Head of Evidence and Learning

INTRODUCTION TO GIRLS NOT BRIDES

Girls Not Brides is the only global organisation uniquely focused on creating and sustaining a worldwide movement to end child marriage and ensuring that this movement leads to tangible change for the girls at risk or affected by the practice. We are a network of over 1,400 civil society organisations in over 100 countries working in partnership to end child marriage.

Our vision is a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives. Our vision challenges deeply embedded social norms that harm the lives of girls, women and their communities.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ROLE

Girls Not Brides is looking for a Head of Evidence and Learning to lead the secretariat’s work on learning and evidence on ending child, early and forced marriage and unions (CEFMU). The successful candidate leads the Learning Team and works closely with all teams to ensure that Girls Not Brides is a go-to and trusted source for evidence and shared learning on what works to address CEFMU and support married girls, globally and in priority regions where we work. The role ensures the Girls Not Brides secretariat is a highly effective learning and knowledge hub on CEFMU, co-creating and sharing collective insights and evidence to drive impact.

Working closely with Teams in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), they provide strategic leadership to increase uptake of knowledge, learning and evidence by member organisations to enable more effective evidence-based action to end child marriage at all levels. Moreover, the role ensures we continue to play a leading role in coordinating global, regional and national evidence generation through convening diverse stakeholders, identifying evidence gaps and catalyzing collective efforts to strengthen the evidence base on what works to end child marriage.

We are looking for a passionate and inclusive leader with demonstrable experience in learning, evidence and research and supporting the uptake of evidence for programming and influencing on social change issues. The ideal candidate will be an empowering and collaborative team leader, who is able to provide strategic leadership as well as be a good people manager.

Job location

London, UK (hybrid with up to three days on site).

Working as a global team, all Girls Not Brides team members may from time to time be expected to work outside normal working hours (e.g. early morning or early evening) this is not a regular occurrence and is only to accommodate collaboration of teams across different time zones.

Accountable to

Director of Learning and Impact

Salary range

£51,000 (subject to a salary benchmarking) rising on an annual incremental basis. Girls Not Brides also offers a generous 10% pension.

Contract

This is a permanent, full-time role. The successful candidate must have the right to work in the United Kingdom.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE

Leads Girls Not Brides’ work to leverage knowledge, learning and evidence to address child early and forced marriage and unions (CEFMU) across the movement

• In close collaboration with the Director for Strategic Impact and Learning, plays a leadership role in ensuring the timely and quality implementation and delivery of two key areas of the Strategic Objective on Learning of Girls Not Brides’ Secretariat Strategy 2022-2025, namely: 1) “Highly effective learning and knowledge hub co-creating and sharing collective insights and evidence to drive impact”, 2) “Stronger coordination of global, regional, and national evidence generation which supports the movement’s efforts to accelerate change to end child marriage”.
• Using a collaborative approach, manages a high-performing Learning Team, consisting of up to five individuals, including performance management, professional development and providing ongoing support to individuals.
• Works closely with the Teams in Africa, Asia and LAC, as well as the Impact and Global Advocacy Teams to deliver the organisation’s learning priorities and ambition.
• Leads the Learning Team’s strategy and work planning, budgeting, and tracking of progress against the organisation’s key performance indicators.
• Leads the Learning Team’s work on ensuring Girls Not Brides is a go-to and trusted source for evidence and shared learning on what works to end CEFMU and support married girls, including in the following areas:

Leads Girls Not Brides’ role as a global knowledge and learning hub

• Oversees the development and implementation of Girls Not Brides’ Knowledge and Learning Hub, that ensures the secretariat is a go-to place for learning and evidence on CEFMU.
• Working with the Learning Team, leads knowledge management activities for Girls Not Brides ensuring the organisation has the latest learning, evidence and data on CEFMU and has up-to-date evidence-based key messages on CEFMU and relevant topics.
• Oversees the development of learning resources and opportunities on ending child marriage, including the development of thematic briefs, learning or research webinars, capacity enhancement sessions, peer learning sessions, etc.
• Works closely with the Learning Team and Teams in Africa, Asia and LAC to identify and respond to learning priorities of member organisations in the Global Partnership.
• In close collaboration with Heads of Africa, Asia and LAC Teams, oversees the development and implementation of Girls Not Brides learning offer with National/State Partnerships, coalitions and members.
• In close collaboration with Teams in Africa, Asia and LAC, ensures the Secretariat works effectively with member organisations to document, collate and share information and evidence on what works to end child marriage, and supports effective action and results within the global Partnership and broader movement.
• Ensures timely and effective dissemination of key evidence and learning to all audiences through different channels e.g. newsletter, webinar, etc.

