Senior Programme Officer, Evaluation & Learning

Job Details: Senior Programme Officer, Evaluation & Learning

Full details of the job.

| Vacancy No | VN2500 |
| Job Title | Senior Programme Officer, Evaluation & Learning |
| Location | Geneva |
| Team | Measurement, Evaluation and Learning |
| Reporting to | Head, Evaluation |
| Career Step Level | 4 |
| Job Description | | |
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| Position title: Senior Programme Officer, Evaluation & LearningContract type / duration:  Temporary - 5 yearsLocation:    GenevaDepartment:   Office of the Chief Operating Officer (OCOO)Team:    Measurement, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)Reports To:    Head, Evaluation N° of positions supervised (if applicable):    0Career Step:    4 1. About the RoleThis is a senior technical position within the Evaluation (EvU) sub-team of the Measurement, Evaluation and Learning team. Evaluations delivered in this role will be strategic level evaluations focused on Gavi’s levers (e.g. strategies, policies, funding levers) and programmatic evaluations. The Senior Evaluation Officer works collaboratively with teams across Gavi, primarily the Office of the Chief Executive Officer (OCEO), Country Programmes and Delivery (CPD), Vaccine Programmes (VP), Health Systems & Immunisation Strengthening (HSIS), Policy, Strategy, Market Shaping and engages closely with Alliance partners such as UNICEF, WHO, The Gates Foundation and World Bank to generate high quality evidence. The EvU also engages with Gavi’s Board and Committees, primarily the Evaluation Advisory Committee (EAC) and provides input to Programme and Policy Committee (PPC), Governance Committee and the Board on evaluation at Gavi. EvU also collaborates with the Global Fund Evaluation and Learning Office to share learning and exchange on good evaluation practice.The core mission and expected impact of this position is to: - Generate high quality evidence to inform strategic decisions: Design, manage, and deliver targeted independent evaluations that answer Gavi’s priority questions, ensuring rigorous methods, strong stakeholder consultation, and high quality outputs that guide operational and strategic choices. - Strengthen evaluation across Gavi: Improve policies, tools, guidance, and processes to enhance the consistency, quality, and usefulness of evaluation and learning activities, while providing guidance and technical expertise and supporting cross-team initiatives.- Translate evidence into action for organisational impact: Synthesize insights across studies, produce accessible learning products, support governance bodies, and drive the uptake of recommendations to improve programme performance, strengthen strategic planning and enhance accountability to stakeholders.2. Key Responsibilities - Deliver high quality, timely evidence to answer Gavi’s priority evaluation questions and enable use of evidence, using fit for purpose study designs and clear communication of insights to inform strategic and operational decisions. - Lead the commissioning and oversight of independent evaluations, ensuring transparent procurement, strong stakeholder engagement, and credible findings delivered on time and within budget. - Design and deliver evaluation processes in-house including evaluability assessments and rapid/discrete evaluative activities.- Strengthen Gavi’s evaluation and learning systems by developing improved guidance, tools, templates, and policies that enhance the quality, consistency, and usability of evidence across the organisation. - Synthesize and translate evidence into actionable insights, delivering accessible learning products and ensuring results to inform key Gavi processes, strategy, policies and operations. - Drive organisation wide engagement with evidence, coordinating cross team consultations, supporting Alliance responses to evaluation findings, and promoting clear, transparent communication to improve Gavi performance. - Support effective governance and strategic decision making by producing high quality papers, presentations, and implementing follow up actions for the Evaluation Advisory Committee and senior leadership.3. Your Experience and SkillsWe are looking for an experienced evaluation and learning professional who combines excellent technical judgement with the ability to work collaboratively across a complex, multistakeholder environment. The right candidate will bring depth in evidence generation and a strategic mindset for translating findings into decisions, learning, and impact.Experience - Typically 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in evaluation, research, learning, and evidence-informed decision-making. - Experience of commissioning (i.e. as a commissioner – typically 2 years’+ experience of commissioning multiple evaluations) and leading the implementation of evaluations (i.e. as an evaluator – typically 6 - 8 years’+ experience) from end-to-end is required for this position. - Typically 3 years’ experience of direct engagement with C-suite/Senior leadership.Sector and thematic experience - Experience in public health, global health, development, or social sector programmes, with high relevance to health systems, immunisation, or large-scale service delivery programmes.