Unit Global Insights - Research, Development, Advocacy (FSC)
Preferred location Vienna (Austria), Skopje (North Macedonia), Dakar (Senegal), La Paz (Bolivia), Nairobi (Kenya), Faridabad (India), Amman (Jordan)
SOS Children’s Villages, founded in 1949, is the world’s largest non‑governmental organization focused on supporting children and young people without parental care, or at risk of losing it. Locally led, we work in more than 130 countries and territories to strengthen families who are under pressure so they can stay together. When this is not in a child or young person’s best interests, we provide quality care according to their unique needs. Together with partners, donors, communities, children, young people and families, we enable children to grow up with the bonds they need to develop and become their strongest selves. We speak up for each child’s rights and advocate for change so all children can grow up in a supportive environment.
Mission
The Global Insights Unit sets standards and processes for programme data, manages programme IT systems, and delivers global insights across the federation. By integrating data governance, systems management, analytics, and reporting, the unit ensures that reliable, secure, and consolidated programme data is available to member associations, governing bodies, and partners to support accountability, learning, and evidence‑based decision‑making. The M&E Advisor provides strategic leadership for the global monitoring and evaluation framework of SOS Children’s Villages International, driving the generation and use of evidence at both global and national levels and strengthening the federation’s ability to measure impact.
Responsibilities
* Lead the development, governance and continuous improvement of the global M&E framework, including indicators, data collection & quality standards and evaluation guidance.
* Ensure the M&E framework is aligned with organisational strategy, theory of change, minimum standards and programme quality frameworks.
* Manage diverse internal and external stakeholders (governing bodies, member associations, donors, partners, academic collaborators) and align expectations on impact reporting and evidence needs.
* Promote and support compliance with global M&E standards, donor requirements, ethical data practices and safeguarding guidelines across stakeholders.
* Lead and facilitate the global network of M&E focal points, promoting peer learning and strengthening technical capacity across the federation.
* Design and deliver global webinars, training materials, communities of practice, and develop competency frameworks to advance MEAL professionalism.
* Lead the generation of federation‑wide evidence for key reporting processes, including external communications and reporting to governing bodies.
* Translate global insights, evaluation findings and data into actionable recommendations and inform strategic and programme decision‑making.
* Coordinate multi‑country or portfolio evaluations, develop terms of reference, assure methodological rigor and ensure timely dissemination of findings.
* Improve quality standards and processes for evaluations, research studies and assessment tools.
* Work closely with strategy, programme, research, advocacy and communication teams to ensure an integrated, coherent approach to M&E.
Safeguarding Responsibilities
* Commit to the Code of Conduct and reflect on safeguarding implications of work on an ongoing basis.
* Actively participate in team discussions to identify risks and share and apply preventative and mitigation measures.
* Integrate safeguarding principles into daily decisions and tasks.
* Report any safeguarding concerns promptly and in line with procedures.
* Promote a values‑based culture, accountability and zero tolerance of harm.
Requirements
* Position requires 5–8 years of experience.
* Minimum 5 years of relevant experience coordinating M&E systems, frameworks or evaluation functions in complex organisational environments.
* Minimum 3 years of experience managing or supporting complex M&E projects, including rollout of tools, methodologies, surveys and data collection systems.
* Experience in developing or applying M&E frameworks, indicators and data collection approaches to support insights generation and data‑driven decision‑making.
Technical Skills – Essential
* Advanced expertise in monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning methodologies (MEAL).
* Advanced knowledge of M&E framework design, indicator development, evaluation design and learning systems.
* Intermediate experience in designing and implementing data collection approaches.
* Intermediate facilitation, training and stakeholder engagement skills for capacity building.
* Intermediate ability to translate evidence into clear narratives and insights for reporting and decision‑making.
* Intermediate knowledge of data interpretation and analysis.
Technical Skills – Desired
* Background in research methodologies (quantitative and qualitative).
* Experience with digital data collection/survey tools (e.g. KoboToolbox or equivalent).
* Familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
* Familiarity with data integration between data collection tools and reporting solutions.
Other Competencies and Soft Skills
* Strategic thinker able to connect M&E insights to organisational priorities.
* Strong communication skills for both technical and non‑technical audiences.
* Strong leadership and influencing skills; ability to manage expectations and build trust with internal and external stakeholders.
* Strong interpersonal skills and high cultural sensitivity.
Ways of Working
* Global collaboration and communication – Working effectively across countries, cultures and time zones by maintaining clear communication, transparency and shared understanding within distributed teams.
* Cross‑functional collaboration – Working closely with colleagues across different functions and areas of expertise to combine knowledge, solve problems collectively and deliver meaningful outcomes aligned with the organisation’s mission.
* Effective collaboration within matrix structures – Working constructively within solid and dotted reporting lines by maintaining open communication, aligning priorities with both line and functional managers, and ensuring clarity on roles, responsibilities and expectations to support coordinated delivery across teams.
* Flexibility and adaptability – Remaining responsive to evolving contexts and adjusting priorities, approaches and ways of collaboration as projects, services or organisational demand evolve.
* Ownership and accountability – Taking responsibility for advancing tasks and initiatives, proactively addressing obstacles, and ensuring that commitments, decisions and actions are carried through to completion, taking initiative within your scope of responsibility rather than waiting for direction.
* Strengthening member associations and their autonomy – Ensuring that knowledge, tools and lessons from projects and services are shared with member associations so they can learn from the work carried out and progressively strengthen their capacity and independence.
* Continuous feedback and transparency – Contributing to a culture where feedback and data are shared openly and constructively, enabling teams and stakeholders involved to reflect, learn and continuously improve their work and impact.
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