The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is seeking an Officer, Learning and Evaluation (LEO) to support the Foundation's Refugees Initiative and help advance evidence-based decision-making across our global philanthropic work. The role is a part of the Strategy, Learning and Evaluation Division (SLED) that supports the Foundation’s initiative-level measurement, evaluation, and learning (MEL) efforts by providing technical leadership, evidence generation, and implementation support aligned with the Foundation’s strategic initiative strategies. Reporting to the Senior Learning and Evaluation Officer, this role will lead initiative-level measurement, evaluation, research, and learning activities that strengthen strategy, improve grantmaking, and contribute to better outcomes for vulnerable children and families in refugee and host communities.
The Refugees Initiative focuses on improving the lives of young refugee and host community children in Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, and Uganda.
Key Responsibilities
Performance Measurement, Monitoring, and Analysis
- Develop and oversee performance measurement frameworks, indicators, and reporting processes to monitor outcomes and assess portfolio performance across grants and strategic goals.
- Oversee grantee performance measurement across the grant cycle, from reviewing and approving grantee measurement plans during grant development through annual performance reporting, including internal grant evaluations that inform the renewal of board-level grants.
- Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to synthesize findings, identify trends, and translate complex information into clear recommendations and regular reporting for leadership and the Board of Directors.
- Provide measurement and evaluation guidance and coaching that strengthens the capacity of initiative staff and grantees.
MEL Strategy and Learning Agenda
- Lead the planning and execution of the Refugees Initiative's measurement, evaluation, and learning agenda, ensuring evidence and insights inform strategic decision-making and grantmaking.
- Partner closely with Strategy Officers, initiative leaders, grantees, and external evaluation partners to assess progress, identify learning opportunities, and support strategy refinement.
- Facilitate learning conversations, reflection sessions, and evidence reviews that support adaptive strategy development and continuous improvement.
Evaluation and Research Management
- Design, commission, and manage research studies, evaluations, and learning activities that generate actionable evidence and strengthen the Foundation's effectiveness and impact; manage relationships with external evaluators, researchers, consultants, and learning partners, ensuring projects are methodologically sound, aligned with strategic priorities, and completed successfully.
Communication, Collaboration, and Field Engagement
- Collaborate across Foundation teams, including Grants Management and Communications, to foster a culture of learning and evidence-informed decision-making.
- Develop presentations, data visualizations, learning products, and other communication materials that effectively share findings and promote the use of evidence internally and externally.
- Represent the Foundation at conferences, convenings, site visits, and learning networks to build partnerships, share insights, and stay informed of emerging trends and best practices in evaluation and learning.
- Contribute to cross-initiative collaboration, including coordinating with the Early Childhood initiative's learning and evaluation counterpart on shared measures under the two initiatives' common impact framework, and identifying opportunities for shared learning and alignment of measurement approaches across the Foundation.
- Bachelor's degree in public policy, social sciences, economics, statistics, program evaluation, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
- 7+ years of professional experience, including 3-5 years in measurement, evaluation, learning (MEL), applied research, or evaluation management.
- Strong expertise in quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, research design, performance measurement, and data interpretation, including the ability to match evaluation designs to the questions being asked and to critically assess data quality and the strength of findings.
- Experience generating evidence in settings where the existing evidence base is thin, including pragmatic study designs and work with imperfect administrative data.
- Experience managing third-party evaluations, research contracts, and multi-stakeholder projects, including setting measurement expectations upfront with co-funders, governments, and implementing partners.
- Experience measuring policy influence, systems change, or outcomes achieved through leveraged funding and partnerships.
- Ability to translate complex findings into actionable insights and communicate effectively to diverse audiences, including boards and non-technical decision-makers.
- Strong collaboration, facilitation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work as a peer counterpart to strategy staff.
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (approximately 15-20%), including to the initiative's geographies (Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, and Uganda).
- Ability to follow the Foundation’s mandatory hybrid work schedule by working on-site at headquarters three days per week (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) to support collaboration with cross-functional colleagues and key Foundation partners.
- Master's degree in a related field (e.g., public policy, public health, evaluation, economics, statistics, or social research methods).
- Measurement, evaluation, or research experience in refugee, forced displacement, or humanitarian settings.
- Experience in philanthropy or international development.
- Experience measuring early childhood development outcomes or evaluating two-generation (child and caregiver) programs.
- Experience working with locally led and refugee-led organizations, including participatory and culturally responsive evaluation approaches.
- Familiarity with impact investing, blended finance, or program-related investments, and with measuring leveraged capital.
- Professional proficiency in Spanish; other languages relevant to the initiative geographies are a plus.
- Familiarity with data visualization and analysis tools such as Power BI, Tableau, R, or Stata.
Physical Requirements
- Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
- Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
