Director, Impact Intelligence NGO Job Save the Children

Job Title: Director, Impact Intelligence

Date Posted: 29/06/2026

Job Type: Full Time

Employer: Save the Children

Industry: NGO

Salary: Open

Location: Nairobi

Country: Kenya

Deadline: 13/07/2026

Summary:

Principal Accountabilities

Strategic leadership and governance

• Lead a single, movement‑wide evidence and learning strategy and agenda that brings together Insights and Learning, MEAL, Research and Evaluation, Ethics and Evidence Generation, and Economic Evaluation, aligned with Save the Children’s Global Strategy, Theory of Change and inter‑agency agendas.​
• Establish clear governance, roles and expectations for leaders on evidence use, learning and accountability, ensuring evidence is treated as a core organisational function rather than an add‑on.​
• Champion a culture where impact intelligence is front and centre – it’s expected, resourced and rewarded, including aligning leadership pathways, incentives and support systems (e.g. HR, resourcing) to evidence‑driven work.​

Enhance the impact intelligence ecosystem

• Oversee the design and implementation of simple, connected impact intelligence which prioritises data and learning systems that reduce duplication, improve data quality, and surface the right insights at the right time for country offices, members and global teams.​
• Ensure MEAL frameworks, standards, policies and tools are coherent across SCI entities and integrated with other core systems (e.g. Global Indicators, GAR, digital platforms) to enable real‑time and routine learning rather than one‑off reporting.​
• Partner with IT, data and digital teams, as well as external partners, to implement fit‑for‑purpose tools (e.g. dashboards, shared repositories, “PDF‑light” solutions) and quality assurance processes that strengthen data literacy and use.​

Focus on decision‑critical evidence

• Lead a strategic prioritisation of impact intelligence, focusing the organisation on the decisions that matter most and right‑sizing evidence requirements accordingly (e.g. lean designs, proportional baselines, targeted evaluations).​
• Ensure global indicators, MEAL standards, research and evaluation agendas, and economic analyses are aligned to these priority decisions, reducing unnecessary data collection and reporting burdens.​
• Embed processes and routines so that insights from monitoring, evaluations, research, economic evaluations and learning reviews are systematically translated into programmatic and influencing decisions, including during design, adaptation and scale‑up.​

Lead and connect organisational evidence efforts

• Act as the hub that connects evidence, data and learning across clusters and functions (programmes, operations, governance, funding, ethics, digital), enabling evidence to travel across units, countries and members.​
• Build and steward strong collaboration mechanisms between the four units (Insights and Learning; MEAL; Research and Evaluation; Ethics and Evidence Generation; Economic Evaluation) and related functions (e.g. Global Indicators, GAR), reducing silos and duplication.​
• Convene cross‑unit communities and platforms to share, package and communicate insights in accessible, decision‑ready formats that support influential storytelling, advocacy and resource mobilisation.​

Across the Four Units Specifically:

Insights, learning and capability strengthening

• Lead the Insights and Learning unit to transform data and evidence into timely, actionable insights for country offices, members and global leadership, with a strong focus on synthesis, translation and “what this means for decisions”.​
• Oversee movement‑wide capacity strengthening for MEAL, research, learning and cost‑informed programming, with particular emphasis on country offices and locally led partners, and on building habits of reflection and adaptation.​
• Promote and model learning behaviours (e.g. after‑action reviews, learning cycles, experimentation) and ensure time and space are protected for teams to learn, adapt and improve.​

MEAL architecture and practice

• Ensure high‑quality monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning architectures, tools and practices are in place across country offices, including staffing models, role clarity and career pathways for MEAL professionals.​
• Champion and oversee strategic initiatives such as Prime and the Global Indicators, ensuring they are embedded in country programmes and influencing work and used to drive learning, accountability and impact at scale.​
• Ensure that accountability to communities, children and young people is central to MEAL practice, including feedback, participation and transparent communication of findings and decisions.​

Research, evaluation, ethics and evidence generation

• Lead the Research and Evaluation unit to design and deliver a coherent portfolio of high‑quality studies, evaluations and syntheses that respond to priority learning questions and strategic evidence gaps.​
• Oversee the Ethics and Evidence Generation unit to ensure robust ethical governance, safeguarding and integrity in all data collection and research activities, including data protection and responsible use of emerging technologies.​
• Promote partnerships with research institutions, governments and peer agencies to leverage external expertise, align with global agendas and enhance Save the Children’s thought leadership.​

Economic evaluation and cost‑informed programming

• Lead the Economic Evaluation unit to integrate cost, cost‑effectiveness and value‑for‑money analysis into programme and influencing design, adaptation and scale‑up decisions.​
• Ensure that economic evidence is presented in accessible ways for non‑specialist decision‑makers and used to guide smarter choices in tighter aid budget contexts.​
• Promote use of economic evidence to reduce workload and improve efficiency, focusing on high‑leverage decisions rather than adding reporting burdens.​

**Locally led, inclusive and ethical learn