Description
About Evidence Action
Evidence Action is a global nonprofit organization with an approach distinctive in international development – we exclusively scale interventions that are backed by strong evidence and can be delivered with exceptional cost-effectiveness. Our programs have grown since our founding in 2013 to reach over 280 million people annually. We deliver high impact for every dollar spent, as recognized by GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, and Charity Navigator.
We do development differently. We take a data-driven approach to identifying, scaling, and continuously improving programs which deliver immense impact, ensuring these solutions measurably improve the lives of millions. Our Deworm the World Initiative has helped governments in Africa and Asia deliver over 1.4 billion childhood deworming treatments, improving health, education, and incomes. Dispensers for Safe Water provides sustained safe water access to over 4 million people in rural Africa, preventing childhood illness and deaths – and this is set to more than double to 9 million people by the end of 2023.
We drive innovation: Our Accelerator builds the next generation of exceptional programs, taking an approach most similar to a venture capital model. We are ruthless in exiting programs which do not meet our criteria; those that advance deliver outsized impact for millions of people.
We are global. Across eight countries in Africa and Asia, our 400+ people are united by a tremendous passion for our mission and impact. We are strong because of our diversity of experience, geography, and background – with over 90% of our people in the countries where our impact is focused.
We have big ambitions. Our goal is to double our impact by 2024, to fulfill our vision of a world where hundreds of millions of people in the poorest places have better opportunities and their lives are measurably improved. We believe in bold and urgent action – because poverty doesn’t wait, and neither should we.
We need great people. Our success to date is due to the collective work of our amazing staff. To achieve our ambitious goals, we are looking for people who share our passion for evidence, cost-effectiveness, and scale. We seek individuals who take an entrepreneurial approach, enjoy tackling hard problems, and have a bias to action and results. If our vision and approach excite you as much as it does us, we invite you to join us.
Evidence Action’s Safe Water Program
Our flagship Dispensers for Safe Water (DSW) provides over 4 million people across rural Uganda, Malawi, and Kenya – and by the end of 2023, this will more than double to 9 million people. Recent evidence highlights that water treatment may be among the most cost-effective interventions available to save young children’s lives, reducing all-cause child mortality by about 25%.
The dispensers program – based on research for Nobel-winning economists – utilizes an innovative and human-centric design to deliver water treatment at the source in rural settings, achieving usage rates which are 5x that of comparable interventions.
Given the tremendous benefits of safe water, Evidence Action is rapidly innovating to build the next generation of water treatment interventions. We are also currently beginning to scale a new process, in-line chlorination (ILC) that targets peri-urban / urban communities in 2023 and beyond. We are also actively seeking to develop a broader portfolio of safe water interventions and are building a global Safe Water team to manage this.
The potential of these interventions is incredible, with more than 1.8 billion people using contaminated water sources, causing more than 1/3 of all diarrhea deaths globally.
About the Position
Evidence Action has received substantial funding to double the reach of the dispensers program in Malawi and Uganda and this role will support that expansion in partnership with regional and country colleagues. It will also support the on-going management of an expanded program and the scaling of ILC in Uganda and Malawi.
Thinking strategically and making linkages to other Safe Water team’s work and scopes will be critical to support the program to become stronger, more sustainable and impactful over time.
This position is based in the U.S., with a preference for the Washington, DC area.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide global support to Country and Regional teams in the delivery and management of rapidly expanding water programs in Kenya, Uganda and Malawi.
- Provide program management support through the program cycle.
- Support regional and country colleagues in the optimization of activities, driving towards greater cost effectiveness and efficiency in the management of services.
- Act as the global liaison on the dispensers for safe water program and cross functional teams such as Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, Cost Effectiveness, New Program Development.
- Lead the coordination of donor relationships for the dispensers and ILC programs – including ensuring clear, effective communication, timely reporting and stakeholder management.
- Drive greater coordination between the dispensers for safe water program and other safe water interventions in the same geographies (including ILC), ensuring synergies and efficiencies are realized.
- Support the delivery of the wider Safe Water strategy – making linkages between at scale program implementation, new country expansion and innovation and sustainability teams – being the global team expert in dispensers for safe water and ILC programing.
- Support wider organizational priorities such as communications and external relations including supporting proposal development, reporting and generating clear and thoughtful written content, compelling policy and design content for external stakeholders.
- Prioritize and coordinate support from global teams to backstop in-country activities, and ensure technical soundness of strategies.
- Identify operational bottlenecks or weaknesses, and help devise solutions to strengthen safe water programs as necessary.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required, with 5 – 7 years experience of working in diverse, global contexts.
- Demonstrable experience of increasing responsibility and leadership, strategic thinking and planning that translates into strong program results; ability to connect the dots on ideas and thinking, turning these into opportunities for the team and organization.
- Exceptional program management skills, delivered in a complex organizational structure and cross culturally (often in different time zones).
- Expertise in building and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external audiences and communicating technical information to general audiences.
- Experience managing a varied scope of work, managing multiple projects and competing priorities simultaneously.
- Experience in donor / funder management; including monitoring and reporting of activities against project goals and donor commitments, and stakeholder management to achieve program results.
- Experience in budget management and oversight, including reporting requirements as required.
- Experience with risk identification and mitigation planning at different program levels.
- Ability to work independently in unstructured settings and remotely with a decentralized team
- Alignment with core values of Evidence Action.
- Eager to join a growing team and organization in a role requiring (25%) travel.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. for the role to be based in the US. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of a U.S. employment visa at this time.
Evidence Action is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to diversity. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply.
