Director of Research and Evidence
About The Position
Weiss Asset Management Foundation seeks a Director of Research and Evidence to build and lead its Research & Evidence Team. The Director will establish the Foundation’s analytical capabilities, recruit and manage analysts, and oversee rigorous evaluation of prospective and existing grants. The role develops methodologies and analytical frameworks that make analyses rigorous, consistent, and useful for funding decisions, with a focus on expected cost-effectiveness, the value of research and learning to the global evidence base, and the likelihood of adoption by governments and other institutions. The Director will build relationships with academic researchers, funders, and other thought partners, and will work closely with the Foundation’s Program Team, grantees, leadership, and Allocation Committee. The position is based in Boston and requires occasional domestic and international travel. Permanent U.S. work authorization is required; the Foundation cannot provide visa sponsorship or STEM OPT certification. The Director reports to the Managing Director.
Requirements
- Deep expertise in economic evaluation; experience modeling the expected impact and effectiveness of proposed interventions is ideal.
- Experience evaluating program outcomes and impact; experience working with grantees, implementing organizations, or other development-sector partners is ideal.
- Demonstrated management experience, ideally building and managing analytical professionals.
- Exceptional quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, including proficiency in relevant software and tools and the ability and willingness to conduct sophisticated analyses personally.
- Strong academic background in economics, public policy, international development, or a related field.
- Intellectual curiosity, sound judgment, attention to detail, and a collaborative, mission-oriented approach.
- Permanent work authorization in the United States.
Nice To Haves
- PhD or Master's degree in economics, public policy, international development, or a related field is strongly preferred.
- Experience building analytical functions, setting standards, and overseeing complex analytical work is particularly valuable.
- Experience modeling the expected impact and effectiveness of proposed interventions.
- Experience evaluating program outcomes and impact with grantees, implementing organizations, or other development-sector partners.
- Experience building and managing analytical professionals.
Responsibilities
- Build and lead a high-performing Research & Evidence Team responsible for evaluating prospective funding opportunities and assessing existing grants.
- Establish analytical standards, methodologies, workflows, and quality-control processes.
- Set priorities, allocate analytical resources, mentor team members, and foster intellectual rigor, curiosity, and continuous improvement.
- Oversee quantitative models and analytical frameworks forecasting the expected cost-effectiveness of proposals.
- Conduct and oversee detailed cost-effectiveness analyses, including assessments of the evidence base, expected impact, implementation considerations, uncertainties, and costs.
- Work with the Program Team to incorporate cost-effectiveness analysis into the RFP evaluation and funding-decision cycle.
- Build and maintain relationships with leading academic experts, like-minded funders, and other thought partners; use these relationships to exchange insights and identify collaboration and strategic opportunities.
- Lead estimation of impact and cost-effectiveness across the existing grant portfolio, including development of outcome-measurement frameworks and assessment of performance against expectations.
- Work with the Program Team and grantees to establish indicators, data collection processes, and reporting structures; analyze results and identify opportunities to improve program effectiveness.
- Synthesize portfolio findings to inform future grantmaking.
- Present analytical findings and cost-effectiveness analyses to Foundation leadership and the Allocation Committee.
- Produce reports, analytical presentations, and other materials for internal stakeholders and external partners.
- Stay current with developments and best practices in economic evaluation, impact measurement, and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Benefits
- Competitive benefits package.
- 100% match on 401(k) contributions.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
