Jobs at Evidence Action

The Role

• The Manager, Field Operations is responsible for supporting all Evidence Action's monitoring and evaluation field operations for programs within the West and Central Africa Sub-region (Nigeria, Liberia and Cameroon).
• This is an exciting position that involves overseeing program research and learning activities, coordinating MLE support for programs within the sub-region, leading the development and review of monitoring plans, supporting research and learning projects, and coordinating between MLE and government stakeholders and other implementing partners as needed.
• A critical part of achieving this is managing systems to ensure that the quality of data for all Evidence Action sub- regional programs meets a high level of standard.
• Please note that this is a contract position for a duration of one year.

Responsibilities

• Planning and Coordination of MLE Support for Programs within the Sub-region
• Improve on and streamline MLE activities ensuring they are comprehensive, cost-efficient, and well-designed to meet program goals. Adopt the most cost-effective (and quality) means and ways available in the execution of the budget
• Review and track program MLE results and support the interpretation and application of the results, facilitating data-driven decision-making by program teams in the sub-region
• Ensure adequate representation of MLE team in meetings with program teams, partners and government stakeholders (as required and appropriate)
• Collaborate with the MLE Strategy and Delivery teams to ensure unified understanding of sub-regional programs' data needs to ensure that the MLE team delivers program needs on time
• Coordinate MLE support to state and national partners and government stakeholders
• Conduct site visits to ensure MLE activities are being implemented as appropriate, meet local context, and deliver support with MLE activity implementation as required.
• Establish and manage strategic partnerships with M&E vendors, where needed, to achieve program MLE goals
• Oversee the sourcing for vendors required to support MLE activities within the programs in the sub-region and manage budget, timelines, and deliverables by vendors
• Support MLE Strategy team's research and learning projects to address specific gaps in knowledge about the programs within the sub-region, including the design (methods and sampling), draft and pilot of surveys and survey protocols analysis plans, data collection, cleaning and analysing data, and reporting.
• Make contributions towards the MLE newsletter, sub-regional, regional, global, internal and external publications

Data Collection Activities for all Evidence Action programs in the Sub region

• Manage country teams and resources to achieve all data collection objectives- both quantitative and qualitative-to ensure relevant and reliable data is collected for MLE plans
• Coordinate with the program team to ensure free flow of information for planning data collection, and maintain ‘instant feedback' information systems as well as share information with the program team as required
• Development of efficient logistical tools for field teams, basic standards and best practices for collecting data; including conducting back-checks/spot-checks and documentation of field activities
• Lead the development and maintenance of relevant databases for tracking and managing program information
• Review process monitoring reports shared by the Data Learning team and provide context-based input, capturing and disseminating lessons learnt from monitoring activities as well as tracking improvements in those significant areas over time to ensure that learnings are translated to program improvements

Field Operation Team Management:

• Manage the annual MLE team work plans in line with defined scope of work and priorities for the programs in the sub-region. Track activities against the work plan, ensuring monitoring and reporting timelines are met
• Draft annual program MLE budgets for scope of work defined by the MLE Strategy Leads to properly budget for planned MLE activities for all programs in the sub-region. Oversee MLE expenditures as approved in the budget, and routinely check that actual expenditures vs allocated budget are within a sustainable range
• Coordinate the needs assessment, recruitment, and onboarding of MLE staff in the sub-region in collaboration with the MLE leadership, HR Manager, and the necessary representatives from program teams
• Manage country MLE team efforts ensuring compliance with and the high-quality implementation of all M&E activities and that they meet all set deliverables
• Working with Program and MLE teams, identify areas for capacity development, professional development and skill building and develop plans to address those areas for improvement for MLE teams within the sub-region
• Establish and maintain clear and comprehensive reporting templates and timelines to meet internal and external reporting needs
• Support the development of MLE best practices within the organisation and facilitate lesson sharing across Evidence Action geographies
• Manage and contribute to innovative systems and tools to train staff as stipulated in the MLE staff training protocol

Other:

• Perform any other monitoring, evaluation and learning duties as may be required and assigned by the supervisor to support the team's shared objectives.

