Advisor, Economic Evaluation (P3)

Overview

This role supports program proposals and economic evaluation work to help vulnerable children achieve better outcomes. Reporting to the Lead Advisor for Economics and Data Analytics, the Advisor, Economic Evaluation will strengthen cost modeling, benchmarking, and cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness analysis to support strategic project design and evidence-based communication.

Responsibilities

Program Cost Modeling and Benchmarking for New Business Development (65%)

• Lead the development of program cost models to support proposal design, translating program strategies into activity-based budgets with realistic, competitive, and defensible unit costs (e.g., cost per beneficiary and cost per output; and, where prior impact evidence permits, expected cost per outcome).
• Develop and maintain internal cost benchmarks by analyzing historical program financial and results data across sectors and geographies, and by drawing on external benchmarks from peer organizations, donors, and published research.
• Support new business development, technical, and country office colleagues in interpreting cost benchmarks and building “top-down” cost estimates for proposals.
• Analyze cost drivers and cost variation across contexts, sectors, delivery modalities, and program phases, and translate findings into practical guidance for proposal design, budget review, and program adaptation.
• Engage in early proposal design to embed cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness considerations, respond to donor cost-effectiveness thresholds and value-for-money requirements, and strengthen the narrative linking costs to expected results.
• Build colleagues’ capacity to use cost modeling tools, benchmarks, and best practices through mentoring, coaching, training, and technical guidance.
• Contribute to the design and continuous improvement of tools, templates, guidance, and processes for cost modeling, activity-based budgeting, and cost benchmarking.

Program Cost Analysis and Research Support (30%)

• Plan, conduct, and support retrospective economic evaluations of programs, including cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness analysis, bringing together financial data, program/MERL data, impact evaluations, and external evidence.
• Apply and promote best-practice economic evaluation tools and methodologies, including the “4Es” framework: economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity.
• Synthesize and communicate cost and economic evaluation evidence for internal and external audiences through briefs, presentations, learning events, and contributions to knowledge products.
• Support and train colleagues on the principles and practice of economic evaluations.
• Participate in economic evaluation and evidence and learning communities of practice, and stay current on external thinking and practice in cost analysis, cost-efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in international development.

Other (5%)

• Contribute to team and wider divisional meetings and occasional corporate initiatives.
• Represent the organization in external forums and communities of practice related to economic evaluation, monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 5 years of relevant experience.
• Proven experience developing, reviewing, and analyzing program budgets in an international development or humanitarian context, including activity-based budgeting and cost modeling for proposals to institutional and/or private donors.
• Demonstrated skills in cost-efficiency analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis, and familiarity with the “4Es” framework.
• Demonstrated skills and experience analyzing complex quantitative data, including programmatic outputs, outcomes, and financial data, and translating results into practical recommendations for program design and management.
• Proven ability to plan and coordinate research and data analysis projects, working independently with minimal guidance and acting as a resource for colleagues with less experience.
• Proven facilitation, teaching, and coaching skills, including experience building the capacity of colleagues across different cultures and contexts using both in-person and remote approaches.
• Demonstrated writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to summarize, synthesize, and present technical cost and financial information to non-technical audiences and build consensus with diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals and teams at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Willing and able to travel, primarily internationally, up to 20% of the time.
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in economics, public policy, international development, applied statistics, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Familiarity with donor budget formats and cost norms across private foundations and philanthropy, US public donors, and multilateral donors.
• Experience with activity-based costing in an international NGO or international development context.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel or comparable tools for financial modeling and cost analysis.
• Proven proficiency using statistical or data-analysis programs (e.g., STATA, R, SPSS, Dioptra) and/or data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
• Professional proficiency in French, Arabic, or Spanish.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary

Salary ranges depend on candidate location (US based candidates):

• Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target salary: $91,800 - $102,600 base salary
• Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target salary: $83,725 - $93,575 base salary
• Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target salary: $74,800 - $83,600 base salary

For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges are based on the salary scales of the local employer of record. Actual base salary may vary based on, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location.

Benefits

• Flexible schedules and time off: flexible schedules, generous PTO, 11 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays, and hybrid working opportunities
• Health: competitive health care, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family
• Family: paid leaves including caregiver, parental/adoption, critical child illness, and fertility benefits
• Employee rewards: annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees
• Retirement: retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)
• Wellness: 15 safety and wellness days annually (if hired on or after July 1, safety and wellness days prorated to 8 days), mental health benefits and support
• Employee assistance: free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services
• Learning & growth: access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships

Location

• Hybrid: Washington DC, Fairfield, CT, or Lexington, KY office locations
• Remote: United States