- Exposure to work involving multilateral organisations, foundations, donors, or public–private partnerships is highly beneficial.Project and programme experience (scope and scale) - Hands-on experience designing, managing, and/or commissioning evaluations delivered by external consultants or research institutions. - Experience overseeing multiple concurrent studies, managing budgets, timelines, procurement and deliverable review processes, and quality assurance.- Exposure to complex, organisation-wide or cross programme initiatives, where evidence is used to inform strategy, policy, governance, or investment decisions.Education and QualificationsEssential - An advanced university degree (e.g. Master’s level) in a relevant field such as public health, social sciences, development studies, public policy, economics, evaluation, or a related discipline.- Training or substantial applied experience in evaluation, research, and evidence-generation methods.Good to have- A doctorate (PhD) or equivalent advanced research qualification.- Formal training or certification in evaluation/research methods (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods).Technical and Functional Skills - Evaluation and evidence-generation expertise - Ability to design, manage, and oversee evaluations using appropriate qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches, with a strong focus on quality and credibility to answer critical questions of the organisation and support performance management.- Ability to identify more agile and timely methods with experience of innovative or emerging evaluation approaches required (e.g. rapid evidence approaches, utilisation-focused evaluation, theory-based evaluation, systems or complexity aware methods) and experience building AI into evaluation processes.- Analytical and synthesis skills- Strong capability to understand the needs of governance bodies, senior leaders and business owners and to interpret complex findings, synthesise evidence across multiple sources, and draw out implications for strategy, policy, and programme delivery.- Management of external partners and consultants- Ability to manage independent evaluators, research suppliers, or consultants, including procurement processes, scopes of work, budgets, deliverables, and risk management.- Evidence-to-decision translation- Demonstrated skill in transforming technical findings into clear, actionable insights, ensuring evidence is relevant and can be communicated effectively for a range of key stakeholders for decision making processes.Good to have (additional relevant skills)- Experience developing or contributing to evaluation policies, operational guidelines, or organisational learning systems.- Familiarity with governance processes, including preparing papers or presentations for boards or advisory committees.LanguagesRequired - Fluency in English (written and spoken), with the ability to draft high quality technical and strategic documents tailored to key audiences.Preferred- Working knowledge of French is a strong asset4. How You Work (Behaviours and Mindsets)Collaborates Effectively Across the Alliance and with key stakeholders- Builds and sustains strong, trust based relationships across teams, departments, and Alliance partners at all levels.- Engages stakeholders (including C-suite executives) early, values diverse perspectives, and works constructively across cultures and disciplines to achieve shared objectives.- Facilitates consultation, manages competing perspectives, and builds trust around evidence and learning.Communicates with Clarity and Influence - Communicates complex and technical information concisely, clearly, accurately, and transparently to diverse audiences, including senior leadership, governance bodies, technical experts, and non specialists.- Adapts style, language, and formats to support understanding, dialogue, and evidence informed decision making. Demonstrates Agility in Complex and Changing Contexts - Operates effectively in dynamic, evolving environments, applying sound judgement and adjusting approaches as priorities, evidence needs, or organisational context change.- Balances methodological rigour with pragmatism to deliver timely, fit for purpose outputs.Takes Ownership and Delivers with Accountability - Works with a high degree of independence, taking responsibility for planning, decision making, and delivery of work.- Manages multiple priorities effectively, follows through on commitments, and holds self and others accountable for quality, timeliness, and impact.Promotes Learning and Organisational Impact - Demonstrates curiosity and openness to reflection, using evidence and feedback to improve ways of working. | |