International Researcher - Innovation Scaling Impact Assessment at International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Duties And Responsibilities

• MELIA for the innovation scaling research for development projects
• Establish and run a coherent MELIA system to provide reliable data for the innovation scaling research for development projects and ensure the duly submission of project deliverables.
• Supervise the project implementation, including monitoring progress, liaising with all project implementation teams and partners, and reporting on progress both internally and externally.
• Coordinate the updating of MELIA outcomes/outputs/indicators and refine data collection and reporting methods to monitor the progress of activities and outcomes.
• Strengthen the MELIA capacity of project teams and implementing partners to effectively track project results and impact.
• Facilitate baseline and end-line studies on projects’ interventions.
• Facilitate the preparation of project progress reports and updates.
• Assess and reflect on project progress and theory of change (MEL).
• Coordinate the assessment of Evaluate End of Initiative (EoI) outcomes and impacts.
• Act as a focal point for any external project evaluations to be conducted by the donor.
• Other tasks within the context of project implementation (e.g., research, learning events, policy engagement, supervision of research activities, and MSc/Ph.D. thesis writing) as assigned.

Scaling preparedness action (SPA)

• Review the projects’ progress, credibility, relevance, and scaling potential of the tested/developed innovation bundles in the projects.
• Profile the piloted innovation bundles along the intervention process.
• Profile and identify scalable innovation bundles by:
• Designing, updating, and adapting the Causal Impact Assessment Learning (MELIA) along the intervention process to identify uptake and average or potential impact of the piloted innovation bundles; and
• Carrying out the Causal Impact Assessment and assessing the scalability of the piloting/testing/developing innovation bundles (intervention process)
• Prepare the scaling preparedness for the projects’ scalable innovation bundles by:
• Facilitating the development of scaling strategy for the scalable innovation bundles; and
• Catalyzing scaling networks and partnerships
• Systemic, adaptive scaling research Implementation
• Conduct research on innovation scaling related to market and value chains, water solutions, and farmer-led irrigation.
• Analyze scaling processes and pathways of the scalable innovation bundles.
• Develop monitoring and evaluation framework for impact assessment of scaling partnership.
• Contribute to the development of systemic, adaptive scaling toolkit.

Requirements

The successful candidate will posses the following:

• A Ph.D. degree in Business, Human Geography, Sociology, Development Economics, or a closely related field relevant to Water Resources Management, Agricultural Development, and Agricultural Innovation Systems and Scaling, Impact Assessment or similar.
• At least five years of relevant work experience, preferably in areas such as agricultural innovation scaling, value chain development, and private sector engagement.
• Experience in using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods and participatory research approaches to design and conduct field research activities across a range of problems, such as:

agricultural value chain analysis and market study;

• innovation scaling partnerships, pathways, and processes;
• gender equality and social inclusion in innovation scaling; and
• interactive demand-driven learning for capacity building.
• Results-oriented project management approaches, theory of change approaches, and planning and implementation of MELIA systems.
• Project data management and analysis as well as management of external project evaluations.
• Experience in transforming research into knowledge products for outreach and impact in development, policy, and research in Sub-Sahara Africa.
• A record of peer-reviewed publications in academic journals.
• Ability to conduct research in the areas of irrigation innovation scaling, gender equality and social inclusion, and agricultural value chains in Africa.
• Knowledge and ability to establish, facilitate, and coordinate the operation of the MELIA system.
• Ability to conduct process and impact pathway analysis, and other similar methods such as outcome mapping.
• Good understanding and experience in socio-economic surveys, data management, and data analyses with appropriate statistical tools.
• Ability to apply technical, economic, and institutional reasoning to innovation scaling and policy issues in a critical manner.
• Proven experience in using quantitative data analysis approaches.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively and effectively with academic and non-academic stakeholders.
• Possess an open mindset and the ability to learn.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, and multicultural environment.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office packages and ICT.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Communication and interpersonal skills.
• Communication skills in French.