Research and Evidence Manager in Save the Children

Save the Children International is a humanitarian organization with more than 100 years of history. Save the Children was founded in May 1919 in London.

SCI has been working in Ukraine since 2014. It started its work in the Donetsk region. Currently, SCI is expanding its activities to eight cities of Ukraine.

We work in the areas of education, child protection, overcoming child poverty, and also conduct advocacy activities related to the protection of children's rights.

ROLE OBJECTIVE: 

Save the Children in Ukraine aims to develop its research, evidence base and learning ambitions and become a learning organisation. In collaboration with/under the direction of the MEAL Director, maximize the collection and use of strategic evidence. Will lead the development of strategic partnerships with national and international research organizations and institutions. The candidate will provide technical leadership for research and evidence gathering in line with the overall training program and ensure the use of evidence for training, advocacy and communication, new business development and fundraising. The candidate will work to share best research/evaluations and analysis of monitoring data to inform best practices in teaching and course correction in the region.

Main responsibilities:

Strategic research and evidence generation

• Lead the work to identify strategic opportunities for key research aimed at filling gaps in strategic data and knowledge, as well as strengthening thematic programs and advocacy activities in the country through the implementation of the Training Program.
• Provide support to head office to ensure that Theory of Change is central to the creation and use of the evidence base to inform innovation, scale-up of interventions, partnerships, quality and advocacy.
• Coordinate research initiatives related to with strategic priorities, in order to obtain evidence and knowledge, ensure its use in policy, development discourse and the development of new projects/programmes.
• Work closely with the new business development team to support them in the development of proposals, providing the necessary context and updating needs from both external and internal resources.
• Develop and review a country training program together with an action plan that identifies key research and evaluation initiatives to address knowledge gaps and information.

Coordination of humanitarian assessments

• Lead and oversee the initial needs assessment in the event of a rapid emergency.
• Support the humanitarian team on preparedness and data collection for early warning systems.
• Lead the conduct of the needs assessment based on the Terms of Reference on conducting research, analysis and evaluation of SCI Ukraine and decision trees.

Learning and reflection based on actual data

< li>Collaborate with the MEAL Leader to develop a culture of learning that is guided by the Response Plan, initiatives, Framework Program Outcomes, thematic/sectoral learning programs, while encouraging space for innovation and innovative project development based on evidence and research.
• Create effective forums for reflection, learning and sharing of experiences at the country, regional and cross-team levels.
• Ensure systematic and continuous use of data to identify gaps, emerging trends, course corrections and implementation decisions on based on this data (within and across programs/functional areas).
• Conduct rigorous analysis of data generated by program and research initiatives in a form that is understandable to decision makers, program strategy developers, and Asset Management Steering Committee team.
• Prepare quarterly reports based on the activity tracking system and ensure they are updated by MEAL regional teams.
• Oversee training workshops and ensure their results are captured in training log and communicated to the relevant team in the country.
• Supporting the relevant program and MEAL team in the development of an Action Plan based on the recommendations of the evaluation with a clear division of responsibilities for action and monitoring.

To be successful, you must have: 

• At least 3 years of experience in social research, impact evaluation, leadership/oversight of baseline/endpoints, knowledge management and knowledge translation.
• Experience in more than one of priority sectors of Save the Children: education, child protection, child rights management, child poverty, health care and nutrition (preferred)
• Previous work experience in Ukraine or in a similar context or the ability to conduct qualitative research in limited resources
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills
• Passion for developing evidence-based development programs and interest in current international research
• Demonstrated excellent skills in developing and conducting qualitative and quantitative research, and using research findings for program development and advocacy, including demonstrated success in the ability to effectively and persuasively present ideas andconcepts.
• Demonstrated experience in developing or overseeing data management solutions and familiarity with social research technologies.
• Proficient analytical skills, including the ability to extract useful insights from a wealth of data, 'relate findings to external factors and context, and identify patterns of findings that are useful, understand the complexities of social research, particularly as it relates to child rights violations.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, including experience use of data analysis software such as SPSS, STATA, INVIVO etc.
• Effective collaboration and influence across departments and sectors
• Excellent training, capacity building, coaching and mentoring skills< /li>
• Excellent research/evaluation project management skills, including demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage projects and multi-task with a focus on results and deadlines.
• Ability and willingness to radically change work practices and work schedule, and work with new teams in emergency situations
• Commitment to and understanding of the goals, values ​​and principles of Save the Children, including human rights-based approaches.
• Flexible proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Significant experience with MEAL approaches (preferred)
• Significant experience in conducting research and quantitative/qualitative research.

We offer:

• Official employment
• International working conditions
• Working day from 9 to 17 hours
• Medical insurance
• Foreign language courses at the expense of the organization

Child Protection Policy:

We must ensure the safety of children, so our selection process involves rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to protecting children from abuse.

Health and Safety:

All employees are expected to comply with our global anti-harassment policy.

If you are interested in the vacancy, we are waiting for your feedback. A resume in English will be an advantage during consideration. Also, we will be grateful if you indicate the expected salary level and the level English proficiency

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
SCI is committed to creating a truly inclusive, effective and representative organizational culture, encouraging fairnessand diversity among its employees and eliminating illegal discrimination.

Willing to hire an employee with a disability .
All employees are expected to comply with our global anti-harassment policy.

If you are interested in the vacancy, we are waiting for your feedback. A resume in English will be an advantage during consideration. Also, we will be grateful if you indicate the expected salary level and the level of English language proficiency.