Key Performance Indicators

• Surveys and other data collection assignments are designed collaboratively with MLE-S
• Continuous iteration and improvement of developed systems, protocols, procedures and sharing of relevant feedback to enhance quality training
• Data collation vendors meet the data collection obligation as contracted
• Timely collection of monitoring data for all programs in the sub-region
• All country programs collect and report data electronically on available systems e.g. CTO, DHIS2
• Sustain and/or improve the quality of data collected for program monitoring and evaluation
• Maintenance of standards and best practices for survey roll out from design to training, data collection and reporting
• Efficient and effective management of budgetary resources with strict adherence to the finance policy
• Make learning resources available to program team for review and decision making after monitoring activities
• Timely submission of activity progress reports, i.e., every Monday of a new week
• Continuous growth in team building, collaboration and leadership skills as evidenced by feedback from direct reports, supervisors, external stakeholders and other support teams
• Field Operation team members' professional development goals are met annually within reason
• Field Operations teams have the right equipment and materials to conduct their activities, and proper accountability is maintained

Requirements

• Master's degree in a relevant field with strong public health, development economics, and statistics background.
• 7+ years of experience in M&E programs in the West and Central Africa region, particularly ( Nigeria, Liberia, and Cameroon).
• Strong technical skills and capacity, with at least 4 years of practical experience managing and working directly with large teams to implement data collection protocols
• Fluency (able to express oneself easily and articulately) in writing and reading
• Proficiency in speaking in French and English is a key requirement. We encourage French speakers to apply, as their language skills are especially relevant to this role's nature and responsibilities
• Demonstrable experience working with teams in different countries to implement surveys, support program implementation, and other data collection assignments
• Experience using electronic data collection platforms, specifically Survey CTO
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Willing to travel on short notice, to multitask, to work in ambiguity and to respond to instructions from multiple sources.
• Naturally inquisitive and curious, detail-oriented and organised;
• Inspired by Evidence Action's mission to bring proven interventions to scale, improving the lives of millions;

Working conditions:

• This position will require coordinating closely with the M&E team members within the West and Central Africa region and global offices with varying time differences, languages, and work culture.
• It also requires travel across country programs.
• Physical requirements: None

Direct reports:

• Country Field operations leads (ranging from Senior Associates to Associate Managers, MLE, Field Operations)

Position Location:

• This role will be based in either of the WCA countries that is (Nigeria or Cameroon) ( depending on the candidate's nationality and work status)
• We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of any employment visa at this time. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in Nigeria or Cameroon for roles based in these countries.

Benefits

• Private Health Insurance
• Pension Plan
• Paid Time Off
• Training & Development
• Performance Bonus.

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The Role

• As the (Senior) Director, Global Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, you will also lead the continued evolution of our MLE approach, ensuring our systems, structures, and external presence reflect the scale of what we are building.
• We are seeking a senior leader to hold an exceptionally high bar across the entire team, ranging from design, implementation and data collection, and analysis, to dissemination. In this role, you will be held directly accountable for technical rigor on MLE and will contribute heavily to strengthening organizational leadership and external credibility in this area.
• You bring deep expertise in quantitative-heavy program evaluation and evidence systems, strategic instincts to identify problems early, curiosity to ask relevant questions to understand context, impatient optimism to arrive at possible solutions under time and resource limitations, and the interpersonal sophistication to create alignment in a matrixed global organization.
• This position reports to one of our Executive Vice President, Programs and works closely with our Global Leadership Team (GLT) and a Director on the team.
• Level: We are open to considering exceptional candidates at both the Director and Senior Director levels, depending on experience and fit.

How You'll Make An Impact
Lead Organizational MLE Strategy:

• Lead from the front Evidence Action's evaluation for early-stage programs, strengthening rigor and consistency as we assess and select innovations. This includes evaluating existing evidence in partnership with program teams, stress-testing hypotheses, assessing credible pathways to impact at scale, and developing stage-appropriate evaluation plans.
• Quantitatively model the expected outcomes of potential new programs, right-sized to project scope/cost and time constraints. This will require using microeconomic tools and concepts to predict actions of individuals and governments, and to determine how to value different types of benefits, as well as good judgment to assess real potential for impact at scale
• As programs transition to scale, ensure consistent iteration and rigorous application of agreed protocols throughout the program lifecycle, in coordination with the Director
• Build a strong understanding of challenges and opportunities across the existing at-scale portfolio and work closely with the Director to re-design protocols, structures, and data collection processes grounded in operational realities
• Lead cross-portfolio MLE review as a near-term organizational priority in face of DSW findings, including direct management of external consultants. The review will surface gaps in MLE practice and standards, which you will translate into lasting improvements across the team
• Lead organization-wide data-driven decision making, identifying the highest-value questions across the program portfolio and ensuring that MLE findings inform program design and organizational decision-making
• Work with in-field project and MLE leads to ensure that MLE collects actionable information they need and that MLE findings reach on-the-ground program decision-makers
• Actively engage across the matrix to ensure MLE is embedded from the earliest stages of program lifecycle and assess how best to resource and structure this work within the MLE team
• Role model the strategic use of data, technology, and AI to strengthen MLE quality and efficiency, and organizational decision-making
• Manage from the trenches with the regional MLE leaders on implementation challenges and structural issues, working to strengthen the overall MLE team across global and regional teams.

Lead and Develop the Global MLE Teams:

• Provide senior functional leadership and technical supervision to the MLE team, including direct management of a Director, who leads at-scale program MLE and team management
• Set a high and consistent performance bar for the team and foster an active feedback team culture
• Develop team members' capabilities and contribute to their professional growth by providing thought partnership and mentorship on diagnosing and solving complex problems
• Oversee the Global MLE budget, maintaining visibility across global and regional MLE teams and making resourcing decisions aligned to organizational priorities.
• Plan resources, recruit for strategic bandwidth within the MLE team, and develop a sustainable resourcing model and long-term structural vision for MLE teams while securing organizational buy-in and funding to enable this

Provide Senior External and Organizational Leadership:

• Serve as a senior thought leader, inviting and addressing external feedback for Evidence Action's MLE strategy from donors, board members, government partners, and peer organizations
• Lead the engagement with external reviewers, vendors, and consultants for the ongoing MLE review, critically evaluating their recommendations while maintaining strong, constructive relationships, and working in close coordination with the MLE leaders on external partnerships they are responsible for.
• Partner closely with Cost-Effectiveness and other internal evidence functions to validate key assumptions, model outcomes, and rigorously and consistently apply data-driven decisions across our programs
• Lead board and donor level communications on MLE progress, methodology, and organizational learning

You may be a good fit if you have

• 10+ years of progressive experience in monitoring, learning, and evaluation including considerable hands-on experience of leading a rigorous quantitative function enabling data-driven decision-making in the global health/ development context
• Experience should also include ability to work with technical and program implementation teams to negotiate data-led decisions on direct program implementation and technical assistance to governments, with 5+ years, ideally in a senior leadership role within a matrixed organization. In-field experience is highly desirable
• PhD or a comparable mix of advanced training and high-end technical experience in a relevant field (economics, statistics, public health, or other quantitatively focused disciplines)
• Technical experience: Expertise in program evaluation design and analysis; including statistically rigorous impact evaluations, process evaluations, and mixed-methods approaches with real-world experience managing large-scale quantitative evaluations from design through dissemination
• People Leadership: Demonstrates a track record of implementing effective team structures, developing Directors or senior leaders and strengthening leadership bench capacity. Successfully provided strategic direction to senior technical leads, set performance benchmarks, while empowering their domain ownership.
• Thought Leadership: Brings established networks across the MLE and leadership communities of peer and partner organizations, including philanthropies, evidence-driven implementation organizations in our regions, and government stakeholders. Has a track record of external thought leadership through publications, conference presentations, or similar platforms
• Action Oriented: Demonstrates a clear orientation toward implementation over theory in being able to make tough choices from a range of possible options. Experience of leading from the front at evidence-driven organizations, across global health or development, is highly desirable
• Transformation and Ambiguity: Embraces ambiguity to make transformational changes we need. They are an Engine 2 thinker; focused on solving today's challenges, innovating for tomorrow's needs, exploring new markets, and taking bold risks while communicating tradeoffs
• Technical Communication: Can switch communication styles between external and internal MLE specialists, donors, board, and non-technical audiences to have effective conversions and drive decisions.