Organization: Search for Common Ground
Application Deadline: 12/13/2024
Region: Africa
Theme: Evaluation & Learning, Peacebuilding, Program Monitoring
Job Description:
The Strategy Alignment Team is composed of a global technical team working to enable people to effectively execute Search organizational strategy through the Common Ground Approach. We want everyone at Search to have: the systems to support their strategies; evidence that empowers everyone to make smart decisions; the resources to do their jobs effectively; space to innovate and grow to tackle challenges of the future. The Strategy Alignment Team has also developed platforms for innovation and sharing to elevate a diverse set of voices to lead in our field through ConnexUs and several communities of practice. The team is led by the Vice President of Strategy Alignment. It is global, dynamic, diverse, and engaged at multiple levels of the organization and with external partners.
The Specialist in Evidence & Learning for West Africa is also accountable with a dotted line to the Senior Regional Program Manager for West Africa, as they support implementation of strategy in coordination with the West Africa Team’s vision for program quality. The West Africa Team is a dynamic and committed team that coordinates Search for Common Ground peacebuilding in seven countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. It is a region of continuous strategic growth in a context of political and social change, including a growing desire among youth and women to participate more actively in the promotion of peace, socio-economic and political management of their countries. It is also experiencing the negative effects of climate change and pressure on resources, contributing to a fragile and unstable environment. West Africa Team’s vision includes context-appropriate and data-driven programming that is impactful and sustainable for communities’ needs and rights to peace, and adaptable to the complexity of changing conflict environments. The Specialist in Evidence & Learning plays a critical role in defining and driving key strategic opportunities and needs, supporting country programs to drive the long-term direction of their impact measurement, and supporting alignment of national, regional and global strategies.
Responsibilities
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- Individual contributor with senior-level expertise in research, program monitoring, evaluation, adaptation and learning (MEAL);
- Responsible for the adaptation and adoption of Search standards for measuring and communicating impact of West Africa programming and strategy execution.
- Strategic reflection for learning and adaptation and West Africa country strategy support;
- Assessment and feedback related to alignment with program quality standards in the West Africa region;
- Coordinate in a matrixed structure to pursue goals, standards and best practices with other teams and departments, with a focus on coordination on the the WA Program Management & Quality Capacity Building plan with program teams in West Africa to ensure access to technical support and training;
- Ensure skills development is incorporated into personal objectives and those of other staff by proactively identifying paths for growth and opportunities to build technical skills;
- Support country programs to communicate the impact of work in the West Africa Region.
Contributions
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- Provide technical leadership in strategy development, implementation and review with West Africa teams and departments, seeking alignment with the organizational strategy;
- Set technical objectives in coordination with regional and country program leads that support our standards, and participate in planning to ensure Strategy Department annual objectives are relevant for organizational needs;
- Provide technical leadership in reflection on strategy, and implement action plans to address bottlenecks to performance;
- Articulate priorities for staff performance in technical areas of expertise, and share input with teams setting objectives for staff;
- Guide teams to ensure they increasingly produce learning documents (research, MEAL, and best practices) that uphold Search standards for assessing program impact and building evidence, and provide review and approval for necessary documents;
- Lead teams to produce research and analysis that contributes evidence to the broader field in line with our learning agenda and global standards for assessing impact;
- Engage in program and strategy development, leading and reviewing drafts, with a focus on feeding evidence and lessons learned back into programmatic design;
- Use opportunities within the portfolio to provide technical support, resources and training that improve program quality and impact in line with the goals of the organization;
- Develop initiatives that support staff to build skills within networks of technical expertise in the organization, in line with team priorities;
- Serve as a leader within technical networks to channel Search learning back into programming, serve as a focal point of technical expertise with external groups, and position Search as field leaders affecting policy and practice globally;
- Ensure staff build professional skills within the organization’s learning platform and lead development of relevant training and resources for technical growth;
- Develop curricula for staff training in technical area of expertise in alignment with the paths for professional development in the organization.
Type and Nature of Contacts
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- Routinely coordinates with colleagues, country programs and consultants remotely, on-site and in the field and resolves problem situations with tact.
- Represents, as assigned, selected programs or projects and other organizations, including donors, vendors, and international and local partners.
- Interacts with country offices and regional and global staff.
Education and Experience
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- Master’s degree with minimum of 9 years’ experience in research and MEAL, including implementing organizational initiatives.
- English and French (mandatory) – Additional languages used in the West Africa Region are an added benefit.
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements
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- Usual office environment conditions; ability to travel internationally at least 35%.
Supervisory and Budget Responsibility
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- Individual contributors and typically do not supervise staff members directly, though there is a dotted line to this role for research and MEL staff in the West Africa region.