Head Of Research, Reflection & Evaluating (Hybrid / Remote)

Datafin; Johannesburg; Remote; ZAR 850 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative community upliftment programme in Johannesburg seeks a Head of Research to lead and manage knowledge sharing and evaluation initiatives. The ideal candidate must have at least 8 years of relevant experience, including 4 in senior roles, and a strong background in social impact programmes. A Masters Degree is required, and a PhD is preferred. This role offers an opportunity to shape research practices and drive impactful evaluations.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in complex contexts.
• At least 4 years in senior roles leading functions.
• Experience in social impact initiatives is essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop knowledge-sharing approaches for initiatives.
• Manage and design research and evaluation programmes.
• Create and maintain partnerships for effective practices.

Skills

Social impact initiatives

M&E / MEL / MERL approaches

Project management

Research methodologies

People-centered approaches

Education

Masters Degree or equivalent

PhD (preferable)

Tools

Developmental evaluation tools

Job description

Overview

ENVIRONMENT: LEAD research programmes & projects in a relatively new and exciting Innovation & Learning portfolio as the next Head of Research, Reflection & Evaluating sought by a Community Upliftment Programme based in Johannesburg.

You will explore and seek new knowledge and introducing what's valuable to the programme appropriately, manage research & evaluation assets while designing appropriate (often mixed methods) approaches and adapting these over time.

Applicants will require a Masters Degree or equivalent with relevant experience, preferably PhD with practical experience with at least 8 years' relevant and diverse experience in complex organisational-systemic contexts incl.

4 years in senior role(s) successfully leading functions and managing teams.

You must also have experience of social impact initiatives, programmes and / or organisations, thoughtful familiarity with M&E / MEL / MERL approaches and practices & a track record of, and strong appetite for, seeing patterns and building coherence amid complexity.

Duties

Leading and developing approach(es) to identifying, creating, nurturing and sharing knowledge (know-how & know-that) for use across the network and ecosystem –

Explore and seek new knowledge and introducing what's valuable to the programme appropriately.

Collaboratively question key assumptions.

Collaboratively identify, create, and package knowledge for use & sharing –

Lead an asset-based orientation to knowledge.

Create, distil and / or package knowledge from people's experience and expertise, with an orientation towards people's agency & diversity, and "positive deviance".

Co-create the network-wide conditions for more deeply reflective practice and evaluative thinking (with the rest of the Innovation & Learning portfolio) -

Reflective practice: asking questions & questioning assumptions about one's own work and ways of working (standing on the balcony outside the dance, double loop learning, reflexivity, etc.).

Evaluative thinking: "an attitude of inquisitiveness and a belief in the value of evidence"...

Leading and developing approach(es) to researching and evaluating –

Lead and manage an iterative, multi-question, multi-year agenda focused on use / utilisation.

Build wider understanding across the programme of the nature and value of questioning, researching & evaluating — incl.

evaluating as integral to practice; and research as informed by & informing practice.

Lead the programme using research in evaluating and using both in learning.

Build and sustain research-practice partnerships to realise the programme's approach.

Manage research & evaluation assets.

Researching: Curiously and creatively formulate, prioritise, and inquire into questions with appropriate discipline(s) and diligence — yielding conclusions and new questions.

Evaluating: "Any systematic process to judge merit, worth or significance by combining evidence and values".

More specifically: "Evaluation science is systematic inquiry into how, and how well, interventions aimed at changing the world work."

Leading scoping, designing and managing research and evaluation programmes and projects –

Design appropriate (often mixed methods) approaches and adapting these over time.

Develop appropriate terms of reference and requests for proposal for independent evaluations.

Lead and manage research and / or evaluation programmes and / or projects.

Conduct research and / or evaluations.

Requirements

Qualifications –

Minimum Masters Degree or equivalent with relevant experience; preferably PhD with practical experience.

Experience / Skills –

Min. 8 years' relevant and diverse experience in complex organisational-systemic contexts incl.

Min. 4 years in senior role(s) successfully leading functions and managing teams.

Experience of social impact initiatives, programmes and / or organisations.

Comfort and confidence leading sophisticated research and evaluations.

People-and-user-centered approaches to research and evaluating.

Thoughtful familiarity with M&E / MEL / MERL approaches and practices.

A track record of, and strong appetite for, seeing patterns and building coherence amid complexity.

Advantageous –

Fluency in one or more African languages.

Proficiency in / with –

Tools suited to relevant research methods.

Developmental evaluation.