Manager, MLE Strategy

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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.

About the MLE Strategy Team

The Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) Strategy team ensures Evidence Action is a data-driven organization. The team is responsible for designing and managing “right fit” monitoring, learning, and evaluation strategies and works closely with program leadership to ensure data is interpreted and applied appropriately, driving program improvements and critical program decisions. Working closely with regional MLE Delivery teams, the MLE Strategy team creates MLE systems to deliver timely and useful program insights.

Created at the start of 2021, the MLE Strategy team was established to meet a growing organizational need for focused, global support to develop and maintain high quality MLE plans across Evidence Action’s programs and geographies. Since then, the organizational demand for MLE Strategy support has grown substantially-- a testament to the team’s critical role within the organization -- and we continue to identify ways in which this team can add value.

What we’re looking for:

Evidence Action is looking to hire two dynamic and motivated MLE Strategy Managers who can design M&E frameworks for new Evidence Action programs and develop “right fit” country MLE strategies, one of which will support the Safe Water programming and one of which will support New Program Development. The MLE Strategy Managers will play critical roles in ensuring MLE activities are comprehensive, cost-efficient, and well-designed to meet program goals by defining, managing, and prioritizing the MLE activities for a given program.

Responsibilities will include:

1. Coordinate the early-stage program MLE strategy, including pilots, and collaborate with the program in preparation and learning activities for program launch

• Manage the early-stage MLE strategy and design process, including program pilots; coordinate implementation and communication of results until pilot completion.
• Develop and iterate on frameworks and protocols for accurate monitoring of pilot KPIs and key results; design and review pilot data collection tools to align with pilot objectives and with the learning agenda, including surveys, trackers, dashboards, etc.
• Ensure that pilot MLE plans remain in alignment with program goals; iterate on pilot MLE and document learning for program scale-up.
• Lead internal and external preparation and communication of MLE strategy, according to program Theory of Change; effectively interpret learnings for decision-makers.
• Manage design, testing, and results interpretation of additional MLE activities prior to program scaling, including water quality testing and A/B testing, among others.

2. Design the monitoring, learning, and evaluation plan for new Evidence Action programs, in close collaboration with program and MLE Delivery teams

• Create program theories of change to conceptualize how programs create impact and identify key process and performance indicators for monitoring and evaluation.
• Develop “right fit” monitoring and evaluation plans that appropriately capture key indicators and facilitate rigorous measurement of program progress and outcomes.
• Leverage organization resources from different geographic and programmatic context to develop and iterate upon the MLE plan in the context of program expansion/scale-up.
• Create and maintain program learning agendas, and support the development and implementation of program decision frameworks that utilize MLE results for decisions.
• Draft and pilot well-designed surveys and survey protocols in line with relevant research and international best practices to ensure relevant data is collected for MLE plans.
• Conduct site visits and observe key processes to ensure MLE strategies are appropriate.

3. Manage the ongoing MLE strategy for one to two programs, working closely with MLE Delivery leadership and program teams

• Manage the MLE-program scope of work and develop work plans to track activities; draft annual program MLE Strategy budgets for planned activities and lead budget review.
• Review and track MLE results to support the interpretation and application of the results; support compliance to high-quality implementation of all MLE activities.
• Establish and maintain clear reporting templates and timelines for internal and external reporting requirements, facilitating data-driven decision-making by program staff.
• Lead research, learning, and evaluation projects to address specific gaps in knowledge, including design, analysis plans, tracking progress, analyzing data, and reporting.
• Support donor engagement by reviewing donor reports, joining donor meetings, and developing high-quality M&E documents to share with donors, as requested.
• Collaborate closely across the MLE Strategy and MLE Delivery teams to share lessons and develop best practices for MLE design within the organization and facilitate lesson sharing across Evidence Action programs and geographies.
• Build, manage, and develop high-performing team capacity to support and lead work.
• Travel, as appropriate, to meet with country and MLE Delivery teams and observe aspects of the program’s MLE activities.
• Establish and manage strategic partnerships with M&E vendors, where needed, to achieve program MLE goals; Manage IRB processes for MLE activities, as per organizational and country protocols.

Location

This position will be located in Washington, DC.