Director of Analysis Research and Learning (DARL), Ethiopia Sustainable Peace Activity

Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

Department

Programs – Pact strives for a world where all people are heard, capable, and vibrant. The Programs Team helps realize this objective by bridging program management, technical support, and business development, enabling Pact to achieve its global strategy. We ensure program excellence through continuous learning, monitoring and evaluation and provide organizational and industry-wide thought leadership by leveraging a complementary set of cross-functional, multi-disciplinary skills, expertise, and experiences. The Programs team: influences progressive change through the development and implementation of global and regional strategies and business plans; supports advancement of innovative solutions; pursues new business opportunities; and drives effective internal and external engagement to maximize Pact’s impact across the globe. Across all aspects of its role, the Programs Department adheres to and promotes a culture of inclusion, accountability, and respect.

Position Overview

Pact seeks a Director of Analysis Research and Learning for the anticipated USAID/Ethiopia Sustainable Peace Activity (SPA). SPA will create a platform where USAID/Ethiopia can assist Ethiopian stakeholders to demonstrate greater resilience to prevent and respond to destabilizing manifestations of conflict. SPA will seek to strengthen legitimate structures and processes – including local peacebuilding councils – to effectively and nonviolently manage national, regional, and local level conflict issues; and expand collective awareness, access, and willingness of Ethiopians to utilize nonviolent systems to address grievances and mediate interests without violence. This position is contingent upon award.

The Director of Analysis Research and Learning (DARL) provides strategic guidance, vision, and management for the research and learning agenda for the project, all encompassed under its own objective. This individual also supervises monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) staff and ensures the strategic and functional integration of all MEL activities as well as active collaboration with sub-contractors, sub-awardees and USAID. The DARL oversees all applied research activities (rapid context monitoring and longer-form analytical studies) and MEL activities. They do so by providing technical direction and support to the Research and MEL teams. The DARL ensures rigorous research is conducted and widely disseminated with appropriate audiences, as well as the accurate reporting of performance. They will ensure that the Activity aligns with Pact’s quality standards for MEL in close coordination with Pact DC’s Learning, Evidence, and Impact (LEAP) team.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversees cross-cutting action-research and conflict analysis. Responsibilities include coordination with SPA’s research partner and managing rapid context research.
• Oversee the synergy between the research agenda with MEL outputs.
• Manage context and issue-specific studies (both rapid and long-term research)
• Coordinate any external evaluation processes, including drafting evaluation ToR and selection of firm, in alignment with award.
• Develop and disseminate relevant MEL tools, formats and lead the provision of MEL specific technical training
• Collaborate closely with the SPA Senior Management Team
• Oversee data collection, collation, storage, analysis, and reporting, ensuring that data is of high quality and audit worthy
• Supervise the MEL team
• For participatory research approaches, strengthen staff and partners’ capacity in qualitative and quantitative monitoring and evaluation techniques through comprehensive staff training, mentoring, and/or coaching.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of an adaptive management/learning system and spearheads reflection sessions on date, ensure accurate and timely storage of electronic files.
• Responsible for the data analysis, writing, and review of the results and learning sections of program reports in collaboration with program staff, before submission to donor and ensure consortium partners’ compliance with internal data quality requirements and timely submissions for reporting.
• Commitment to applied learning and adaptation based on data: Lead the program team on routine reviews and interpretation of data for learning and adaptation; package and disseminate timely findings in a meaningful way, and make suggestions for adaption
• Oversee development of a learning agenda and implement a system designed to identify lessons learned and disseminate timely information
• Produce learning products and thought leadership pieces relevant to the project intervention; present in local conferences or on webinars regarding project’s learning
• Other tasks as assigned

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree in any of the following or related fields: social science, international development, public health, evaluation, statistics, or economics
• Seven to ten (7-10) years of progressively responsible experience in designing, managing, and implementing results-based MERL activities
• At least five (5) years of supervisory experience
• Demonstrated relevant technical skills in analyzing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data, and packaging the findings
• Excellent organizational as well as English oral and written communication skills
• Progressively responsible experience in research and learning and/or monitoring and evaluation of peacebuilding activities, program beneficiaries, and program staff.
• Experience in participatory research approaches
• Extensive expertise in research ethics and Do No Harm requirements in sensitive research environments
• Experience in utilizing gender and social inclusion sensitive indicators and measures
• Extensive knowledge of reporting procedures, including USAID, best practices, guidelines, and tools for monitoring, evaluation and learning, including impact evaluation.
• Ability to work well on team and with various partner organizations
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, i.e., Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc., and the ability to use various commercially available statistical software programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluency in Amharic (oral, writing, and reading)
• Ethiopian nationals are encouraged to apply
• Experience with DHIS2 platform and mobile data collection software

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, citizenship status, genetic information, matriculation, family responsibilities, personal appearance, credit information, tobacco use (except in the workplace), membership in an employee organization, or other protected classifications or non-merit factors.