Evidence & Learning Education Advisor

The job of a Save the Children’s UK Education Adviser – Evidence and Learning is varied and fulfilling.

• Do you have extensive experience in the design, implementation and management of programmes in an international context, notably MEAL in education programmes?
• Do you have experience of providing technical assistance and individual mentoring to NGO programmes teams in education, especially MEAL?
• Do have experience in value for money and cost efficiency frameworks and analysis for education programmes?
• Are you motivated by our vision of creating a world where every child doesn’t just survive, but thrives, and can go on to change the world?

If the answers to these questions are yes, we would love to hear from you!

About Us

Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children’s unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.

We stand side by side with children in the toughest places to be a child. We do whatever it takes to make sure they survive, get protection when they’re in danger, and have the chance to learn.

We work with Save the Children International colleagues and local partners, combining and optimising resources for maximum impact. Through our resilient partnerships model and technical expertise, we design appropriate, high-quality humanitarian and development programmes, that drive sector level change and provide immediate and lasting impact for children around the world. We take pride in developing processes and tools that underpin our data driven decision making, ensuring we work in the most inclusive, effective, and efficient way possible.

Programme Quality and Impact (PQI) Department: The Programme Quality and Impact (PQI) department works to ensure we deliver high-quality, evidence-based programmes and that we develop technical approaches to achieve positive sector-wide change for children. We work with partners and across the Save the Children movement to provide technical support to programme design and implementation, partnership development and in developing quality standards, technical approaches, and tools.

This post sits within the Education team in the Programme Policy and Quality (PPQ) Department. The team is responsible for defining and delivering on the education strategy and plan. Team members ensure all proposals and programmes meet technical quality standards through the provision of technical input on all aspects of a programme; from design, through implementation to monitoring, evaluation, accountability & learning (MEAL). There are also responsibilities to document evidence & report back to a wide range of stakeholders about impact and lessons learned, including key funders.

Job Purpose

As an Education Adviser – Evidence & Learning, you will carry out a broad range of assignments and/or projects in line with the strategy and policies for your professional area and under overall managerial direction. You will hold responsibility for collaborating on research priorities and organisation learning to deliver on Save the Children’s strategy, often working with minimal supervision. You will represent the organisation regularly with external experts. You will be a recognised specialist in your field, often working on complex assignments and projects, with a focus on monitoring, evaluation, and research, and providing guidance to others in resolving complex issues in a specialised area.

You will collaborate closely with the Evidence and Learning team in PQI department, with a 20 per cent level of effort to lead or contribute to the delivery of the organisational evidence and learning strategy.

Key Accountabilities:

The Education Adviser’s key duties will include:

• Work collaboratively to develop and implement specific parts of the Save the Children strategy to deliver on our ambitious goals for children.
• Collaborate in the technical design and delivery of high-quality, inclusive, and impactful programmes, working collaboratively with other stakeholders to design and implement monitoring and evaluation systems, research, and impact assessments.
• Contribute to developing and maintaining quality, inclusion and impact across Save the Children and the wider sector.
• Contribute to and collaborate with others on evidence-based technical strategies and products, such as best practice guidance, standard setting to a high standard.
• Contribute to the work of technical groups within the Save the Children movement and/or wider sector.
• Contribute and support technical engagement in strategic partnerships to amplify impact, including engagement in research partnerships.
• Collaborate within PQI department and the wider organisation with other evidence and learning advisers to strengthen and grow SCUK capacity to use and conduct high-quality research that generates new evidence addressing SCUK priorities and global evidence gaps.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key external stakeholders and build good working relationships with technical experts, partners and advocacy targets for technical exchange and influence. Provide or facilitate formal and informal support and capacity building to other technical advisers and programme staff, for example through mentoring, coaching, training, or guidance.
• Contribute to research, evaluation, and innovation projects in your field of expertise, contributing to expanding the knowledge base and identifying new / enhanced approaches to amplifying impact.
• Maintain and develop knowledge and expertise in your specific area.
• Demonstrate a commitment to Save the Children’s workplace behaviours and to building an inclusive and equitable workplace. Champion and be an ally to improve diversity and inclusion.
• Champion and embed approaches to shift power and decision-making closer to the children and communities we are working with and for.
• Build strong relationships with colleagues across the Save the Children global movement, including in country offices.
• Contribute to the wider success of Save the Children by providing programme evidence and technical expertise as required to inform and influence country strategies, advocacy, fundraising and communications.

Person Profile

Experience/Knowledge

• An internationally recognised postgraduate degree or equivalent experience
• Extensive experience in the design, implementation and management of programmes in an international context, notably MEAL in education programmes.
• Experience of providing technical assistance and individual mentoring to NGO programmes teams in education, especially MEAL.
• Experience in value for money and cost efficiency frameworks and analysis for education programmes.
• Experience of working in a matrix-managed context and promoting change across multiple networks

Abilities

• Strong analytical and conceptual skills, and the ability to think and plan strategically; well-developed negotiation and communication skills, including spoken and written English.
• Ability to analyse complex data in a technical area and to summarise and communicate this in ways that are accessible to a range of audiences and cultures
• Ability to work collaboratively to design adaptive, user-focused MEAL systems to inform programme decision-making and strategy
• Ability to identify and use appropriate design and data collection methodologies
• Ability and willingness to travel a minimum of three weeks per year.
• Working knowledge of French would be beneficial but is not essential

Aptitude

• A demonstrable commitment to the principles of diversity and inclusion and their practical application and integration in the work environment
• A commitment to Save the Children UK’s aims and core values of accountability, ambition, collaboration, creativity, and integrity

Ways of Working:

Remote First – The majority of our roles can be performed remotely, however you may work from the office as often as you wish. Whilst you will be predominantly working from home, we may at times require you to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter). Note: This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team. This is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building.

On-site – There are certain roles that cannot be performed remotely and so your role will be based in an office location and you may occasionally be able to work from home.

Flexible Working – We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview**.**

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be “Free to Be Me”. We are not looking for just one type of person – we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think.

We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences – of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability – help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.