Program Officer, Evaluation - Office of Evaluation

PROGRAM OFFICER, EVALUATION - OFFICE OF EVALUATION

 

Role of Evaluation of Monitoring at the Foundation

At the MacArthur Foundation there is a belief that informed decision-making leads to more effective stewardship of the Foundation's resources and better results.   While there are a host of factors that come into play when making any decision and there are myriad tools for gathering and receiving information, among those critical to the Foundation are planning, monitoring and evaluation efforts: 

 

• Planning activities are engaged in as part of a dynamic process for outlining goals and activities.  While there is a value in planning efforts for the structure and consistency they provide, the MacArthur Foundation expect to continuously adapt its plans in response to the context and environment in which they work and what they learn along the way. 

• Monitoring is a process for systematically collecting data and information.  Monitoring includes collecting information to assess partners or grantees' performance and the progress and outcomes of their MacArthur Foundation-supported work.  It measures inputs, activities, and outputs, as the basis for management related decision-making.  The MacArthur Foundation is expansive in its definition of monitoring which consists of qualitative information gathering through narratives, storytelling and includes perceptions, experience and reflection as valuable and useful to the MacArthur Foundation's work. 

• Evaluation is the ongoing, systematic, and objective assessment of a program or initiative, often in order to inform decision-making during the implementation of the program or initiative and, in later stages, to measure its outcomes or impact. 

 

As the MacArthur Foundation approaches all of its work dynamically, they value monitoring and evaluation activities capable of flexing with the evolving work of its programs, yet sufficiently rigorous for the organization to measure its results, learn, course correct, adapt –in other words, to make well-informed decisions.  Moreover, they believe in a pragmatic and action-oriented approach to how they define valuable information and how they use it in decision-making.

 

In addition to the monitoring and evaluation activities that the MacArthur Foundation engages in around its programs, there is a range of activities designed and carried out by the MacArthur Foundation partners or grantees around their organization's work. These activities are designed by the MacArthur Foundation's partners and grantees to inform their own decision-making. The Foundation may benefit from the sophistication and rigor of its partner's and grantee's evaluation activities in their reporting to the MacArthur Foundation. 

 

Going forward, the MacArthur Foundation expects be more explicit, deliberate and systematic in outlining its monitoring and evaluation expectations for its programs and for each grantee and aligning these expectations with its partner's and grantee's capacity. 

 

Program Officer for Evaluation

The Program Officer for Evaluation will have the responsibility for supporting monitoring and evaluation activities with program staff and the Director of Evaluation. 

 

The Program Officer will support the Director of Evaluation in framing evaluations of the Foundation's programs, providing support in the oversight and management of major program evaluations and contributing to the development of guidance for program staff around evaluation.  This may include the development and facilitation of reflection, learning and/or review sessions around evaluation findings or the use of evaluation in program planning and implementation. 

 

The Program Officer will build relationships with prospective evaluation consulting resources and partners in the field and provide support in the management of evaluation contracts including planning and convening meetings, tracking budgets, and reviewing invoices.  The Program Officer may be involved in other aspects of strategy development and/or planning for monitoring and evaluation.

 

As the Foundation is in the process of reviewing its protocols, tools and technology to support monitoring efforts, this person will play a significant role in the development of the Foundation's approach to monitoring as it relates to evaluation.  As the MacArthur Foundation designs a new grants management system, there is considerable room to reimagine the data visualization opportunities for monitoring and evaluation to further increase its accessibility, value and integrated use in decision making.   

 

This person will provide technical assistance and support to program staff around grants having a research or evaluation component or a unique requirement with regard to monitoring as well as provide one-on-one assistance to grantees around research and evaluation questions as requested. 

 

The Program Officer's work entails a significant outreach component both within the Foundation, across Programs, and externally in the field of philanthropy evaluation. In addition to assisting in the crafting of monitoring and evaluation approaches, the Program Officer is expected to engage actively with program staff, potentially prospective and existing grantees and with a wide range of experts in the field of philanthropy evaluation, so as to help formulate feasible monitoring and evaluation approaches and facilitate successful achievement of monitoring and evaluation objectives.

 

The broad goals and responsibilities for the Program Officer include the following:

 

Immediate Goals:

• Establish, develop, codify and institutionalize a set of standardized monitoring practices for the MacArthur Foundation. 

• Help develop a typology for the MacArthur Foundation's grantmaking which would yield a range of monitoring practices.

• Help clarify expectations for monitoring and help put in place a set of guidelines for program staff, evaluation staff and grantees to follow. 

• Work directly with the MacArthur Foundation's grant management and knowledge management systems and seek ways to enhance and improve their capabilities.

• Negotiate and navigate various departments within the MacArthur Foundation to ensure that monitoring practices are integrated into these systems as they are developed and deployed.

• Help insure the productive implementation of monitoring practices to and support its alignment with program goals (or strategies).  As such, this work would include deep engagement around grantmaking at the program/strategy level.

 

Responsibilities:

• Support a portfolio of evaluation contracts.
• Provide support to program staff with respect to monitoring and evaluation, as directed.
• Support grant management, knowledge management and monitoring system's design and implementation.
• Provide support around the development of communications and learning opportunities related to monitoring and evaluation findings and products.
• Partner with program staff to support the monitoring of grants in existing portfolios, as directed.
• Represent the foundation at monitoring and evaluation meetings as assigned.
• Travel domestically and internationally in connection with the program staff's monitoring and evaluation needs; may require international travel.

 

Professional Qualifications and Personal Attributes

Beyond these goals and responsibilities, the Program Officer should ideally possess the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

• A deep commitment to the core values and principles of the MacArthur Foundation.
• Depth and breadth of knowledge of evaluation as represented by increasing responsibility for design, implementation, and management of a broad range of applied evaluation tools, methodologies, and techniques. Experience with research design including both qualitative and quantitative techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to involve and work collaboratively and effectively with peers in joint and shared efforts - Organization savvy and superlative interpersonal and facilitation skills.
• Highly developed and demonstrated project management skills.
• An ability to perform effectively under pressure and to practice strong organizational skills when faced with multiple time-sensitive priorities.
• Excellent writing and public speaking skills.
• The highest level of personal and professional integrity and quality standards.
• Excellent judgment, flexibility, good humor, high energy level, modesty, and graciousness.

 

The Program Officer, Evaluation search is being conducted by the Explore Company. To apply for this position, send a cover letter and resume to resumes@explorecompany.com.

• Program Officer, Evaluation - Office of Evaluation