Вакансія: Director of Research and Learning (DRL)

Title: Director of Research and Learning (DRL) 

Location: Kyiv, Ukraine 
Division: Communities & Governance 
Reports to: Chief of Party 
DEADLINE: September 10, 2020  

ABOUT IREX 

IREX is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information. Founded in 1968, IREX has an annual portfolio of over $90 million, offices in 20 countries, and a global staff of 400. We work in more than 100 countries worldwide.  

POSITION SUMMARY 

IREX in Ukraine seeks a qualified Director of Research and Learning (DRL) for the five-year, USAID-funded Ukraine National Identity Through Youth (UNITY) program. Based in Kyiv, the DRL will play a key role in implementing the project’s Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) approach and ensuring that UNITY learning under different objectives and project Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) is fully integrated into and coordinated with an adaptive management approach. He/she will lead a five-person team comprised of a Research Lead, a Policy & Engagement Specialist, a MEL Specialist managing project MEL activity, and supported by a Data & Reporting Coordinator and Data Assistant.  The DRL will support UNITY through capacity building and technical assistance, research and writing, product development and testing, learning and innovation, and external outreach through bringing an expert technical base of knowledge grounded in research and practice; overseeing, developing and/or sourcing MEL resources and tools; and researching and evaluating the application of theories, methods, and techniques.   

GENERAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILTIES 

• Oversee the program’s CLA process in collaboration with the Chief of Party; ensure that the program’s CLA approach is applied with consistency and rigor; work with the leadership team to apply program learning in pursuit of adaptive management. 
• Oversee the development and implementation of a MEL plan across all program components, including the identification of process, output, and outcome indicators. 
• Work with partners to ensure the implementation of high-quality MEL activities and data collection; oversee partner capacity building as needed. 
• Ensure monitoring activities are conducted on schedule and participate in evaluations. 
• Communicate information obtained through research and M&E activities to IREX staff and various external stakeholders, particularly donors and partners. 
• Be a primary MEL resource to the field office and field personnel; liaise regularly with IREX’s MEL team in DC.  
• Ensure data collection process is functioning in all activity locations to provide quality data within deadlines.  
• Regularly review data collection processes, perform data quality assessments, and adjust as needed.  
• Conduct regular visits to program sites to provide technical assistance and ensure proper monitoring of program activities. 
• Produce M&E reports for the Chief of Party and donors, as needed. 
• Develop annual performance plans and annual MEL plans. 
• Serve as member of the program senior management team. 
• Supervise assigned staff. 
• Directly support and coach other MEL staff and program teams in executing MEL plans, including needs and contextual assessments, organizational capacity building monitoring, knowledge and skills-based assessments, participant competencies, reform tracking, and tools to evaluate program impacts such as attitudinal and behavioral change. 
• Oversee impact evaluations, skill assessments, training evaluations, social network analyses, and internal program evaluations using qualitative and quantitative methods as needed. 
• Facilitate the development of evidence-based program-level and component-level theories of change and results frameworks. 
• Assess data quality for IREX programs and identify practical improvements to enable adaptative management decision-making. 
• Create presentations and dashboards linking MEL data sources to visualize technical support and results. 
• Track progress on program indicators – including monitoring and evaluation, organizational capacity building, media content analysis monitoring, social media analytics, participant self-assessment, and consultant reports – to generate implementation progress reports and briefings on recommendations to improve program performance. 
• Lead and oversee the development of program materials, including assessments and research; draft complex progress reports, midterm or end-of-project evaluations; contribute/identify content for social media, website, impact one-pagers, and other promotional materials. 
• Maintain effective relations and coordination with donors, academic and program consortium partners, and technical experts. 
• Support the evolution of a cadre of MEL advisors within IREX programs and their ability to consolidate internal best practices and tools. 
• Coach, mentor, or advise staff in MEL framework design and implementation, incorporating professional development and problem-based learning to build global staff capacity that supports learning within individual practice areas. 
• Lead the development and implementation of MEL manuals, training materials, and other resources; and build the capacity of stakeholders to collect and use youth-focused data. 
• Facilitate the design and implementation of component-level learning agendas. 
• Other duties, as assigned.  

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS 

• Ukrainian citizenship or residency with work authorization is required. 
• Advanced degree in sociology, economics, political science, public administration, psychology, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, or other relevant field. 
• Experience training others on USAID or USG MEL frameworks and requirements. 
• Experience with Gender and Social Inclusion initiatives/inclusive evaluation tools, techniques, and practices. 
• Experience with political-economic assessment and evaluation tools, techniques, and practices. 
• Experience coaching others in the use of specific data analysis or visualization software (e.g. Dedoose, Nvivo, Salesforce, Survey Monkey, Mailchimp, Jotform, Oba, Power BI, Tableau, Google Data studio, etc.). 
• 8+ years of progressive job experience managing monitoring and evaluation (including project data management) in international development. 
• Experience coaching, advising, and managing a diverse range of staff responsible for MEL deliverables. 
• Demonstrated background and experience in donor-funded international development programs with a significant portion working with USG-funded projects. 
• Demonstrated experience with evaluating international development programs, including quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. 
• Familiarity with strengths and weaknesses of different evaluations (e.g., formative, summative, developmental, impact, etc.). 
• Demonstrated experience analyzing and visualizing data, as well as with relevant software. 
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills and a proven track record of working effectively with partner and donor counterparts. 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite and familiarity with social science statistical software packages (e.g., STATA, SAS, SPSS, etc.). 
• Professional interpersonal and communication skills in English (written and oral), including a demonstrated ability to convey assessment, monitoring, evaluation and learning concepts to program staff and in-country partners; strong command of spoken/written Ukrainian and Russian.  

TO APPLY 

Please send your cover letter and resume as an attachment in an email with “Director of Research and Learning” in the subject line to [email protected]. Only complete applications will be considered. No telephone inquiries will be accepted. Application Deadline: September 10, 2020. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.  

IREX conducts anti-terrorism database clearances on candidates who accept employment offers. IREX is also an E-Verify Employer.   

IREX is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace and inclusive hiring practice. IREX is an equal opportunity employer.