Job Type: Permanent
Reference: EMC/CB/
Country: United Kingdom
Location: Oxford & Hybrid Working
Closing Date: 17/Feb/2023
Primary Purpose/key objectives of the job
- The primary purpose of this position is to be the expertise lead on MEL, Impact Evaluation for the Climate, Resilience and Sustainability Practice – providing strategic leadership, setting the strategic direction, and providing technical support across the Practice, working across sectors to deliver impact, lead projects and develop new business.
- The role will collaborate with other Practices (particularly the M&E Systems unit) to support and strengthen OPM’s reputation, expertise and skills in MEL and Impact Evaluation and to represent OPM externally, developing external relationships to the benefit of OPM.
- The role will provide technicalexpertise across a range of MEL/Impact Evaluation and ideally VfM methods and be able to select and use evaluation methods that are appropriate to the climate change and resilience space, reflecting inherent uncertainties, complexity, and change. In particular, the postholder will strengthen OPM’s knowledge, internal learning and, scope business opportunities and strengthening OPM’s reputation.
- The role will provide strategic direction and leadership to projects on MEL, Impact Evaluation and ideally VfM in close consultation with the Project Director, Team Leader and other programme staff.
- The role will require technical, team, and programme leadership experience, being able to problem solve independently, building relationships with clients and developing an external profile within a wider community of practice, identifying opportunities and leading tenders to win quality, impactful work, building a future pipeline of relevant work.
- Lead project teams, and advise and support more junior staff, to deliver high quality work and strengthen the performance of others.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Develop, lead and promote OPM’s work on MEL, Impact Evaluation, and VfM to build future work, deliver existing projects and programmes, and contribute to OPM’s internal learning.
- Lead and deliver technical work on MEL/Impact Evaluation and ideally VfM across the Practice and provide technical support to others. This could involve research, facilitating workshops, providing capacity training, managing relationships with government partners, analysing data, evaluation and learning, report writing and presentations
- Represent OPM externally, manage relationships, network and provide advice externally on MEL and Impact Evaluation.
- Oversee and manage teams of technical experts working on projects (OPM, consortium and external consultant inputs), achievement of financial targets and client reporting. You will do this in collaboration with other senior members of the team, such as project directors.
- Contribute to problem solving around project delivery by developing new or improved approaches. Ensure teams are supported in dealing with such issues, share learnings and ideas for the overall benefit of the project and portfolio, e.g. conducting learning workshops to reflect on programme implementation
- Ensure that programme inputs and deliverables are defined and delivered on time and to quality standards, providing everyday support to Team Leader and Project Director. You will also ensure effective use of OPM administrative, HR, legal and finance support staff.
- Coordinate activities of internal and external programme members, with a mentoring role in in area of expertise for more junior staff.
- Be an integral part of the Climate, Sustainability and Resilience Practice, and engage across other relevant OPM teams to define, develop and deliver opportunity pipelines for key clients in line with portfolio acquisition and diversification targets. This will range across identifying opportunities, pre-positioning, partnership development, bid writing and submission, ensuring a distinctive offer to provide substantial positive impact of our work for poor and marginalised people.
- Build upon existing strong external networks by identifying and building relationships with key external organisations, associates and external consultants that share our values and complement our skills in MEL, building up our database and linking to other relevant Practices.
Key skills and experience:
- A Master’s or other post-graduate University qualification in relevant discipline
- Substantial relevant work experience in MEL, Impact Evaluation ideally with experience of;
- complexity-sensitive evaluations
- adaptive programming
- monitoring & evaluation of ongoing programs
- theory-based evaluation (contribution analysis, process tracing, realist approach) and ideally developmental evaluation
- quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods
- quantitative and qualitative data collection skills including stakeholder engagement, key informant interviews, household socio-economic questionnaires, rapid rural appraisal methods
- participatory systems mapping
- Experience applying monitoring and evaluation to one or more of the following sectoral areas; natural resource management, sustainable land use, biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, water security, climate adaptation, low carbon development, urban resilience, green growth, along with willingness to work on others.
- Ideally with experience of developing VfM strategies / frameworks and integrating VfM into programme life cycles, with experience ideally of; a cost-effectiveness analysis
- Experience in externally representing your specialist area with partners, donors and with other external experts.
- Experience in the development of project plans, priorities and processes to achieve its objectives, including managing budgets, resources and risk management.
- Demonstrated leadership skills, with experience in mentoring or managing staff, ability to manage time effectively in a busy environment.
- Sound decision making skills, experienced in evaluating technical and commercial information to provide clear direction on projects in line with the portfolio’s objectives.
- Strong bidding and proposal management skills, which includes proven ability in actively prepositioning for strategically important and impactful projects and developing clear strategy for submitting winning bids.
- Work experience in developing and emerging markets, ideally within a consulting firm, NGO, think-tank, multilateral or government agency.
Personal attributes:
- Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and clients, verbally and in writing
- Excellent problem solving, organising and management skills
- Switches comfortably between attention to detail and bigger picture, joined up thinking and approach to providing solutions
- Good at prioritising changing and competing demands and tasks, while consistently delivering quality work
- Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills; collaborative and constructive approach to working with others, building effective relationships internally and externally
If you feel you meet the criteria above, we would love to receive an application from you. Please apply on the Career Portal page. We reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date, should we find the ideal candidate. Early Application is therefore essential.
