Evidence, Learning and Innovation Advisor 73 views0 applications

No of Positions: 1

Duty Station: Addis Ababa

Contract Duration: One year with possible extension

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Evidence, Learning and Innovation Advisor (ELIA) is responsible to assist the Head of Evidence, Learning and Innovation (HELI) in designing and implementing a system for gathering, interpreting and managing multiple forms of indicative information and resource documents necessary for learning along with managing the knowledge/ evidence base generated necessary for the successful design and implementation of Save the Children programmes. S/he is also responsible in developing and implementing minimum requirements that meet SCI standards related to learning, evidence and innovation as part of the overall MEAL strategy and systems, ensuring that such systems are institutionalized at appropriate levels including thematic sectors and geographic areas. ELIA supports thematic sectors, the program development unit, and individual or groups of programs with research design and implementation with a focus on the baseline, midline and end-line evaluations as well as operations research and other assessments.

The Evidence, Learning and Innovation Advisor will oversee the incubation and testing of new ideas and opportunities that have the potential for scalable impact for deprived children in Ethiopia. She/he will create an evidence base of field-tested interventions that can be used to differentiate SCI’s programming and increase levels of sustainable fundraising.

The Evidence, Learning and Innovation Advisor works to improve the quality and standardization of evidence, learning and innovation framework and tools and supports the program implementation and program quality staff to ensure the integration of appropriate evidence, learning and innovation in each project. S/he also supports the HELI in coordinating evidence, learning and innovation systems and works closely with the Regional Office Evidence and Learning staff. S/he closely works with MEAL Managers/ Advisors of National programs, the Hub MEAL Advisors, MEAL staff at FOs, and research fellows/consultants.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Head of Evidence, Learning and Innovation

Dimensions:

Staff directly reporting to this post: one

Budget responsibility: none

Context: Development and/or Humanitarian

A.KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: 

Leadership and Management

•  Provide advice and support in the overall supervision of the evidence, learning and innovation functions and strategy in the Ethiopia country office
•  Provide advice and support in the supervision of project assessment, evaluation and research.
• Provide advice and support the HELI in leading, designing and implementation of comprehensive Evidence, Learning and Innovation system in the Co
•  Conduct supervision, mentorship and professional development to staffs on MEAL/EL system.
• Ensure MEAL evidence (IPTT, project performance/action trackers, output tracker, etc) are used for management decision making and continuous performance improvement and be part of the Hub level management team members.
• Synthesize data and disseminates evidence for programme improvement, advocacy, and campaign purposes.
•  Coordinate CO community of practices and/or other learning platforms for MEAL and other thematic based community of practices/ learning platforms ensuring their functioning.
• Promote all aspects of evidence, learning and innovation through training and capacity building for multiple internal and external stakeholders including MEAL staff and PDQ Leadership to support the creation of an organizational culture that prioritizes learning and leading to quality programming.
• Proactively scout for new innovative ideas and opportunities by conducting regular reviews of existing SCI projects, studies and evaluations to find opportunities for innovative solutions;
• Maintain partnerships and network with local peer organizations to build and provide a space to nurture and test new and innovative development ideas;
• Participate in relevant evidence and learning training opportunities and networks in the country, region, and globally.
• Leverage own network to secure high qualified staff/evaluators and strategic partnerships when relevant.

System Design and Roll-Out

•  Working closely with HELI, design SCI’s approach to learning and evidence management, setting down the minimum requirements (following SCI MOS) and ensuring that it complements and forms an integral part of the overall MEAL system.
• Ensure that a learning culture is fostered within the organisation and EL is an integral element of programming and staff engagement/development
• Working with the Knowledge and Learning Specialist to develop the associated tools required to implement the EL minimum requirements to ensure that roll-out is standardized in Addis and in other operational areas where relevant (e.g. databases, maps, action plans, etc…)
• Ensure that EL is promoted as a key tool in programme management and strategy development through the MEAL Advisors/ Managers/ Coordinators, support field offices to prioritise EL and identify entry points.
• Promote the utilization of learning and evidence for decision making and continuous improvement of program design and implementations.
• Support the use of systems that safely and appropriately ensure accountability to children and communities with whom we work by building trusting and collaborative relationships through information sharing and two-way communication, participation, and feedback and reporting mechanisms.
•  Champion knowledge management through the development and use of platforms that store and display evidence and learning that is made accessible and actively used between countries, regions, and the Centre,
• Explore innovative opportunities to pilot approaches that are new or could expand to further areas of programming.
• Clearly sets and implement standards for ethical, adaptive, and appropriate evidence and learning systems and provides strategic and technical guidance to address systemic weaknesses in the evidence and learning framework and system.
• Champions standards and principles to reduce the risk of bias and the principles of human and child rights, ethics and gender equality in research, monitoring and evaluation.
• Champions the use of accountability data and community participation analysis to influence strategic decision-making and advocacy

System Management

•  Support HELI in leading role in planning and managing research, studies and evaluations of all the programs of the CO
• Keep track of all project evaluations and, in coordination with technical / project managers, design evaluation TORs, provide technical guidance on inception reports, provide briefings to consultants and provide logistical support to ensure evaluations happen smoothly
• Ensure high quality and systematic synthetization, dissemination (internal and external) and maintenance of research, studies and evaluation outcomes: evidence and lessons learn
• Ensure that learning is accessed and used as an integral part of programme implementation including specifically assisting projects/programs with learning components
•  As required provide training to raise awareness on the importance of learning to internal and external key stakeholders.
• Determine long-term and short-term strategic plans to achieve the objectives of the organization in the area of EL.

