Director, Performance, Evidence and Insights (PE&I)

Nairobi, Kenya
Full Time
Executive
Job Title: Director, Performance, Evidence & Insights (PE&I)
Department: Global Programs
Reports to: Chief Programs Officer
Supervises: Global PE&I Team, Country MEL Leads, Research Managers
Location: Nairobi/Kampala/Ouagadougou
Status: Full-time | Senior Leadership

1. Role Purpose and Context
The Director of Performance, Evidence & Insights (PE&I) is a senior leader responsible for advancing Living Goods’ evidence agenda and ensuring that high-quality data, rigorous research, and actionable insights are integral to strategy execution, program quality, and government partnership success.

Living Goods is a non-profit organization headquartered in Nairobi, with core operations in Uganda, Kenya, and Burkina Faso that partners with governments to train and digitally enable thousands of community health workers (CHWs) across Sub-Saharan Africa. Our mission is to dramatically improve maternal and child health by transforming community health systems through innovative technologies, performance management, and scalable, government-owned delivery models.

This role reflects a critical evolution in our MEL and research work, integrating traditional impact measurement with cutting-edge approaches in digital health, AI/ML, knowledge management, and systems thinking. The Director will spearhead efforts to embed adaptive learning, strengthen national data ecosystems, foster equitable data use, and institutionalize robust governance of evidence and analytics.

Critical Context: Significant cuts in bilateral assistance from US and European donors have reduced resources for health service delivery and health systems across Africa. Governments must now prioritize and optimize health investments, creating urgent demand for strong economic evidence demonstrating community health’s return on investment (ROI) and cost-effectiveness. This role is pivotal in positioning community health as an efficient, high-impact investment that delivers measurable ROI through integrated service delivery models.

Working closely with the Executive Leadership Team, this role will directly contribute to the strategic direction of Living Goods and our 2026+ strategic planning process. The Director will serve as a senior representative in technical and policy dialogues with governments, donors, and global health partners, advocating for evidence-based community health investments.

Living Goods is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and diverse workplace. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds who share our commitment to improving health outcomes in underserved communities.

2. Strategic Objectives of the Role
  • Lead the development and execution of an organizational MEL and evidence strategy aligned with Living Goods’ Theory of Change, government priorities, and economic sustainability imperatives.
  • Develop and refine Living Goods’ ROI methodology and economic case for community health investments, incorporating health systems cost savings, service integration benefits, and broader fiscal impact analysis.
  • Oversee the design and implementation of integrated, ethical, and high-quality MEL systems, including interoperability with national health information systems (e.g., DHIS2, ECHIS, EMRs).
  • Partner with Global Software Engineering to provide strategic guidance on artificial intelligence integration in driving implementation and impact of community health programs, including real-time data analytics, predictive modeling for CHW performance, and automated insights generation.
  • Lead evidence generation on service integration and cost-effectiveness, particularly documenting ROI and cost savings from integrating community health with primary health care systems.
  • Promote a culture of adaptive learning and continuous improvement through structured learning loops, after-action reviews, and feedback mechanisms.
  • Institutionalize a comprehensive knowledge management system to systematically capture, analyze, and disseminate insights across programs and stakeholders.
  • Ensure alignment with donor reporting and compliance requirements and lead the development of high-quality impact reports and technical documentation.
  • Champion equitable data practices, ensuring disaggregation and inclusion of gender, age, geography, and socioeconomic dimensions in all MEL work.
  • Support evidence translation into programmatic and policy decisions through actionable dashboards, economic briefs, and cross-sectoral learning engagements.
  • Build organizational and partner capacity in economic analysis, ROI calculation methodologies, and evidence-based advocacy while mentoring a high-performing, globally distributed team.
3. Key Responsibilities
Strategic Evidence & Economic Analysis
  • Design and implement a globally harmonized MEL framework that supports real-time program improvement, donor accountability, economic analysis, and strategic learning.
  • Lead development of comprehensive ROI calculations for community health investments, integrating direct health outcomes, health systems cost savings, and broader economic impacts.
  • Review and refine Impact Measurement methodologies to better capture service integration benefits and economic efficiency gains.
  • Generate robust evidence on cost-effectiveness of integrated service delivery models and community health-primary care integration.
Government Partnership & Systems Integration
  • Spearhead high-level collaboration with Ministries of Health to co-design joint MEL systems and strengthen the use of government data platforms for decision-making.
  • Support government partners in developing economic cases for community health investments to present to Ministries of Finance and political leadership.
  • Lead technical assistance on evidence generation, economic analysis, and data systems strengthening.
Technology & Innovation Leadership
  • Oversee the design, deployment, and continuous improvement of AI-enhanced dashboards, performance scorecards, and predictive analytics pipelines in collaboration with the Global Software Engineering team.
  • Partner with Global Software Engineering to provide strategic guidance on AI integration into community health programs, ensuring AI applications enhance implementation effectiveness, evidence generation, and program impact while maintaining data quality, user trust, and system interpretability.
  • Drive adoption of emerging technologies for real-time evidence generation and decision support in partnership with technical teams.
Research & Knowledge Management
  • Drive the development of a research agenda aligned with organizational learning priorities, including impact evaluations, implementation research, operational learning studies, and comprehensive knowledge management systems.
  • Lead internal peer review and ethics approval processes; ensure research meets international standards and local IRB requirements.
  • Oversee systematic documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, best practices, and economic evidence.
External Engagement & Representation
  • Represent Living Goods in global health convenings, donor engagements, technical working groups, and academic networks as a thought leader on community health economics and evidence generation.
  • Work with Business Development to incorporate evidence, economic analysis, and learning into funding proposals, donor reports, and strategic partnerships.
  • Lead advocacy efforts using economic evidence to position community health as a priority investment.
Team Leadership & Organizational Development
  • Lead and mentor a globally distributed team of approximately 15-20 professionals, including MEL advisors, research officers, data scientists, economists, and country-based MEL leads through both direct and matrix supervision.
  • Manage departmental budgets, including resource planning, external consultancy oversight, and internal investment prioritization.
  • Develop and champion internal data literacy and economic analysis capabilities, supporting all staff to understand and use insights to guide actions.
  • Invest in succession planning and professional development across the team.
4. Qualifications & Experience
Education & Professional Background
  • Master’s or PhD in Public Health, Epidemiology, Statistics, Health Economics, International Development, or related field.
  • At least 10 years of senior-level experience in MEL, research, health economics, or data systems leadership in international NGOs or health systems, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in government-facing roles, particularly with Ministries of Health, on technical assistance, co-creation, and joint monitoring initiatives.
  • Significant international and multicultural experience, with demonstrated ability to work effectively across diverse cultural contexts. Experience living and working abroad is strongly preferred.
Technical Expertise
  • Demonstrated success in leading teams responsible for designing and maintaining digital data systems (DHIS2, ECHIS, CommCare, Kobo, OpenMRS, etc.).
  • Hands-on experience applying AI/ML tools, predictive analytics, or automated insight generation for program optimization and learning.
  • Strong background in health economics, ROI calculation methodologies, and cost-effectiveness analysis.
  • Deep understanding of data ethics, safeguarding, and regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
  • Track record of publishing peer-reviewed research, policy briefs, economic analyses, or strategic learning products.
Leadership & Management
  • Proven experience leading cross-functional and globally distributed teams, managing matrixed teams, and building inclusive learning cultures.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences, with demonstrated ability in economic communication and advocacy.
  • Experience with bilateral and multilateral donor MEL frameworks and adaptive program management.
Team Scope: The Director will manage a team of approximately 15-20 professionals globally, including MEL advisors, research officers, data scientists, health economists, and country-based MEL leads. The role includes both direct and matrix supervision across regions, requiring strong skills in virtual team leadership and cross-cultural management.

