Chief Impact Officer

Splash is an international development organization founded in 2007 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, USA. In 15 years, we have reached over 800,000 children in cities around the world. In 2019, we embarked on an exciting, five-year initiative, Project WISE (WASH in Schools for Everyone), focused on reaching over 800,000 children in three major growth cities – Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar, Ethiopia and Kolkata, India – with improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, WASH behavior change programs, and strengthened school-based menstrual health programs. Looking ahead, we aim to expand our impact to new cities across five countries in Asia and Africa.

Splash supports local leaders, institutions, and partners to drive lasting change on the ground. We believe that local capacity to solve problems at scale exists, and our job is to strategically support and magnify the impact of local governments, nonprofit and for-profit actors for the good of children and families across the cities in which we work.

Our core values guide everything we do, including every hiring decision we make. They are:

• People – People first. People second. People third.
• Quality – Beautiful products that function and last.
• Honesty – No drama, no surprises, no BS.
• Joy – Kids at heart, seeing potential everywhere.
• Mistakes – Make them, don’t repeat them.

Splash values the unique skills and experiences everyone brings to the organization, and we are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment. To learn more, please visit www.splash.org

The Job

This position is full-time, remote, and based in the U.S. This position will require international travel while complying with safety advice and regular reporting into the Pacific standard time zone.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Chief Impact Officer (CIO) is at the leading edge of change and has expertise in the Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation sector. This leader is unafraid of ambitious initiatives in line with Splash’s impending move to support 12 cities, in 4 countries, to ensure that all schools in these cities have access to Splash’s world class WASH package.

Splash takes a data-driven approach to identifying, scaling, and continuously improving programs which deliver transformational impact. The CIO will work with the global management team to reimagine how we design sound data collection techniques and sampling methodologies, as well as measuring program outcomes, testing theories of change, and ensuring functional feedback loops for quick and adaptive management. The CIO will have expertise in designing innovative learning lifecycles and provide analytics and insights that enhance the organization’s effectiveness and ability to communicate impact to donors and other stakeholders.

Top candidates will have experience in designing and executing research and evaluation projects that drive equitable outcomes in the international development sector. They will have demonstrated success in overseeing a team of systems, data and reporting professionals, and have a deep understanding of applied research and evaluation.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

In this role, you will be accountable for all Program Impact endeavors and provide strategic direction and insight rooted in performance measurement, evaluation design, and field best practice that will effectively improve outcomes for children and partners in the communities where we work. In collaboration with the Program and Partnership teams, you will reimagine and establish monitoring and evaluation plans that capture comprehensive data needs and implement user-friendly data collection and reporting systems.

Your primary goal will be to ensure Splash has efficient access to the data it needs to support development, planning, and implementation for all programs.

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Lead project workflow, design, and facilitate research engagements and presentations and ensure deliverables are on-time, high-quality, and poised to help our teams drive impact.
• Provide technical support across all projects and assist with quality control and the development of all monitoring, learning and evaluation to ensure the Program and Partnership teams are supported and deliver high-quality work.
• Lead the Impact team to identify, pursue diligence, and prioritize WASH innovations that have the most transformative potential in priority countries.
• Oversee the creation of data collection tools, including surveys, assessments, and interview protocols.

External Evaluations & Relationships

• Build relationships with the scientific community within universities, the private sector, and NGO communities with the goal of learning from sector best practices and advancing our program impact.
• Lead the Impact team in the development of evaluation sections, including log frames, for grant proposals, as well as the reporting of progress and results.
• Provide high-level data, reports and evaluation findings to a range of internal and external stakeholders

Culture & Management

• Serve on the global management team; participate in key decisions pertaining to strategic initiatives, business model, resource allocation, and operational execution; collaborate with other department leads to ensure alignment of global offices.
• Accountable for managing the Impact unit budget, including all associated projects, initiatives, and contracted scopes of work. Guide the development and implementation of the investment strategy/budget working alongside Operation and Finance teams.
• Manage and grow a team of thought leaders and practitioners in countries where we work, as well as the Splash Global team, so talents are utilized with greatest effect for the good of children and families.
• Directly oversee the management and growth of the Impact team. Identify and navigate challenges and work to ensure the full team is effective and thriving. This includes creating a positive atmosphere and a culture of equity and inclusion for employees across all country offices and at all levels within the organization.

Learning & Knowledge Management

• Craft reports, memos, policy briefs, white papers and build an internal resource and evidence bank on best practices and trends in major organizational areas .
• Support the design, assessment, and feedback loops of program improvement pilot projects.
• Oversee the development of frameworks to help prioritize investment in various technology domains.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in economics, public policy, statistics, international development, or any other relevant quantitative field and a minimum of 10 years of MLE experience; or a minimum of 15 years MLE experience.
• Deep knowledge of MLE design concepts and methodologies, and experience designing MLE plans and surveys/data collection tools; in particular, experience with the development of program monitoring frameworks and Theories of Change
• Demonstrated success leading organizations to create and improve their processes for monitoring and data collection and built their capacity for evidence-based decision-making.
• Strong expertise with using statistical software including experience managing, analyzing, and interpreting large quantitative data sets
• Experience designing qualitative research tools, conducting qualitative data collection, and analyzing qualitative research findings to add depth and context to quantitative insights
• Experience with research operations including data management, data security, and knowledge management systems to increase efficiency and information-sharing across projects and teams. It is a must to have experience with:
  • Data visualization and business intelligence platforms (i.e., Tableau)
  • Data collection, preparation, and analysis platforms (i.e Alteryx, Snowflake)
• Strong critical and analytical thinking skills to identify appropriate Impact design needs for different program countries and in line with global program strategies, and problem-solve for the realities of implementation.
• Willingness to travel to program locations in countries such as India, Kenya, Ethiopia and Bangladesh; travel is likely to be up to 25% of the year, pending travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19.

CHARACTERISTICS

• You are a strong leader who can see the big picture, coordinate moving pieces, motivate the team, manage expectations, and adapt.
• You thrive in a fast-paced work environment and can stay relaxed and focused when juggling many projects and deadlines, especially when they arise at the last minute.
• You build trust and goodwill with team members and demonstrate deep respect for their work. You’re the kind of person who knows how to get along well with others and anticipate their needs.
• You have excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills and are able to effectively communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical persons, including the ability to present sensitive issues/positions.
• You have the ability to maintain effective and respectful working relationships with a team that is geographically dispersed and willing to work in a global matrixed work setting.
• You are ambitious and creative, and you are excited about the idea of building something meaningful. You have a habit of thinking expansively and finding innovative opportunities in the face of challenges.
• You are committed to safeguarding and protecting populations with whom we work, especially vulnerable children and adults.
• You are committed to Splash’s mission and values.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

At Splash, we are committed to living out our mission every day, and that starts with providing benefits that allow our employees to care for themselves and support their families.

• The annual salary range for this position is $135,000 – $145,000. This will be reviewed at least annually.
• Splash provides generous benefits including 18 days of paid time off, increasing by 2 days each year up to 28 days, and 11 paid holidays.
• Wellness Fridays (reduced working hours on Fridays); medical, dental, and vision; and a 401K pension with 3% match.
• We provide additional paid time off for all staff between December 26 to New Year’s Eve to recognize end-of-year stress and time for reflection, rejuvenation, and planning for the holidays.