Leads on the uptake of knowledge, learning and evidence by member organisations to increase the quality and impact of programming and evidence-based influencing

Working closely with the Learning Team and colleagues in Africa, Asia and LAC Teams:

• Supports the facilitation of knowledge exchange with and between member organisation, National and State Partnerships and coalitions and the broader movement.
• Ensures Girls Not Brides provides technical assistance on learning, data and evidence to selected National/State Partnerships and coalitions to inform and strengthen their collective advocacy and programming.
• Contributes to translate learning and knowledge into impactful influencing initiatives and programmes.

Leads Girls Not Brides’ role to promote a stronger coordination of evidence generation at all levels

• Working closely with the Research and Humanitarian Manager, oversees the work of The Child Marriage Research to Action Network (CRANK) to support stronger coordination of global, regional, and national evidence generation which supports the movement’s efforts to accelerate change to end child marriage.
• Contributes to reinforce strategic partnerships with key stakeholders and to position Girls Not Brides with key research actors in the field such as the UN, academics, think tanks, etc. for better coordination in the field and stronger strategic collaborations.
• Works closely with the Research and Humanitarian Manager, to provide strategic direction and advice to Teams in Africa, Asia and LAC for a stronger coordination of evidence generation at regional and national level.
• Promotes and advocates for a more equitable knowledge system.

Actively contributes to the broader work of the Girls Not Brides Secretariat

• Responsible for tracking progress against Girls Not Brides key performance indicators relating to its Learning work.
• Contributes to development of funding proposals as requested.
• Represents Girls Not Brides at relevant events and meetings.
• Actively contributes to the Advisory Management Team and represents the Learning Team in key internal strategic and decision making spaces.

Wider responsibilities of Girls Not Brides team members

• Commit to the mission and vision of Girls Not Brides, putting them at the forefront of all planning, work and actions.
• Uphold the core values of Girls Not Brides in all areas of work and interactions with colleagues, member organisations, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Comply with Girls Not Brides’ policies and processes, with particular attention to safeguarding, the code of conduct and data protection.
• Ensure that internal databases and monitoring information are kept fully up to date.
• Commit to ongoing personal development and learning.
• Fulfil any other reasonable requests for the advancement of Girls Not Brides.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential experience

• Post graduate degree in a relevant area, such as social science, development studies, international relations, human rights or gender, or relevant proven professional experience.
• Significant experience in evidence, learning, and research and supporting the uptake of evidence for programming and influencing on social change issues.
• Proven track record of embedding a learning culture at the organisational level.
• Demonstrable experience of designing and conducting quantitative and qualitative research and evaluations.
• Proven experience in creating and managing high-performing teams, including strong and inclusive people management, line management of individuals, performance management, fostering ongoing professional development, team planning and budgeting.
• Deep knowledge and experience of gender and its application in research, programme and network spaces.
• Significant experience of working with a wide range of civil society organisations – from international NGOs to small grassroots organisations; knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing civil society organisations working to promote a child rights/gender equality agenda.

Essential skills and knowledge

• A good understanding of the CEFMU evidence base.
• Sound understanding of policy issues related to development, human rights, and work related to CEFMU.
• Ability to gather and research information from a broad range of sources, interpret complex and technical information and analyse data.
• Skills in quality assurance for research.
• Excellent communication, networking and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to collaborate with and inspire others.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Strong writing skills, with an ability to write in a variety of styles, for different audiences.
• Strong ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner.
• Ability to deal with competing demands, multiple priorities, time constraints and unanticipated events.
• Strong strategic planning and project management skills.
• A keen eye for accuracy and attention to detail.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office tools particularly Excel and Powerpoint.
• Fluent written and spoken English.
• Ability to build strong relationships while working remotely.

Essential values and attributes

• Deep knowledge and experience of intersectional gender analysis and its application in programming, movement building, research and governance and a proven commitment to embody and advance gender.
• Skilled team worker with an inclusive and collaborative approach, in line with Girls Not Brides’ values.

Desirable

• Understanding of child, early and forced marriage and unions from a feminist perspective and good links with key actors working to address CEFMU.
• A good understanding and/or experience in the Humanitarian Sector.
• Commitment and ability to apply feminist leadership principles.
• Knowledge of Spanish, French, Portuguese, or other relevant languages are highly desirable.

Safeguarding

Girls Not Brides is committed to safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk with whom our staff and representatives work and interface. Any employment with Girls Not Brides may be subject to the satisfactory completion of a background check and a criminal records check, which can include but is not limited to: an overseas police record check, a Disclosure and Barring Service Check (for those based in the UK) or an International Criminal Record Check (if applicable).

Diversity at Girls Not Brides

Girls Not Brides is an equal opportunities employer. We embrace diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion in a serious way. We are committed to building a staff body that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

How to apply

The closing date for this role is 17:00 GMT on Friday 8 March 2024.

To apply, please click on the ‘Apply now’ button on the job page and submit your CV and a brief cover letter (no more than two pages) demonstrating how you meet the criteria within the Person Specification.

We regret that due to the large number of applications anticipated, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.