Evidence Action scales proven interventions that improve the lives of millions. We only implement cost-effective programs whose efficacy is backed by substantial rigorous evidence. We identify innovative, appropriate financing mechanisms and build best-practice operational models. We voraciously self-evaluate, learn, and improve our models for scaling effect...

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(Senior) Director, Global Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

How you’ll make an impact

Lead organizational MLE strategy

Own and drive Evidence Action's approach to evaluation for early stage programs, including design and oversight of major evaluations for pilots and quality assurance of evaluation methodology and findings. As programs transition to scale, ensure early stage MLE findings inform at-scale MLE, in coordination with the Director.

Provide strategic oversight of at-scale program MLE through management of the Director, ensuring alignment between at-scale program MLE and the broader MLE function strategy.

Lead the MLE Review process, driving organizational learning from findings and ensuring recommendations inform function-wide improvements, including function-level quality assurance standards.

Develop and maintain centralized MLE systems for sharing, tracking, and applying evidence internally and externally, including at the regional level.

Lead the development of Evidence Action's learning agenda, identifying the highest-value learning questions across the program portfolio and ensuring findings inform program design and organizational decision-making.

Provide strategic MLE oversight for , ensuring MLE is embedded from the earliest stages and assess how best to resource and structure this work within the MLE Function.

Identify and address cross-program MLE blind spots and systemic risks, translating complex challenges into clear diagnoses and actionable recommendations for senior leadership.

Champion the strategic use of data, technology, and AI to strengthen MLE and organizational decision-making.

Serve as the primary senior point of contact for regional MLE leaders on function-wide coordination, ways of working, and structural challenges, working to strengthen the overall MLE function across global and regional teams.

Provide senior external and organizational leadership

Serve as a senior thought leader and external champion for Evidence Action’s MLE Function with donors, board members, government partners, and peer organizations.

Oversee the approach to external reviewers, vendors, and consultants across the MLE Function, critically evaluating their recommendations while maintaining strong, constructive relationships, and working in close coordination with the MLE leaders on external partnerships they are responsible for.

Partner closely with Cost-Effectiveness and other internal evidence functions to ensure coherence across Evidence Action's evidence approach.

Lead board and donor level communications on MLE progress, methodology, and organizational learning.

Lead and develop the Global MLE Function

Provide direction and leadership to the MLE team, including direct management of a Director, who leads at-scale program MLE and team management.

Set strategic direction and priorities for the team and help foster a high-performing team culture.

Develop team members' capabilities and build a platform for ongoing professional growth.

Oversee the Global MLE budget, maintaining visibility across global and regional MLE teams and making resourcing recommendations aligned to organizational priorities.

Collaborate with program and organizational leadership to plan resources, recruit for strategic bandwidth within the MLE team, and develop a sustainable resourcing model and long-term structural vision for the MLE Function.

You may be a good fit if you have

10+ years of progressive experience in monitoring, learning, and evaluation in a global development context.

Experience should also include direct program implementation and technical assistance to governments, with 5+ years, ideally in a senior leadership role within a matrixed organization. In field experience is highly desirable.

PhD or a comparable mix of advanced training and high-end technical experience in a relevant field (economics, statistics, public health, social science, or related).

Technical experience: Expertise in program evaluation design and methodology; including impact evaluations, process evaluations, and mixed-methods approaches with real-world experience managing large-scale evaluations from design through dissemination.

People Leadership: Demonstrates a track record of developing Directors or senior leaders and strengthening leadership bench capacity. Successfully provided strategic direction to senior technical leads, set performance benchmarks, while empowering their domain ownership.

Thought Leadership: Brings established networks across the MLE and leadership communities of peer and partner organizations, including philanthropies, evidence-driven implementation organizations in our regions, and government stakeholders. Has a track record of external thought leadership through publications, conference presentations, or similar platforms.

Action Oriented: Demonstrates a clear orientation toward implementation over theory. Experience within leading evidence-driven organizations, across global health, development, or social sectors, is prioritized, reflecting our commitment to teams that can move from evidence to action.

