Cape Town: Senior Learning and Experiments Manager (CPT/JHB) posted by Datafin

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Learning and Experiments Manager to join our team at Datafin. As the next Senior Learning and Experiments Manager, you will lead the design and implementation of developmental evaluations and rapid experiments to enhance programme effectiveness and responsiveness in our Community Upliftment Programme. You will synthesise insights to support leadership and staff in sense-making and decision-making, and foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation across the programme and its network.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and lead rapid experiments & nimble evaluations
• Together with the SDI Team Head, drive the design and execution of developmental evaluations and nimble experiments to improve effectiveness and responsiveness.
• Develop and implement fit-for-purpose monitoring and evaluation frameworks that align with strategic goals and learning priorities.
• Establish and refine key performance indicators (KPIs) and feedback mechanisms to track programme progress and impact.
• Strengthen monitoring and performance measurement
• Together with the SDI Team Head, drive the development and management of monitoring frameworks and tools to track programme performance and network-wide impact.
• Enhance the use of data dashboards and performance reports to support real-time decision-making.
• Enable data collection, analysis, and interpretation across the network.
• Support systems thinking and strategic coherence
• Synthesise data and insights to support leadership in sense-making, decision-making, and action-taking.
• Enable teams to apply systems thinking approaches to understand complex programme dynamics and improve strategic alignment.
• Promote coherence and alignment between monitoring, evaluation, learning, and strategy, seeking to ensure that theory of change is embedded into how decisions are made.
• Enhance data-driven decision-making
• Collaborate with the Data, Sense-Making, and Insights Team to strengthen data governance, integrity, and accessibility.
• Support the development of data feedback loops that enable real-time learning and adaptation.
• Build team and partner capacity to engage with and interpret data for programme improvement and strategic decision-making.
• Support network-wide adaptive learning and innovation
• Co-create the conditions for network-wide rapid learning, iterative experimentation, and collective intelligence.
• Drive the use of insights from MERL activities to inform programme design, scaling decisions, and innovation.
• Develop feedback mechanisms to ensure that insights from experiments and evaluations are used to improve programme models.
• Collaboration
• Work closely with the Innovation & Learning Portfolio, Programme Teams, and Development & Partnerships to align MERL activities with strategic priorities.
• Capacity Building: Develop and deliver training on MERL methodologies, adaptive management, and data interpretation.
• Ethics and Integrity: Ensure that MERL activities adhere to data governance, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience in Monitoring & Evaluation, Social Sciences, Public Policy, or a related field.
• Experience conducting experiments/studies/evaluations (e.g. developmental evaluations, rapid-cycle experiments, etc.)
• Excellent English writing skills, with a proven ability to synthesise complex data into actionable insights for strategic decision-making.
• Experience working with social impact organisations, programmes, or networks.

Qualifications

• Minimum Masters Degree or equivalent in Monitoring & Evaluation, Social Sciences, Public Policy, or a related field.