Role Description

We are seeking a Director of Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) to build and lead 2AI's MLE function from the ground up. You will set the evidence standard for our live Agriculture and Health programs and for new interventions developed by our Incubator, and you will be accountable for the technical rigor of what we measure, learn, and report.

This is a founding role. The team, systems, and protocols do not exist yet, and you will design them. We are also looking for someone who pushes on how frontier AI can make MLE faster, cheaper, and more rigorous, and who shows our team and the wider field what is possible.

• Set MLE strategy and standards: Define 2AI's approach to measurement and evaluation across Agriculture, Health, and the Incubator, and hold a consistently high bar for rigor from design through dissemination, including minimum standards for how we act on weak or emerging evidence, uncertainty, and key assumptions.
• Push the frontier on AI-enabled approaches to MLE: Test and create industry best practices for AI-enabled MLE approaches, and share learnings with the sector. Explore frontier AI tools and techniques, such as LLM-assisted evidence synthesis and agentic analysis pipelines, to improve the quality, speed, and cost of evaluation.
• Build and lead the MLE team: Design the team structure, recruit the first hires, and develop them into a high-performing group.
• Set a clear performance bar and build a culture of active feedback.
• Provide technical supervision and mentorship on diagnosing and solving complex problems.
• Assess the evidence base for early-stage programs: Provide advisory support to Incubator, 2AI’s new program development unit (~30% of your time).
• Review existing evidence with the Incubator team and stress-test hypotheses.
• Serve as a thought partner to the Incubator team on program assessment and pilot design, ensuring pilots are designed to be measurable and focused on the most important learning goals.
• Identify evidence gaps and develop stage-appropriate learning plans.
• Review outcome and cost-effectiveness models: Pressure-test cost effectiveness analyses built by the Incubator team.
• Build measurement systems for live programs: Design protocols and data collection processes grounded in operational realities.
• Drive data-driven decision-making: Identify the highest-value questions across the portfolio.
• Own the MLE budget and resourcing plan: Plan resources for a new function and secure the buy-in and funding to sustain it.
• Represent 2AI's evidence externally: Communicate methods, findings, and learning to funders and partners.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in monitoring, learning, and evaluation, including hands-on leadership of a rigorous quantitative function.
• An advanced degree in economics, statistics, public health, or another quantitative field, or a comparable mix of advanced training and technical experience. A PhD is optional.
• Expertise in evaluation design and analysis, including statistically rigorous impact evaluations, process evaluations, and mixed-methods approaches.
• Fluency in interpreting existing evidence and translating it into informed program decisions.
• A track record of building teams and developing senior technical talent.

Requirements

• Strategic judgment: the instinct to identify problems early and the curiosity to ask the questions that clarify context.
• Clear understanding of and experience in using AI in the MLE process.
• Quantitative modeling under uncertainty, including outcome and cost-effectiveness estimates for early-stage programs.
• Comfort with ambiguity and experience setting up new systems, structures, and standards where none exist.
• A bias to action: the ability to make tough choices among imperfect options and communicate the tradeoffs.
• Technical communication: the ability to adjust style between MLE specialists, funders, government counterparts, and non-technical audiences.
• Relationship-building with program teams, partners, and peer organizations.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, including health, vision, and dental.
• Retirement plans.
• Generous and flexible leave options.
• Other employee perks.

Company Description

Evidence Action is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to diversity. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply.

The expected role range for this position is listed below. We consider multiple factors when determining the base salary for a role, including but not limited to: role scope, program budgets, internal equity, and a candidate's qualifications and/or prior experience.

The pay range for this role is: 142,000 - 162,000 USD per year.

While we are currently incubated at Evidence Action, 2AI is in the process of spinning out as an independent organization. New employees will be hired directly by 2AI.