We are seeking a Director of Evidence and Impact to lead and develop this function into a world-class department. As a specialist in criminal justice, this role will specifically lead on evidencing the impact of Justice Defenders’ legal work. Primarily, this position will be responsible for producing quantitative and qualitative evidence, identifying what is behind good practice and positive results.

The Director of Evidence and Impact will transform how we use data to improve outcomes for the people we serve. They will prove the impact of our legal education, training and practice and public interest litigation, highlighting particularly impactful cases and our contribution to them. Ultimately increasing the overall efficiency and efficacy of our organisation. The post holder will work across Justice Defenders to oversee the data supply chain, validate the accuracy of the data produced and feed back into the continual improvement of our delivery.

This position will be responsible for leading data analysis and evaluation, and for maintaining the quality of the impact generated by the organisation. The Director of Evidence and Impact will build and lead the Monitoring & Evaluation team to generate robust evidence on what works and what needs correcting. Improving our Monitoring & Evaluation systems, legal education, training and practice, and ultimately the outcomes for defenceless people seeking justice.

The Director of Evidence and Impact serves as a member of the Leadership Team, providing insights into organisational performance and trends to inform growth and decision-making. The evidence this senior role brings will enable Justice Defenders to scale its operations and demonstrate the social and financial case for investment with donors and the general public.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide strategic leadership to our work in building evidence for the impact of Justice Defenders’ legal education, training and practice across multiple countries and contexts.
• Set Justice Defenders’ strategy for monitoring and evaluation and impact.
• Provide final oversight of all aspects of our legal education, training and practice monitoring and evaluation and impact indicators.
• Build world-class systems for evidence and impact that provide a strong foundation for the long-term flourishing of the organisation.
• Lead the hiring and management of a high-performing monitoring and evaluation team based on the organisation’s identified needs and strategic goals.
• Provide mentoring and training within our team, and create a nurturing environment that encourages the growth and development of colleagues in their work relating to evidence and impact.
• Lead in building and running a data-driven approach, creating a core analytical capability, and building a culture of high impact across Justice Defenders.
• Provide and own evidence for decision-making, business and strategic planning.
• Drive the production of engaging dashboards and reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure our use of data is aligned with our values and honours those we work alongside.

YOUR PROFILE

We are looking for candidates who posses the following skills, competencies and experiences:

• Background in law and legal research, evaluation and data analysis.
• Expertise in evaluating legal practice, ideally as part of a law firm.
• Recognised track-record in building evidence / impact assessment / monitoring and evaluation across a law firm or criminal justice organisation, ideally in low-income countries (you probably have at least 10 years of relevant experience).
• An established legal publication record, as demonstrated through authorship of relevant technical reports or academic articles.
• Experience of setting up and leading high performing teams.
• Advanced skills in qualitative and / or quantitative methodologies and analysis (and use of relevant analysis tools such as MaxQDA, Nivivo, R, STATA etc).
• Accomplished presenter and able to represent Justice Defenders effectively on issues of evidence and impact with high-level stakeholders including donors, Board members, UN agencies, government departments etc. 
• Ability to navigate sensitive and complex interactions with senior stakeholders in a range of different cultural contexts, winning support from managers and data officers in operational hubs.
• Outstanding written output and the ability to produce documents in a timely manner and with eye for detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and alignment with the values of Justice Defenders.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Write letters of intent, grant proposals, applications, and other means of communication to grant makers.

The role will conduct the full range of activities required to prepare, submit, and manage grant proposals and reports by:

• Cultivating new and existing grant donor relationships
• Assisting programme team in identifying funding needs and developing proposal and evaluation tools
• Working with executive and finance team to develop budgets for grant applications
• Working with the Director of Growth and programme heads to gather information necessary to report to funders on current grant programmes.
• Working with the Communications and Content Lead and the local Communications Officers to plan and gather compelling impact stories to support upcoming reports and proposals
• Maintaining grant records, track due dates for applications and reports; serve as point person for grant compliance, assessing if programmes are meeting expectations and timelines of grant awards
• Providing prompt responses to internal and external information inquiries of the organisation, via phone, email, or in person
• Performing prospect research and evaluate prospects for corporate and foundation grants
• Assisting with other fundraising projects as requested

YOUR PROFILE

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, social sciences or related field preferred; may substitute six (6) years of work experience in grant writing and program management for degree
• Minimum of two (2) years of professional writing experience, with preference for foundation grant-related work
• Familiarity with donor relations preferred
• Ability to utilise a database to track both programme and fundraising data and generate reports
• Ability to organise workload, exercise independent judgment, and maintain self-motivated and self-directed schedule
• Capable of addressing multiple projects in time-sensitive manner, taking initiative and remaining flexible to ensure objectives are met accurately and timely
• Committed to maintaining the integrity of confidential communications and/or activities
• Professional, courteous, cooperative, positive and effective with a diversity of individuals and groups
• Able to handle multiple assignments and meet deadlines
• Strong contributor in team environments. Must be able to work and communicate with individuals at all levels of the organisation, across countries, cultures, and timezones 
• Strong editing skills & attention to detail
• Experience working in deadline-driven environments