Permanent
Head of Research, Reflection Evaluating (Hybrid/Remote)
Unknown, Unknown
unknown
Closing date not listed
About this role
IT/Computer - Other IT/Computer
Johannesburg
FULL TIME
Job Summary
Head of Research, Reflection & Evaluating (Hybrid/Remote)
Other
KwaZulu Natal - South Africa, Johannesburg - Gauteng - South Africa, Western Cape - South Africa, Remote
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 whats 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 whats 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 peoples experience and expertise, with an orientation towards peoples 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 ones 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 programmes 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.
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