Evaluators and M&E practitioners who are passionate about using data for learning and action, and are interested in using their expertise for client-focused advisory services
International development research management professionals who enjoy working closely with funders and practitioners and who would like to expand their experience and skills to all types of data and evidence that can inform decision-making.
Minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience, including significant experience working with senior-level professionals across multiple sectors (e.g., funders, government, academia)
Significant exposure to the design and management of evidence, learning, monitoring, and evaluation strategies and systems
Superior analytical, quantitative, and conceptual thinking skills
Significant project and people management experience, and demonstration of associated skill sets
Demonstrated ability to coach and train others on technical matters
Strong stakeholder management and client-facing communication skills with ability to present information in a structured and insightful way, both verbally and in writing
Substantive relevant work experience in low- and middle-income countries
Familiarity with global debates around M&E and the use of evidence for decision-making
Entrepreneurial self-starter mindset, adaptability, highly adaptable, and versatile with strong multi-tasking skills
Ability to travel up to 20% your time
Passion for making data-driven decision-making a reality in the development sector
Master’s degree in international public policy, (development) economics, or related fields, with coursework in quantitative methods. PhDs and MBAs also welcome

Preferred

Prior experience in consultancy or provision of similar professional services
Expertise in multiple sectors of international development and/or humanitarian work
Developed networks in the international development and/or humanitarian sectors
Experience working in philanthropy and/or with government stakeholders
Experience producing, publishing and/or disseminating public goods for policy influence and advocacy
Appreciation for the strengths and limitations of various data collection and evaluation methods and ability to match the appropriate method(s) to a variety of circumstances
Expertise in specific areas of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (e.g., complexity-aware monitoring, systems-level MEL, and participatory MEL)
Familiarity with M&E technology and exposure to Survey CTO, ODK, or similar data collection software
Experience with qualitative data collection and analysis
Experience leading project or program evaluations
Familiarity with randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
Working knowledge of French and/or Spanish
Lived experience in low- and middle-income countries

Compensation:

IPA’s compensation structure is designed based on the labor market for the specific geographic location where the employee is located. We are offering the following salary ranges for this position:
– Director is classified as D2 on IPA’s global job structure.
– For US-based employees, the starting annual gross salary is $115,500 with a maximum of $142,000
– The salary for locations outside of the US will vary depending on IPA’s salary scale ranges for that specific location.

Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location.

Reports to

Senior Director

Deadline to Apply

April 26, 2024

Location

Any country where IPA has a country office (see here for a list of the 20+ countries) or

Anywhere within the U.S. where our IPA offices are located or registered (AZ, CA, CT, DC, FL, GA, IA, IL, MA, MD, MN, NC, NJ, NY, PA, TX, VA, WA, WV)

Some European countries are possible for the right candidate, including: UK, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain

Application Instructions

Click here to apply now.

About IPA

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence of which programs succeed is rare, and when evidence does exist, decision-makers often do not know about it. IPA exists to bring together leading researchers and these decision-makers to ensure that the evidence we create leads to a tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 600 leading academics to conduct over 900 evaluations in 52 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.

IPA’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

As an organization, IPA is dedicated to improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable populations through evidence and policy. We also recognize how important it is for our staff to reflect the diversity of the places where we work and the communities we work with. As such, IPA is committed to hiring from a diverse pool of candidates, from a range of backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives. We know that this makes our work stronger and more responsive to the challenges faced by those we work with and for and we encourage people from historically underrepresented groups to apply. Click here to learn more about IPA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.