Job Title: Senior Measurement, Evaluation and Learning Manager (Internal title: MEL Orchestrator)
Reports to/team: Learning Orchestrator/The Hub
Contract: Permanent
Level: Advanced
Please refer to our Capability Framework
Salary: Competitive for Not-for-Profit Organisation
Location: Poland, Belgium, Italy, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia, Austria, Spain
Start Date: As soon as possible
Apply By: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis – please apply early.
ABOUT US
At Climate KIC, we are wholeheartedly committed to building a diverse and representative team and an inclusive workplace that values different life experiences and perspectives, and we encourage personal development, learning and growth.
When recruiting, we look to achieve diversity in the candidate pool. We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and are happy to consider reasonable adjustments that will foster success in potential colleagues from diverse backgrounds and life situations. And because our team has differing needs and personal circumstances, we offer a high degree of flexibility to accommodate working patterns. We’re happy to discuss your situation during the interview and see how best we can support you. Don’t let Imposter Syndrome stop you from applying!
Climate KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is Europe’s foremost climate innovation initiative. We understand that global temperature rise is exceeding 1.5C and this demands unprecedented change. It requires new social dynamics, ways of doing business, capital flows, policymaking, economic models, and new ways of living. That is why our mission is to leverage the power of systems innovation to transform whole places, industries and value chains by 2030, working across sectors to develop and scale ambitious programmes. Climate KIC’s strategy 2024-2030, Transformation, with Urgency, is available here.
Climate KIC operates as a not-for-profit foundation working through public-private partnership, wielding both public and private funding. Established in 2010 and headquartered in Amsterdam, we orchestrate a community of more than 150 organisations including large corporations and SMEs, municipal and regional governments, universities and research institutes, as well as non-governmental organisations and civil society actors.
Climate KIC leads the implementation of the European Union’s Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and the launch pilot of the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, both with the objective of catalysing rapid and deep transformation on a large scale, creating the precedent and economic transition conditions for demonstration, learning, capacity building, fast followership and investment. Achieving the EU Cities Mission will mean avoided scope 1 and 2 emissions alone of an estimated 0.7GT CO2e between now and 2040.
Climate KIC has a Remote-First approach, where colleagues work remotely from home based in one of the countries where we have a branch or employing entity (and can work out of local offices or co-working seats, where they exist). We meet at our local offices to exchange and connect and use online collaboration tools to work with each other and with our community. On occasion, we meet in person as teams, and once per year as an organisation.
As a mission-driven organisation dedicated to climate transformation, we consider the climate impact of our own actions, for example travel, catering, or IT equipment.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
Climate KIC has been progressing our strategy by taking a portfolio approach informed by Sensemaking at different levels. Against this backdrop, our small central Measurement, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Team plays a pivotal role in helping us understand if we are doing things right and doing the right things. We actively pursue innovative approaches to Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning to assess our progress, support review and implementation of our strategy, and help us reach the climate goals we have set. The central MEL Team is part of The Hub, an interconnected team spanning Portfolio, Community, Policy, Fundraising and Partnerships, Enabling Services and Operations as well as Communications, MEL and Learning. The Hub seeks to be a catalyst for systemic impact, ensuring Climate KIC operates as more than the sum of its parts.
The Senior MEL Manager (internally referred to as the MEL Orchestrator) is responsible for implementing our evolving organisational MEL Framework, ensuring our MEL practices, standards and MEL outputs are fit-for-purpose and user-oriented. Being actively involved in the organisational Portfolio Sensemaking process, the role holder will be expected to synthesise and feed forward insights and emerging signals from MEL work in our portfolio in appropriate ways – in collaboration with other MEL colleagues -, and ensure that we continue to adjust our MEL practice to keep it fit-for-purpose and user-oriented. Central MEL tasks are currently divided across two positions but with close links to other delivery teams that require both guidance and an open ear for feedback.
You will also collaborate closely with Climate KIC's Board and the organisation’s executive, operational and strategic leadership. You will act as a key focal point for internal MEL co-ordination, driving integration of MEL practices in everything we do, convening others on MEL-adjacent issues where appropriate, while advising on cross-cutting evaluative exercises and evaluation innovation. While much of the work of this role is focussed on internal audiences, there are close linkages with outward looking functions in Climate KIC, such as Community, Partnershps and Marketing and Communications. You will have an opportunity to engage with external MEL and systems change communities on transformative evaluation. Also, you will continue the work on strategic business development for MEL.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Spearhead the implementation of Climate-KIC’s evolving MEL Framework and practice, with management and oversight of internal MEL processes as needed, ensuring ongoing alignment with needs, good practices and our refreshed strategy;
Foster connections with organisations and people interested in funding innovative evaluation work or who can enhance our MEL knowledge and expertise;
Collaborate internally and externally on business development to support the MEL function and learning by doing;
Maintain the latest theoretical and practical knowledge about MEL, complexity theory, transition theory and related organizational development approaches, including engagement with relevant communities of practice
Scoping and management of externally contracted MEL services where required;
Provide mentoring and leadership to colleagues on strategic and MEL-related challenges;
Co-lead/support our Sensemaking approach as a key component of our learning-by-doing practice.
Synthesise monitoring and evaluation evidence to inform decision-making and communications and pro-actively facilitate the engagement of stakeholders with evaluative evidence;
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
The MEL Orchestrator will lead the Measurement, Evaluation and Learning function, and will hold close working relationships across the organisation, specifically delivery clusters, Learning and Portfolio, the Marketing and Communications Team, Strategic Partnerships and others. Central MEL is part of the Hub team. The MEL Ochestrator will also interact with our Advisory Board and Leadership Team, therefore the ability to establish interaction and strategic communication is an important aspect of the role.
REQUIRED BACKGROUND, EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS
Education/Qualifications
Advanced degree or equivalent experience in a social, natural or environmental science
Post-qualification training in monitoring and evaluation desirable but not a must
Experience
Demonstrated experience of designing and maintaining an organisation-wide MEL framework aligned with the organisation's mission, strategy, and values;
Demonstrated experience of integrating MEL with organisational strategy development and review processes;
Demonstrated experience of leading communities of practice and design strategies for MEL capacity development;
Demonstrated experience of successfully managing key stakeholder relationships and advocating for MEL internally and externally;
Deep familiarity with MEL and management challenges linked to hard-to-measure outcomes, complexity, systems change and within relevant sectors, and with the evaluation field more broadly, including with relevant trends, directions, challenges
Skills
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Demonstrated ability to synthesise information efficiently for different audiences
Ability to lead, motivate and support colleagues
Strong group facilitation skills, including for virtual meetings and diverse participants
Excellent time and self-management skills
Qualities, Personal Style, and Approach
Flexible and professional with a ‘Get it done’ orientation
Confident, credible and able to influence others
Collaborative team-player able to work effectively within a matrix structure
Active interest and commitment to learning and applying new approaches/methods
Develops and maintains strong networks and partnerships both nationally and internationally.
