Johannesburg: Head of Research, Reflection Evaluating (Hybrid/Remote) posted by Datafin

February 11, 2026 Jobs in Central Johannesburg

Job Description

Head of Research, Reflection & Evaluating (Hybrid/Remote)Other
KwaZulu Natal – South Africa, Johannesburg – Gauteng – South Africa, Western Cape – South Africa, Remote

ENVIRONMENT:

LEAD research programmes & projects in a relatively new and exciting Innovation & Learning portfolio as the next Head of Research, Reflection & Evaluating sought by a Community Upliftment Programme based in Johannesburg. You will explore and seek new knowledge and introducing whats valuable to the programme appropriately, manage research & evaluation assets while designing appropriate (often mixed methods) approaches and adapting these over time. Applicants will require a Masters Degree or equivalent with relevant experience, preferably PhD with practical experience with at least . 8 years relevant and diverse experience in complex organisational-systemic contexts incl.

4 years in senior role(s) successfully leading functions and managing teams. You must also have experience of social impact initiatives, programmes and/or organisations, thoughtful familiarity with M&E/MEL/MERL approaches and practices & a track record of, and strong appetite for, seeing patterns and building coherence amid complexity.

DUTIES:

Leading and developing approach(es) to identifying, creating, nurturing and sharing knowledge (know-how & know-that) for use across the network and ecosystem

Explore and seek new knowledge and introducing whats valuable to the programme appropriately.
Collaboratively question key assumptions.
Collaboratively identify, create, and package knowledge for use & sharing

Lead an asset-based orientation to knowledge.
Create, distil and/or package knowledge from peoples experience and expertise, with an orientation towards peoples agency & diversity, and positive deviance.

Co-create the network-wide conditions for more deeply reflective practice and evaluative thinking (with the rest of the Innovation & Learning portfolio) –

Reflective practice: asking questions & questioning assumptions about ones own work and ways of working (standing on the balcony outside the dance, double loop learning, reflexivity, etc.).
Evaluative thinking: an attitude of inquisitiveness and a belief in the value of evidence

Leading and developing approach(es) to researching and evaluating –

Lead and manage an iterative, multi-question, multi-year agenda focused on use/utilisation.
Build wider understanding across the programme of the nature and value of questioning, researching & evaluating incl. evaluating as integral to practice; and research as informed by & informing practice.
Lead the programme using research in evaluating and using both in learning.
Build and sustain research-practice partnerships to realise the programmes approach.
Manage research & evaluation assets.
Researching: Curiously and creatively formulate, prioritise, and inquire into questions with appropriate discipline(s) and diligence yielding conclusions and new questions.
Evaluating: Any systematic process to judge merit, worth or significance by combining evidence and values. More specifically: Evaluation science is systematic inquiry into how, and how well, interventions aimed at changing the world work.

Leading scoping, designing and managing research and evaluation programmes and projects

Design appropriate (often mixed methods) approaches and adapting these over time.
Develop appropriate terms of reference and requests for proposal for independent evaluations.
Lead and manage research and/or evaluation programmes and/or projects.
Conduct research and/or evaluations.

REQUIREMENTS:

Qualifications

Minimum Masters Degree or equivalent with relevant experience; preferably PhD with practical experience.

Experience/Skills

Min. 8 years relevant and diverse experience in complex organisational-systemic contexts incl.
Min. 4 years in senior role(s) successfully leading functions and managing teams.
Experience of social impact initiatives, programmes and/or organisations.
Comfort and confidence leading sophisticated research and evaluations.
People-and-user-centered approaches to research and evaluating.
Thoughtful familiarity with M&E/MEL/MERL approaches and practices.
A track record of, and strong appetite for, seeing patterns and building coherence amid complexity.

Advantageous

Fluency in one or more African languages.
Proficiency in/with

Tools suited to relevant research methods.
Developmental evaluation.

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