(Professionally fluent – French) Senior Program Associate II – Evaluation and Adaptive Learning

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.

We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.

R4D is seeking an entrepreneurial, strategic, and creative individual to serve as a Senior Program Associate II (SPA) in its Evaluation and Adaptive Learning (EAL) Practice.

Are you interested in questioning the status quo of traditional monitoring and evaluation approaches? Are you committed to working with local change agents to create improved and sustained impact? Are you energized by activities that scrutinize and validate underlying assumptions to maximize impact? If your answer is yes to those questions, then join us!

This position is based in Washington D.C. or in London, UK and will report to a Senior Program Officer or Associate Director.

Practice: The EAL Practice works with partners to devise new strategies to address problems in health, education, and nutrition, and to generate evidence as they design, test, and iterate on potential solutions. The team conducts targeted research using methods such as randomized control trials, formative research, and lean testing to answer questions relevant to donor and practitioner strategies. We tailor our best methods to partner needs and constraints to fuse evidence with action. We work in partnership with internal and external stakeholders with the goal of using monitoring, evaluation, and learning approaches to inform decisions that can improve performance and accelerate impact.

Opportunity:

The SPA will be joining a highly collaborative team that embraces innovation and learning. We are seeking someone who can take ownership over critical elements of our research and programming; who can work well independently and as part of team; and who can be flexible and adaptable to shifting project priorities.

The SPA will aid in research analysis and presentation using quantitative and qualitative methods in all of R4D’s technical areas (education, nutrition, and health). The SPA will clean, process, and analyze data gathered on our projects as well as provide research, project management, and administrative support. Additionally, the SPA will support cross-cutting team initiatives, such as business development, knowledge management, and communications.

This position will be based in Washington D.C. or in London once R4D’s offices re-open. The SPA may be required to travel internationally up to 25%.

Responsibilities:

Your work will encompass a range of tasks related to research implementation, data analysis, project management, business development, and communications. Responsibilities may include:

Collect data and deliver quality analysis

· Support the design and implementation of high-quality monitoring, evaluation, and learning experiments using both qualitative and quantitative methods

· Assist with and manage the implementation of learning experiments (such as lean testing, rapid experimentation). Support and provide input into experiment design and impact analysis

Turn evidence into action

· Deliver high quality presentations internally and externally to implementing teams, partners, and funders

· Write first drafts of research briefs, presentations, and papers that effectively communicate results and program/policy recommendations for a variety of stakeholders and external audiences

· Coordinate outreach activities, including drafting blog posts and coordinating social media campaigns

Program Management and cross-cutting functions

· Monitor and facilitate the execution of deliverables in close coordination with team leadership

· Engage with stakeholders at the project development, planning, and service delivery levels

· Lead contract procurement processes and manage all contracts for vendors and consultants (processing invoices, drafting and processing contract amendments, etc.)

· Schedule meetings and take meeting notes

· Troubleshoot and liaise with internal support teams

· Support program and support teams to ensure program’s compliance with R4D and donor policies and regulations

· Manage and maintain project budgets and work plans

· Work with senior team members on business development (conducting desk research, drafting portions of proposals, identifying business development opportunities)

· Actively engaged in cross-cutting functions within the team as-required

Qualifications

• • Minimum BA + 3 years or MA + 1 year of relevant professional experience
    – Flexibility and willingness to work on projects across any of R4D’s disciplines (health, education, and nutrition)
    – Knowledge of and experience with both quantitative and qualitative research methods
    – Proficiency in using STATA to analyze large datasets is required
    – Excellent quantitative coding skills (R/STATA/Similar)
    – Experience with qualitative coding software, such as Atlas.ti or nVivo, preferred, but not required
    – Have a strong commitment to excellence and attention to detail
    – Strong writer and oral communicator in English with a proven track record of preparing presentations and reports, as well as an ability to describe technical problems and solutions to a non-technical audience
    – Experience working within a multi-disciplinary team including researchers, analysts, and programmers
    – Willingness to take on program management responsibilities in addition to the technical work
    – Ability to set priorities and handle multiple, competing time and resource demands
    – Prior experience with international government and foundation donors, such as USAID, FCDO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a plus
    – French fluency required
    – Willingness to travel internationally up to 25%