Evaluation and Learning Officer (PF)

The David & Lucile Packard Foundation; Los Altos (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The David & Lucile Packard Foundation in Los Altos, CA seeks an Evaluation and Learning Officer to join the Evaluation and Learning Team. The role partners across programs to advance strategy, measurement, and learning, strengthening MEL practices across all activities.

Based in Los Altos with domestic and international travel, the ELO will report to the Evaluation and Learning Director and serve as a thought partner for Population and Reproductive Health, Climate, and Mission Investing.

Qualifications

• Candidates must have eight years of experience leading strategy, measurement and evaluation in the nonprofit, government, academic, or private sector.
• Well-versed in a variety of qualitative and quantitative evaluation techniques.
• Intellectual curiosity and strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a thought partner to multiple Foundation programs (Population and Reproductive Health, Climate, and Mission Investing).
• Strengthen the Foundation’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) practice across all program areas.
• Travel domestically and internationally as part of the role.
• Report to the Evaluation and Learning Director and contribute to strategic learning initiatives.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Critical thinking

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Leadership

Team motivation

Strategic thinking

Job description

We are a family foundation guided by the enduring business philosophy and personal values of Lucile and David Packard, who helped found one of the world’s leading technology companies. The David & Lucile Packard Foundation is guided by the core values of integrity, respect for all people, belief in individual leadership, commitment to effectiveness, and the capacity to think big.

The Evaluation and Learning Team

Our Evaluation and Learning Team (E&L Team) strives to stay on the leading edge of monitoring, evaluation, and learning methodologies to ensure strategies for each of the Foundation’s 23 subprograms and their impacts are effectively evaluated and aligned with our mission, values, and goals.

Our monitoring, evaluation, and learning work is guided by five principles:

• Continuously Learn and Adapt
• Learn in Partnership
• Use a Variety of Information
• Cultivate Inquiry
• Share Learning to Increase Impact

The Opportunity

The Foundation is adding another Evaluation and Learning Officer (ELO) to our dynamic E&L Team. The new ELO will join the Foundation during a period of significant growth in funding and support to our grantees and will have the opportunity to help shape and guide the trajectory of the Foundation’s evaluation and learning work.

Reporting to the Evaluation and Learning Director, the new ELO will have the opportunity to use their technical expertise from the field of strategy, evaluation, and learning to act as a thought partner to the Population and Reproductive Health program (50% of role), Climate program (20%), and the Mission Investing team (15%). The new ELO will spend the remaining 15% of their time supporting Foundation-wide evaluation and learning initiatives. The new ELO will play a pivotal role on the E&L Team in strengthening the Foundation’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) practice across all program areas.

Candidates must have a minimum of eight years of experience leading strategy, measurement and evaluation, and promoting ongoing learning and adaptive management in the nonprofit, government, academic, or private sector. Candidates must be well-versed in using a variety of qualitative and quantitative evaluation techniques.

Intellectual curiosity, strong analytical and critical thinking skills, and the ability to balance multiple, often competing priorities is required. Candidates should also possess exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, as well as a demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and inspire teams.

Experience working at organizations as a grant recipient is helpful. A knowledge or deep interest in current issues in population and reproductive health, climate science, and/or mission investing is essential to success in this role.

The ELO will be based in Los Altos, California and will travel both domestically and internationally. On the ground work experience in geographies where the Foundation invests is valuable.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation values diversity as an asset essential to accomplishing our work and views diversity as including differences in race and gender, as well as age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, job skills, education, and geographic location. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply.