Impact Evaluation Director, Grade 12

Company: Causal Design
Location: Washington
Posted on: October 23, 2024

Job Description:

Impact Evaluation Director (GS-12)
Position Location: Denver, Colorado or Washington D.C
1. Summary
Causal Design is an economic consulting firm conducting rigorous program evaluations and analysis for international development organizations. Our evaluations are designed to provide timely and practical information to decision makers working to end poverty and inequality.
We are looking for an impact evaluation expert to join our team and lead our Impact Evaluation domain. This is primarily a technical role with some client-facing responsibilities. Directors (Grade-12) are expected to spend 75% of their time directly supporting projects and proposals for technical activities; the remaining time will be spent overseeing their respective domains, and training/mentoring staff.
The Impact Evaluation Director will lead Causal Design's impact evaluation portfolio, playing a pivotal role in driving the success of our projects. This position requires providing strategic oversight and technical quality assurance to ensure that our teams consistently deliver timely, cost-effective, and high-quality research outcomes to a diverse range of clients. The Director will also be responsible for establishing and upholding the company's technical standards for impact evaluation, as well as developing and managing systems to enhance the technical capabilities of our staff. As a thought leader and key technical resource within the company, the role will shape and advance our approach to impact evaluation.
The applicant should be an expert in all impact evaluation methods. Moreover, the applicant should be conversant in all of the following evaluation tools: Cost Benefit Analysis, Cost Effectiveness Analysis, Growth Diagnostics, Program Evaluation, and M&E systems more generally.
The position is based in the Denver Metro area in Wheat Ridge, Colorado with the possibility of being authorized to work from Washington, D.C. Remote work may be considered for exceptional candidates. This position has the potential for extensive international travel.
2. Responsibilities
This position will be expected to leverage in-depth and comprehensive technical and managerial expertise to independently complete and oversee all aspects of Impact Evaluation (IE) design and implementation across a range of complexity and client/country contexts across a large share of Causal Design's portfolio of IE activity. Additionally, the position will support the development of processes related to management, standardization, quality control, and quality assurance.

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• Impact Evaluation Portfolio Design, Management, and Business Development (75%)
  
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  • Oversee portfolio of impact evaluations in various senior-level technical roles and provide strategic oversight on complex impact evaluation projects. This will involve independently leading or overseeing research teams on the following:
    
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    • Collaborating with clients to articulate key learning questions
      
    • Developing a rigorous and appropriate impact evaluation design (leveraging both experimental and quasi-experimental methods), given the context through an evaluability assessment process
      
    • Running statistical power calculations and proposing sampling strategies
      
    • Leading and managing all aspects of data collection and data quality exercises
      
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      • Crafting quantitative survey tools, sampling plans, and field manuals
        
      • Leading or overseeing data collection including recruitment and management of survey firms and overseeing enumerator training and management
        
      • Ensuring implementation of quality assurance protocols and quality control activities
        
        
        
      • Carrying out econometric analysis approaches including:
        
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        • Development of econometric analysis plans, including description and justification for the methods used to explore data
          
        • Estimating treatment effects and including relevant analytical adjustments for design decisions and threats to internal validity
          
        • Drafting final reports that effectively communicate and visualize key findings and implications for the client
          
          
          
        • Lead the technical writing for project proposals, grant applications, or concept notes for future projects
          
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          • Collaborate closely with the Business Development (BD) team to ensure incorporation of sound technical approaches and methodologies
            
          • Collaborate closely with BD and Operations units to forecast staffing needs for future projects
            
            
            
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            • Technical Standards Development and Staff Capacity Building (25%)
              
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              • Develop and ensure adherence to the IE domain's standards, processes, and best practices
                
              • Oversee staff technical capacity assessment and new staff training on impact evaluation methods
                
              • Train, mentor, and manage more junior Economists on all aspects of impact evaluation delivery
                
                
                
                
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                • Coordinate regularly with management-level staff to implement firm-wide initiatives and protocols
                  
                  In addition to technical expertise, the candidates will be expected to demonstrate a high level of professionalism and organization to support the ongoing technical portfolio of the Causal Design global office. This includes the management of multi-year USAID awards and contracts that require a high level of client and administrative management as well as an understanding of the USAID program cycle.
                  3. Qualifications
                  
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                  • Masters Degree with a minimum of 8+ years' experience, or a PhD with a minimum of 5+years' experience in Impact Evaluation.
                    
                  • Advanced Degree in Public Policy, Development Economics, or Statistics.
                    
                  • Expert in impact evaluation methods including both experimental and quasi-experimental methods.
                    
                  • Extensive experience working in international development contexts.
                    
                  • Expert programmer in either Stata or R is required. Experience with additional programming languages is a plus.
                    
                  • USAID experience is required. Understanding of the rest of the donor landscape in international development is preferred.
                    
                  • Minimum of 2 years leading or comprehensively supporting Impact Evaluations is ideal.
                    
                  • Minimum 2 years of experience supervising technical staff or teams is strongly preferred.
                    
                    4. Our Team
                    We are a small firm with an ambitious vision. Our team is passionate about innovating practical evaluation strategies and providing phenomenal support to our clients working to end poverty. You should be excited about being client-facing. Our goal is to support implementers - not just do research. We strongly prefer researchers who have a background or experience in implementing projects, so the more you understand and empathize with the challenges of their work the better.
                    5. Employment
                    This is a full-time, exempt, employee role with Causal Design. Salary range is between $95,359 to $123,971 and is commensurate with experience. To reduce bias in compensation and promote wage transparency, all salaries at Causal Design are determined by our competitive standardized pay scale. Applicants must be authorized to work in the USA for any employer without restriction.
                    Benefits:
                    
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                    • Competitive salary
                      
                    • Opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative team environment
                      
                    • Professional development opportunities
                      
                    • Eleven paid holidays
                      
                    • 20 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) annually
                      
                    • Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) allowance
                      
                    • Hybrid work schedule, typically Monday through Thursday in the Causal Design office and Fridays working from home
                      
                      6. Application
                      To Apply: If you are passionate about international development, possess the necessary qualifications, and are ready to make a meaningful impact in the field, we encourage you to apply. Join our team at Causal Design Inc. and be part of a dynamic environment dedicated to driving positive change through data-driven decision-making. To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter, and any relevant supporting documents to by the application deadline. NOTE: Please put "Impact Evaluation Director Job Application" and add your first and last name in the subject line of the email. We look forward to welcoming a dedicated Director to our team in Denver, Colorado or Washington, DC.
                      7. Equal Employment Opportunity/Fair Employment Practices
                      Causal Design is an equal opportunity employer and makes decisions based on merit and business needs. The Company does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender (which includes gender identity or gender expression), pregnancy (including childbirth or related conditions and lactation/breastfeeding), marital status, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, taking or requesting statutorily protected leave or other benefit, or any other characteristics protected by federal or state laws, regulations, and/or any executive order, except as allowed by law. In addition, the Company prohibits the harassment of any individual on any of the bases listed above or any other protected characteristics.
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Keywords: Causal Design, Lancaster , Impact Evaluation Director, Grade 12, Executive , Washington, Pennsylvania