Associate Director – Right-Fit Evidence Unit

About the role

Innovations for Poverty Action’s Right‑Fit Evidence (RFE) Unit is seeking an Associate Director to lead a portfolio of evidence‑and‑learning advisory engagements for funders, implementers and governments. The role combines client‑facing advisory work, team leadership and contribution to the unit’s strategy and public presence.

Key responsibilities

• Lead delivery of 3‑5 concurrent advisory engagements (65‑75% of time), designing learning strategies, M&E systems and evidence‑to‑decision processes across sectors such as education, health, agriculture and finance.
• Facilitate workshops on theory of change, learning plan design and produce written advisory deliverables.
• Provide technical assistance for learning plans, cost‑effectiveness analyses, A/B testing and strengthen MEL capabilities.
• Manage and mentor project managers and advisors, supporting their professional development.
• Develop new business opportunities, engage with funders and represent RFE at conferences (15‑20% of time).
• Contribute to RFE’s strategic planning, thought leadership and innovation of methodological products (10‑15% of time).

Required profile

• Master’s degree in international public policy, development economics or related field; PhD or MBA welcomed.
• Minimum 7 years of experience managing complex advisory engagements, business development and shaping organisational strategy.
• Proven analytical and quantitative problem‑solving skills with experience translating business questions into analytical frameworks.
• Extensive experience designing and managing evidence, learning, monitoring and evaluation systems in low‑ and middle‑income countries.
• Strong stakeholder management, client‑facing communication and ability to present insights clearly.
• Willingness to travel up to 20 % of the time and work in a hybrid environment.

Required skills

• Quantitative methods and data analysis.
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) frameworks.
• Cost‑effectiveness analysis, A/B testing.
• Familiarity with M&E technology tools (e.g., SurveyCTO, ODK, Power BI, Tableau, SQL).
• English fluency (verbal and written).