Field Officer – MLE at Evidence Action

Evidence Action is a global nonprofit organization with an approach distinctive in international development – we exclusively scale interventions that are backed by strong evidence and can be delivered with exceptional cost-effectiveness. Our programs have grown since our founding in 2013 to reach over 515 million people globally with our interventions. We deliver high impact for every dollar spent, as recognized by GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, and Charity Navigator.

We do development differently. We take a data-driven approach to identifying, scaling, and continuously improving programs which deliver immense impact, ensuring these solutions measurably improve the lives of millions. Our Deworm the World Initiative has helped governments in Africa and Asia deliver over 1.8 billion childhood deworming treatments, improving health, education, and incomes. Dispensers for Safe Water provides sustained safe water access to over 10 million people in rural Africa, preventing childhood illness and deaths.

We drive innovation. Our Accelerator builds the next generation of exceptional programs, taking an approach most similar to a venture capital model. We are ruthless in exiting programs which do not meet our criteria; those that advance deliver outsized impact for millions of people.

We are global. Across nine countries in Africa and Asia, our 700+ people are united by a tremendous passion for our mission and impact. We are strong because of our diversity of experience, geography, and background – with over 90% of our people in the countries where our impact is focused.

We have big ambitions. Over the next decade, we’re setting our sights higher: We aim to reach over 600 million people globally to fulfill our vision of a world where hundreds of millions of people in the poorest places have better opportunities and their lives are measurably improved. We believe in bold and urgent action – because poverty doesn’t wait, and neither should we.

We need great people. Our success to date is due to the collective work of our amazing staff. To achieve our ambitious goals, we are looking for people who share our passion for evidence, cost-effectiveness, and scale. We seek individuals who take an entrepreneurial approach, enjoy tackling hard problems, and have a bias to action and results. If our vision and approach excite you as much as it does us, we invite you to join us.

Our flagship Safe Water Now (SWN) provides over 4 million people across rural Uganda, Malawi, and Kenya. Recent evidence highlights that clean water may be among the most effective interventions available to save young children’s lives, averting more than 30% of all-cause child mortality. The dispensers’ program – based on research for Nobel-winning economists – utilizes an innovative and human-centric design to deliver clean water at the source in rural settings, achieving usage rates which are 5x that of comparable interventions.
Given the tremendous benefits of safe water, Evidence Action is rapidly innovating to build the next generation of clean water interventions. We are currently scaling a next generation technology, in-line chlorination (ILC) that targets peri-urban communities in Uganda and Malawi.

Officer Field Operations is a member of the Field Operations Team and the larger Monitoring Learning Evaluations department. S/he is responsible for collecting monitoring data for the Safe Water Now program in Malawi. This is an exciting field position that enables you to interact with local community members as you collect data that informs the program to make justifiable decisions.

Duties and responsibilities

Data collection and quality

• Accurately and timely collect Safe Water Now evaluation data, through the administration of questionnaire, collection of samples, and making observations, in the areas of operation, using electronic and/or paper instruments.
• Participate in bench-testing of electronic instruments as part of training and instrument improvement process
• Timely and meaningfully support flow of information from the field to the Program Leadership by utilizing “soft feedback” tools.
• Participate in the data collection training of operation/program field staff.
• Support data flow process from the field to the office, by adhering to the data flow protocol that indicates when and how submit data

People management

• Enthusiastically provide mentorship to new staff involved in Safe Water Now data collection activities, including shadowing their work in the initial days in the field.

Stakeholder relationship

• Maintain cordial public relation with local stakeholders, including government officials and community members, through observing meaningful and respectful engagement in the course of field work.

Financial management

• Contribute towards the cost-efficiency of the organization and programs through accurate management of financial payments and expenditures in the field and at the office

Communication

• On a daily basis share insightful feedback with program leads based on field observations.
• Timely development and dissemination of adoption monitoring reports with program teams at office level.

Other

• Support data collection needs from other programs, and other duties as may be assigned by the MLE leadership.

Qualifications

•  Minimum Diploma in a social science discipline with a bias on statistics or research applications, community work, project management or equivalent. Candidates with a minimum of a certificate course in Teaching and nursing are also encouraged to apply. Candidates with an M&E background have a definite advantage

• 1-2 years’ experience working in a research environment administering surveys, working with communities or social enterprises/NGOs
• Experience using electronic data collection platforms, specifically open data kit (ODK) and survey CTO.
• High level of integrity and stewardship
• Embraces team work and aspires and supports the ideals of working in a team work environment as a team champion
• Passion to work in a rural community setting,
• Good communication skills. Ability to  communicate well within the organization and with the rural communities and local leaders. Good language skills in English and Chichewa both spoken and written.
• Basic leadership skills in managing people ,working with communities, government officers, schools and  teams
• Good computer skills and comfort to advance the skills in a dynamic data driven field.
• Must be flexible and able to travel to remote areas (mainly using motor cycles) where the Safe Water Now program operates.
• Must be a competent motor cycle rider with a valid License.

 

The position will be based at our Field Office directly reporting to the Associate, MLE while work closely with the in-country program team.

Closing date for receiving applications will be on Monday 10th June 2024 by 5pm but shortlisting will be done on rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Equal Opportunity Statement

At Evidence Action, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusivity in our workforce. We believe in creating a workplace that is free from discrimination and where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

We do not discriminate based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply for this position at Evidence Action, regardless of their background or personal characteristics. We are committed to providing a fair and inclusive recruitment process that ensures equal access and consideration for all applicants. We strive to foster an environment that embraces diversity, respects individual differences, and promotes a culture of inclusion. By embracing a diverse workforce, we believe we can better serve our mission to use evidence to improve global wellbeing.