Programme Development

• With HELI and Hub-MEAL Advisors, feed into programme and proposal design to ensure that new programme design is based on previous learning.
• Specifically, participating in the development of Operations Research strategies for programs that call for it.
• Make sure that technical advisors have easy access to learning documents for reference purpose

Communication and Reporting

• Coordinate, collaborate and oversee best practices, success stories, lessons learned consolidation with all thematic sectors, ensure that the knowledgebase is configured appropriately for optimum accessibility and widely adopted use.
• Promote the use of technology (including the MEAL automation) and digital transformation to best utilize available evidence and learning for programme improvement and iterative course of actions as appropriate.
• Promote learning in the country office, particularly on issues of programme quality.
• Ensure effective storage of assessment, surveys and evaluations and/or organizational knowledge on the shared folders and/or other systems (such as the intranet or OneNet), and use this knowledge base to promote learning across the organisation
• Produce case studies, best practices; success stories, lessons from failures, and lessons learned for internal and external use.
• Support the thematic sectors in running their community of practices.

Other

• Be proactive in identifying and undertaking action research to test innovations, use of technologies, identifying better opportunities and approaches, and rolling out into Country Office programs.
•  Uses the MEAL Automation and monitors appropriate lessons are incorporated regularly
• Other duties as requested by the Head of Evidence, Learning and Innovation

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

§  Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values

§  Holds suppliers accountable to deliver on their responsibilities

Ambition:

§  Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and takes responsibility for their own personal development

§  Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others

§  Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Collaboration:

§  Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters

§  Values diversity and different people’s perspectives, able to work cross-culturally.

Creativity:

§  Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions

§  Cuts away bureaucracy and encourages an entrepreneurial approach

Integrity:

§  Honest, encourages openness and transparency, builds trust and confidence

§  Displays consistent excellent judgement

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

Education

• Minimum BA/BSc.; preferably a Master’s degree in relevant areas of social development or equivalent.

Experience and Skills: 

• Minimum of 10 years experience within the aid sector, working in program management, technical, and/or MEAL roles including in managerial/ leadership responsibilities, preferably linked to one of Save the Children’s priority technical sectors (Child Poverty, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Education, Health & Nutrition, Livelihoods/resilience, and WASH), and with the majority of that time focused on overseeing comprehensive MEAL systems that ensure programme effectiveness and quality.
• Understanding of both emergency/humanitarian and development contexts, with a preference for experience in both contexts.
• Demonstrated commitment to creating a learning culture
• Solid and relevant experience adhering to international quality standards (Red Cross Code of Conduct, Sphere, CHS) or equivalent.
• Ability and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies or proposal development
• Experience and knowledge of evidence generation and learning on what works (and doesn’t work) for children, including designing/commissioning, implementing and applying: needs assessments, baseline studies, evaluations and research, learning workshops, and learning agendas.
• Direct experience of working with communities in participatory activities. Experience and knowledge of systems for accountability to children and communities, including information sharing, the participation of adults and children, and feedback and reporting mechanisms. Ability to prepare and facilitate technical MEAL training and workshops across countries in the region (including remotely). Direct experience working with communities in participatory activities.
• Proven success in building and managing a team and dedication to developing staff capacity through training, supervising, coaching, and mentoring.
• Experience in securing resources from donors.
• Experience in participating in/leading organizational improvement processes.
• Skilled at communicating and influencing across relevant teams and offices.
• Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets
• Demonstrable analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in solving complex issues through analysis, defining, and planning a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in.
• Ability to present complex information clearly and concisely.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Ability and willingness to be flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure contexts, including flexibility to work with incoming emergency response teams.
• Proficiency in relevant data collection and analysis software; including both qualitative and quantitative data analysis software.
• Ability to work independently and as part of teams/groups
• Strong remote-working abilities and self-motivated.
• Willingness to travel to field sites.
• Fluency in a national language required
• Proficient in speaking and writing English.
• Commitment to Save the Children values

KEY COMPETENCIES

Technical competencies:

·  Ensures linkages across portfolio ensuring quality and coherence of MEAL systems and evidence gathering

· Manages resources and capacities to develop and maintain quality MEAL systems

·  Facilitates strategic alignment of data to global priorities

Generic Competencies

• Child Rights: Promotes an enabling environment for participation, and accountability to children

• Be the Innovator: Promotes innovation to find new and better approaches to driving progress for children

Deliver Results at Scale: Promotes a clear focus on impact in a project and programme design, management, and oversight

Generic Competencies

• Being the Voice of Children: Promotes evidence-based policy and public engagement that includes the voices of children and their communities

• Advancing Equality & Inclusion: Displays a commitment to ensuring everything we do considers the most deprived and marginalised children and adolescent
• Building & Strengthening Partnerships: Promotes working with diverse partners as critical to delivery

Child Rights: Promotes the rights of children in own work and in work with colleagues and peers

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI’s global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Gender Equality Policies, supported by relevant procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Safeguarding our Staff:

The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SC Health and Safety policies and procedures.

We offer a competitive package in the context of the sector. The duty station of the position holder will be in Addis Ababa This role is offered on the basis of national terms and conditions only.

The Organization
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realize the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.