5. Key Competencies
Technical & Strategic
  • MEL strategy and systems design
  • Health economics and ROI analysis
  • Research design and statistical analysis (quantitative and qualitative)
  • Advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI integration
  • Data integration and interoperability
  • Economic modeling and cost-effectiveness analysis
  • Knowledge management and organizational learning
  • Ethics, safeguarding, and regulatory compliance
  • Equity-centered measurement and disaggregation
Leadership & Management
  • Strategic planning and execution
  • Global team leadership and virtual management
  • Cross-functional collaboration and influence
  • Change management and behavior change
  • Talent development, mentoring, and succession planning
  • Budget and resource management
  • Strategic stakeholder engagement (internal/external)
Interpersonal & Cultural
  • Intercultural competence and global mindset
  • Emotional intelligence and psychological safety-building
  • Ability to manage complexity and ambiguity
  • Consensus-building and conflict navigation
  • Inclusive leadership and cultural competence
  • Economic communication and advocacy skills
  • Communication clarity and storytelling with data
6. Ideal Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will be:
  • A strategic economic thinker with deep technical acumen and practical experience in strengthening health systems, demonstrating ROI, and building economic cases for health investments.
  • A relationship builder who excels in building trust with government partners, donors, internal teams, and academic collaborators across diverse cultural contexts.
  • A systems leader capable of managing both big-picture economic architecture and the operational details of MEL, ROI calculation, and data integration.
  • A champion of learning and culture, able to embed curiosity, psychological safety, and cross-pollination across globally distributed teams.
  • A digital innovator who understands how to apply and scale emerging technologies, particularly AI/ML, responsibly and equitably for evidence generation.
  • A diplomatic communicator who represents Living Goods with credibility, humility, and thought leadership on the global stage, particularly in economic advocacy for community health investments.
  • An experienced global leader with demonstrated success managing multicultural teams and complex stakeholder relationships across multiple countries and contexts.
Living Goods is an equal - opportunity employer and will consider every qualified applicant for employment. Living Goods does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Our current job openings are displayed on our website, where you can search for open positions and apply directly. Living Goods does not offer any positions without an interview and never asks candidates for money. If you are asked for money, we strongly recommend that you do not respond and do not send money or personal information. If offered a role at Living Goods, we’ll request consent to complete a background check, which is part of our hiring process.
Share

Apply for this position

Required*
Apply with Indeed
We've received your resume. Click here to update it.
Attach resume or Paste resume
Attach resume as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, or .rtf (limit 5MB) or Paste resume

Paste your resume here or Attach resume file

Human Check*