Senior Director Of Research and Learning

Key Responsibilities:

Research and Development

●       Develop Village Enterprise's broader research and learning strategy, ensuring the organization's research agenda remains relevant and aligned with the evolving evidence landscape in the poverty graduation and livelihoods sector.

●       Proactively identify opportunities to elevate Village Enterprise's research profile through publications, conference presentations, policy briefs, and partnerships with leading academic and research institutions.

●       Develop and execute a research communications strategy that translates Village Enterprise's evidence base into compelling narratives for donors, policymakers, and peer organizations.

●       Build and maintain relationships with academic, research, and policy networks to keep Village Enterprise at the forefront of the field and strengthen its reputation as a thought leader.

●       Liaise with the communications and fundraising teams to ensure research findings are packaged and disseminated in ways that support both programmatic learning and external positioning.

Knowledge Management

●       Develop and implement Village Enterprise's knowledge management strategy, ensuring that research findings, program learning, and organizational knowledge are captured, organized, and accessible.

●       Establish and oversee a centralized knowledge hub for research, evaluations, tools, case studies, technical resources, and organizational learning.

●       Facilitate the integration of research findings, program learning, and best practices into organizational strategy, program design, and decision-making.

●       Work closely with Programs, MEL, Technical Assistance, Government Engagement, and Communications teams to identify, document, and disseminate key lessons and evidence.

●       Develop knowledge products, including learning briefs, case studies, technical notes, and evidence summaries for internal and external audiences.

●       Promote a culture of learning and knowledge sharing across the organization through training, workshops, and learning events.

●       Support Village Enterprise's thought leadership by ensuring evidence and learning are effectively shared with donors, governments, partners, and the broader development community.

Thought leadership

●       Serve as the primary liaison for all external research partnerships, including academic institutions, evaluation firms, and research consultants.

●       Ensure that all research conducted aligns with Village Enterprise’s strategic objectives and feeds into the organization’s key evidence gaps to inform programming.

●       Ensure that all research complies with ethical standards and obtain ethical approvals as necessary.

●       Manage the design, implementation, and dissemination of externally conducted research studies, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), as well as internal research, which may include quasi-experimental evaluations or randomized A/B testing.

●       Oversee the development of research protocols, data collection procedures, and analysis plans in collaboration with external partners.

●       Facilitate the integration of research findings into organizational strategy and programmatic decision-making.

●       Implement targeted training and knowledge-sharing initiatives to strengthen internal and partner team capacity to productively engage with Village Enterprise’s rigorous research programming.

●       Supervise and mentor a Research Manager, providing clear direction and ongoing support to build their capacity to contribute effectively to Village Enterprise's research portfolio.

Cost-Effectiveness

●       Serve as the organizational focal point for cost-effectiveness analysis, leading Village Enterprise's approach across programs and research activities.

●       Own and regularly update the organization's internal guidelines for cost-effectiveness, maintaining alignment with best-practice frameworks from leading researchers and donors in the poverty alleviation and livelihoods space.

●       Design and conduct cost-effectiveness analyses in partnership with program and finance teams, ensuring findings are integrated into strategic and programmatic decision-making.

●       Support the development and maintenance of an economic costing framework, ensuring it is methodologically rigorous and consistently applied.

●       Develop and maintain communication guidelines for presenting cost-effectiveness findings to both internal stakeholders and external audiences (donors, research partners, policymakers).

●       Monitor developments in the broader cost-effectiveness and development economics literature.

External Engagement, Fundraising, and Communications

●       Represent Village Enterprise in partnership/fundraising meetings and events.

●       Lead on the research and evidence sections of proposals, engage directly with technical donors, and cultivate research partnerships.

●       Own and manage annual budget allocations for research activities.

Safeguarding

·      Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility at Village Enterprise, and it begins with me

·      Continuously sensitize program participants on safeguarding.

·      Ensure compliance with Village Enterprise’s safeguarding policies

·      Report any incident of safeguarding in program operations for appropriate action/follow up.

Required Skills and Experience

●       Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Economics, Development Economics, Public Health, Statistics, Development Studies, International Development, Public Policy, Design Thinking, or a related field.

●       8+ years of experience in research management, preferably in international development or poverty reduction.

●       Demonstrated expertise in designing and managing RCTs and other causal evaluation methods.

●       Proven ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships, including with external evaluators, academic institutions, and donors.

●       Experience designing or conducting cost-effectiveness analyses, including familiarity with costing methodologies used in international development.

●       Expertise in organizational knowledge management.

●       Excellent written and verbal communication, and strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate successfully with a range of partners from diverse backgrounds.

●       Strong analytical skills, with a track record of translating complex research findings into programmatic recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences.

●       Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and take initiative in ambiguous or fast-moving environments.

●       Experience working in cross-cultural settings, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

●       Proficiency in statistical software such as STATA or R.

Core Competencies

·      Strategic Thinking: Ability to align research initiatives with organizational priorities and long-term goals.

·      Leadership: Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and external partnerships.

·      Adaptability: Comfort working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with evolving priorities.

·      Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively across teams and cultures.

·      Innovation: A passion for identifying and testing new approaches to solving complex social challenges.

To Apply:

Interested and qualified candidates who meet the set criteria are invited to send their Cover Letter and CV (Maximum 3 pages) including 3 referees, on the online platform. 

Affirmative Action:

Village Enterprise will provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals. Employment decisions at Village Enterprise will be based on merit, qualifications and abilities. Village Enterprise does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, age, disability, marital status or any other characteristic protected by the law. Village Enterprise will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in undue hardship to daily operations.

Village Enterprise is a corruption, solicitation or bribery free organization. We or any of our employees or associates do not charge money from job applicants before, during or after recruitment. Please report malpractices through our safeguarding Tollfree hotline 0800724810

To be communicated