Managing Director, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning

Corus International • Washington, DC

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Senior Managing Director in the Office of the COO, the Managing Director, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MD, MERL) serves as both a hands-on leader and strategic visionary, integrating best practices in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning. The MD, MERL assumes full responsibility and authority in all aspects of the portfolio and, with limited oversight from the Senior Managing Director, works independently to achieve a defined set of qualitative and quantitative objectives and targets for their area. As a member of the Corus Leadership Team, the MD MERL directly contributes to the organization's ability to demonstrate impact of its diversified revenue models, types of programs, business-minded solutions, and public and private partnerships. Additionally, the MD serves as Corus' chief quality control officer for MERL, partnering with Managing Directors from other business units to uphold program quality. This role collaborates with colleagues across the organization to ensure Corus is measuring what matters and enabling the organization and its supporters to understand and communicate its impact with clarity and confidence.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as international development, social sciences, public policy, or statistics; or the equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• A minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in strategy development, business development, project management, or a related field to include monitoring, evaluation, research, learning, preferably in the non-profit or international development sector.
• Experience building and maintaining relationships with donors, private sector partners, and other external stakeholders.
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary teams and driving staff development and growth, and proven ability leading and motivating teams, fostering collaboration, and developing staff.
• Experience developing innovative and program-centered digital data management approaches to MERL and leading change management for capturing the impact of public health, economic growth, livelihoods, agriculture education and/or humanitarian assistance programming.
• Experience serving as a member of a leadership team.
• Experience in cross-organizational collaboration and knowledge management.
• Knowledge of branding and marketing strategies to enhance organizational reputation and visibility.
• Understanding of program evaluation and impact assessment methodologies.
• Strong strategic thinking and analytical skills, with the ability to identify growth opportunities, set goals, and develop actionable plans to include problem-solving and decision-making abilities, with a focus on achieving organizational objectives.
• Proficiency in project management methodologies, ensuring project delivery on time, within scope, and with budget with ability to independently deliver on clear targets.
• Ability to make informed decisions, demonstrate senior leadership, and be accountable for results.
• Financial acumen and budgeting skills to effectively manage resources and make informed decisions.
• Ability to assess and mitigate risks, ensuring compliance with legal, health, safety, and security requirements.
• Proficiency using relevant software and technology tools for data analysis, reporting, and project management.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively represent the organization externally and build relationships.
• Must possess confidence, business acumen, and relationship-building skills to move the organization into a social impact organization.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Capturing the Impact of Corus' Program Growth and Impact Strategy
• Drives the execution of an organization-wide program impact measurement framework aligned to Corus' Strategy, ensuring alignment and clarity for data collection and analysis systems, roles, and tools to effectively capture and report on key metrics.
• Promotes the organization's growth strategy, ensuring that programs include clear MERL goals, targets, and metrics to measure the success and impact of Corus' programs and initiatives.
• Strengthens MERL and digital data management, and guides change management processes related to MERL and data use, including harmonization of technical strategies across business units and alignment with country and global policies.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with partner governments, donors, private sector partners, and other external stakeholders to enhance Corus' visibility and engagement in the MERL space.
• Regularly attends key meetings, conferences, and events, promoting the organization's mission and building partnerships.
• Fosters active engagement and inspires the enthusiastic participation of country teams in the organization's external media relations initiatives, encompassing diverse platforms such as media interviews, writing, and external speaking engagements.
• Supports business development efforts, identifying and pursuing new funding opportunities, partnerships, and revenue streams to support Corus' growth and sustainability.
• Contributes to consistent and impactful messaging across all communication channels and materials.
• Monitors and evaluates progress against targets for their specific portfolio regularly, making necessary adjustments to ensure alignment with the organizational strategy.
• Manages MERL level of effort allocations across projects, ensuring assistance costs are appropriately charged to project or MD budgets to optimize cost recovery and the use of unrestricted funds.
• As a member of the Corus Leadership Team, contributes to the overall strategic direction, high-level decision making, growth, and success of the organization.
• Collaborates with other leaders to promote a cohesive and collaborative culture to drive the organization forward.
• Implements a comprehensive risk management framework, address programmatic, legal and compliance, health, safety, security, and reputational risks as relevant.
• Develops mitigation strategies and ensures effective risk monitoring and reporting systems are in place.
• Optimizes the allocation of human resources, financial resources, and assets across programs and projects and maximizes efficiency and impact.
• Identifies opportunity for cost savings, resource rationalization, and process improvement.
• Provides effective leadership and management to staff, ensuring clear communication, goal setting, and performance management.
• Organize and assign MERL technical advisors to support existing and new programs, ensuring high-quality, donor responsive delivery.
• Fosters a culture of learning, mentorship, and career growth, providing coaching and professional development opportunities.
• Stays updated on industry trends, best practices, and technological advancements relevant to Corus' programs and initiative and/or technical areas.
• Leads a culture of learning and knowledge management for programs, setting strategic level learning agendas and facilitating the sharing of best practices and lessons learned.
• Fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing across different departments and teams within Corus, promoting cross-functional cooperation and synergy.
• Takes ownership and accountability for achieving the strategic and operational goals of Corus, ensuring adherence to ethical standards and organizational values.
• Fosters a culture of accountability across the organization, setting clear expectations and empowering teams to deliver results.

Benefits

• Corus International provides a competitive, growth-oriented, yet fiscally responsible compensation program.
• Corus provides a comprehensive and competitive employee benefit package to protect our valued and dedicated staff and their families.
• Our benefits include three medical plan options with comprehensive prescription drug coverage, low-cost dental coverage with 100% paid vision insurance.
• Corus also provides a generous retirement plan and PTO to include vacation, sick, holiday, parental, jury, international travel, and bereavement leave; employer-sponsored basic life/AD&D insurance; employee wellness incentives, and employee work/life balance and assistance programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees