DEPP Research, Evaluation and Learning Director

About The Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS): CEPPS is a co-equal, legal joint venture established in 1995 between the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Currently, CEPPS is the holder of the Democratic Elections and Political Process (DEPP) Global Elections and Political Transitions (GEPT) leader with associates award (LWA) from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and has held similar awards since its creation. Over the past 27 years, more than $1.0 billion of funding has been awarded to CEPPS for programs in more than 60 countries. Through the DEPP mechanism, CEPPS works to empower local partners to build resilient government institutions, political parties, and electoral processes in fragile states and developing democracies.

APPLICATION AND HIRING INFORMATION
While the successful candidate will work on behalf of CEPPS, it will be hired by IFES.  All applications will be submitted to IFES at the link provided below.  The review of applications and the interview process will be conducted jointly by the CEPPS partners. 
 

PRIMARY FUNCTION/PURPOSE: 
The REL Director will lead a team of four technical experts, as well as coordinate with monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) staff across the CEPPS partner institutions, to design and implement a cohesive REL function within CEPPS programming. The REL function will generate and uses evidence from CEPPS MEL practices to as part of a cohesive Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) approach that informs program design and implementation, as well as technical leadership under CEPPS. The REL Director will work with other technical experts on the CEPPS team to ensure that research and technical leadership is directed in a systematic manner through a DEPP Learning Agenda, and that key learnings from research and technical leadership initiatives, as well as project implementation, inform project design and implementation under DEPP.

The REL Director will report to the CEPPS Managing Director and is also expected to work closely with the CEPPS Senior Administrative Director, CEPPS technical experts, and CEPPS administrative staff. The REL Director will directly oversee the work of the CEPPS Knowledge Management Advisor, the CEPPS M&E Manager, the CEPPS Database Analyst, and indirectly oversee the work of the CEPPS Database Administrator.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The REL Director will work under the direction of the CEPPS Managing Director to undertake the following key duties and responsibilities:

• Establish a robust Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL) practice in CEPPS that leverages MEL data to inform program implementation and technical leadership under the DEPP mechanism
• Develop an inclusive and collaborative process to design a DEPP Learning Agenda that is responsive to emerging needs in the DRG sector, and identifies research and technical leadership initiatives that address these needs
  • Engage key stakeholders including CEPSP partner D-Arch and other CEPPS STPs to assess the DRG evidence landscape, including the evidence gap maps on USAID/DRG’s Learning, Evaluation, and Analysis Platform, to inform development and continual updating of the DEPP Learning Agenda
• Working with key CEPPS and CEPPS partner staff, establish a process to monitor and report on implementation of the Learning Agenda, with a particular focus on communicating key learnings from the agenda to CEPPS staff, USAID, and the DRG community
• In collaboration with the Knowledge Management Advisor, develop and implement a systematic CLA process that synthesizes data from program learning, data from program monitoring, and program evaluations/assessments to generate learning at the DEPP mechanism level
  • Lead semiannual reflections for CEPPS staff and partners to foster peer-to-peer learning and collaboration among and between them, including sharing best practices and lessons learned that advance effective programming
  • Identify key learning takeaways from program implementation that can be shared internally through CEPPS communications platforms on a quarterly basis
  • Fine-tune and sensitize CEPPS staff to project-based CLA practices that foster collaborative learning and adaptation practices during program implementation; oversee KM Advisor in monitoring project-based CLA
• Oversee the continued implementation and maintenance of the DEPP Program Indicators Database
  • Collaborate with the CEPPS Database Analyst and Database Administrator to identify ways in which data from the database can be used for trends tracking and other mechanism-level reporting that support CLA efforts under DEPP
  • Develop public communications products that leverage data from the database, and provide data-based insights into DRG processes and practices
• Ensure continued implementation and, as needed, fine-tuning of MEL practices to provide evidence that can be used to monitor, evaluate, and report on project implementation under DEPP
  • Work with the CEPPS M&E Manager to oversee the implementation of CEPPS M&E policies at the project level, to include use of core DEPP indicators and context analysis indicators from the V-Dem dataset, and appropriate use of baseline assessments and project evaluations to guide adaptive management practices under DEPP
  • Collaborate with DEPP partners, primarily D-Arch, to establish risk and context indicators that can be used throughout DEPP programming
  • Oversee use of complexity-aware monitoring approaches to ensure that DEPP programming can effectively adapt to challenging programming environments
• Work with the CEPPS Communications team and CEPPS management to develop communications products that highlight DEPP-generated learnings that inform the funder and the DRG community of effective programming practices and approaches
• Represent CEPPS at academic and practitioner events to highlight CEPPS approaches to key issues impacting DRG programming, as well as to highlight findings from CEPPS research and technical leadership
• Engage with academia, donors, and other key stakeholders to keep up-to-date on emerging MEL thinking and to communicate key aspects of CEPPS’ REL practice.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS 
Education:  Master’s degree or higher in political science, international relations, or related field.

Experience: Minimum of 12-15 years experience in the design and implementation of research and MEL systems to inform programmatic and strategic decision-making, including management of research and learning agendas. Experience in the DRG field is preferred, but not required.

TECHNICAL SKILLS: Experience using data analysis software such as SPSS or Stata is preferred, but not required.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluency in English required.  Fluency in other languages, such as Spanish, French, Arabic, or sign language, is preferred but not required.

TRAVEL: Some travel to CEPPS field offices will be expected as part of this position. Travel for conferences or other professional engagements is also anticipated.

WHAT WE OFFER:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Monthly Benefit Allowance paid directly to all employees
• Employer paid life and AD&D insurance at 3x base salary
• 401(k) retirement plan with 1:1 employer match up to 6%
• Employer paid Short and Long-Term Disability insurance
• Generous vacation (starting at 3 weeks and increasing with time of service), sick leave, and personal leave
• 11 Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Assistance Program