Transformation and Ambiguity: Embraces ambiguity to make transformational changes we need. They are an Engine 2 thinker; focused on innovating for tomorrow’s needs, exploring new markets, and taking bold risks while communicating trade offs.

Technical Communication: Can switch communication styles between external and internal MLE specialists, donors, board, and non-technical audiences to have effective conversions and drive decisions.

Position Location

We prefer this role to be based in Nairobi, Kenya, Lagos, Nigeria, or New Delhi, India. However, this role location could be flexible.

• Lead organizational MLE strategy
• Own and drive Evidence Action's approach to evaluation for early stage programs, including design and oversight of major evaluations for pilots and quality assurance of evaluation methodology and findings.
• Provide strategic oversight of at-scale program MLE through management of the Director, ensuring alignment between at-scale program MLE and the broader MLE function strategy.
• Lead the MLE Review process, driving organizational learning from findings and ensuring recommendations inform function-wide improvements, including function-level quality assurance standards.
• Develop and maintain centralized MLE systems for sharing, tracking, and applying evidence internally and externally, including at the regional level.
• Lead the development of Evidence Action's learning agenda, identifying the highest-value learning questions across the program portfolio and ensuring findings inform program design and organizational decision-making.
• Provide strategic MLE oversight for , ensuring MLE is embedded from the earliest stages and assess how best to resource and structure this work within the MLE Function.
• Identify and address cross-program MLE blind spots and systemic risks, translating complex challenges into clear diagnoses and actionable recommendations for senior leadership.
• Champion the strategic use of data, technology, and AI to strengthen MLE and organizational decision-making.
• Serve as the primary senior point of contact for regional MLE leaders on function-wide coordination, ways of working, and structural challenges, working to strengthen the overall MLE function across global and regional teams.
• Serve as a senior thought leader and external champion for Evidence Action’s MLE Function with donors, board members, government partners, and peer organizations.
• Oversee the approach to external reviewers, vendors, and consultants across the MLE Function, critically evaluating their recommendations while maintaining strong, constructive relationships, and working in close coordination with the MLE leaders on external partnerships they are responsible for.
• Partner closely with Cost-Effectiveness and other internal evidence functions to ensure coherence across Evidence Action's evidence approach.
• Lead board and donor level communications on MLE progress, methodology, and organizational learning.
• Provide direction and leadership to the MLE team, including direct management of a Director, who leads at-scale program MLE and team management.
• Set strategic direction and priorities for the team and help foster a high-performing team culture.
• Develop team members' capabilities and build a platform for ongoing professional growth.
• Oversee the Global MLE budget, maintaining visibility across global and regional MLE teams and making resourcing recommendations aligned to organizational priorities.
• Collaborate with program and organizational leadership to plan resources, recruit for strategic bandwidth within the MLE team, and develop a sustainable resourcing model and long-term structural vision for the MLE Function.

• Expertise in program evaluation design and methodology; including impact evaluations, process evaluations, and mixed-methods approaches with real-world experience managing large-scale evaluations from design through dissemination.
• Demonstrates a track record of developing Directors or senior leaders and strengthening leadership bench capacity.
• Brings established networks across the MLE and leadership communities of peer and partner organizations, including philanthropies, evidence-driven implementation organizations in our regions, and government stakeholders.
• Has a track record of external thought leadership through publications, conference presentations, or similar platforms.
• Demonstrates a clear orientation toward implementation over theory.
• Embraces ambiguity to make transformational changes we need.
• Can switch communication styles between external and internal MLE specialists, donors, board, and non-technical audiences to have effective conversions and drive decisions.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in monitoring, learning, and evaluation in a global development context.
• Experience should also include direct program implementation and technical assistance to governments, with 5+ years, ideally in a senior leadership role within a matrixed organization.
• PhD or a comparable mix of advanced training and high-end technical experience in a relevant field (economics, statistics, public health, social science, or related).