Careers at Girl Effect

Role Context

• The Evidence & Insights team within Girl Effect conducts formative research, monitoring & evaluation, research and learning to support the organisation in designing and developing our work to create the greatest impact for girls. We also work closely with the programmes and social behaviour change (SBC) teams to measure and evaluate our work against our specific objectives and demonstrate our impact to existing and potential donors as well as other stakeholders such as governments and community partners. The team plays a key role in ensuring we are a learning organisation, collecting and using data and insights to understand how we can maximise our reach & impact, and feeding that learning back into the organisation. As Girl Effect continues its implementation in Kenya across, Sexual reproductive health and Economic empowerment, digital health, we have an exciting and varied portfolio of research, monitoring and evaluation planned in Kenya. So, we are looking for an experienced monitoring, evidence, research and learning manager to join our team and to manage the delivery of this range of work in Kenya.

What you’ll do

• Working with the local and global team, implement the market research and knowledge building strategy that effectively informs, monitors, and evaluates the design and delivery of the Kenya program portfolio.
• Under the supervision of the senior E&I manager and the wider Evidence and Insights team, lead research projects, including tool design, data collection, data management and analysis, and report writing.
• Work closely with programmes, SBCC and create managers and communications teams throughout the research process to ensure MERL meets their needs and that findings are shared in engaging and impactful ways.
• Manage the research budget and prioritise resources to maximize the value of research and evidence generation activities.
• Support the commissioning of research projects and manage research agencies to conduct research activities; write requests for proposals and Terms of Reference for studies, review research tools, advise on sampling strategies and methodologies, and review analysis and reporting.
• Support with quality assurance during fieldwork, with on-site visits' or something, as I think this will be a key aspect of the role.
• Provide technical expertise to research, monitoring, and evaluation projects, working alongside our global MERL team as required. You will advise on fit-for purpose designs suggesting qualitative and/or quantitative methodologies or other approaches (e.g. using digital methods or secondary data sources) as appropriate.
• Ensure that Girl Effect’s ethical and safeguarding standards are upheld, and that field implementation is conducted to the highest standards, through training and oversight of field research partners.
• Ensure that research outputs are accessible, readily understandable, and useful, ensuring they are utilised as much as possible.
• Develop research partnerships with local and international research organisations to maximise opportunities for cost-sharing and joint learning.

This list should not be considered exhaustive; you will be expected to deliver other duties relevant and appropriate to this position.

Who You Are (Experience Required)

• Substantial experience (minimum 5 years) in applied research and/or monitoring and evaluation in Kenya or a postgraduate degree in a relevant field and at least 4 years of work experience.
• Passionate about working with adolescent girls and young women and truly supporting them thrive in challenging environments.
• Demonstrated experience in implementation of high quality qualitative and quantitative research design, fieldwork, data analysis and reporting.
• Experience   of   commissioning   and   managing   research   agencies   throughout   projects ensuring deliverables are completed on time and meeting the organisational needs.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative data analysis skills; proficient with digital adaptations.
• Demonstrated experience in uncovering new insights and translating these into exciting, engaging reports and research outputs.
• Experience in strategic planning and knowledge management
• Strong communication skills; able to work effectively across functions and countries.
• Excellent organisation and project management skills; able to develop and drive research processes and timelines.
• Strong cultural awareness and sensitivity about the cultures within which Girl Effect operates.
• Creative and inquisitive mindset with strong communication and organisational skills.
• Commitment to realising the potential of girls and to the vision and values of Girl Effect.

Desirable

• Expertise working with girls on sensitive issues in Kenya
• Experience with participatory engagement approaches
• Technical/theoretical knowledge in one or more of Girl Effect’s thematic areas (e.g. gender, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, or economic empowerment)
• Background in evaluating programmes that relate to women and girls
• Hands-on experience of applied research in emerging markets or developing contexts.
• Experience in training and mentoring others in research methods, data analysis and reporting. 
• Fluent in English, with a high level in writing as well as speaking

go to method of application »

Role Context

• The Program Manager will oversee, operational, technical, and programmatic excellence goals and execution of quality standards by providing wide-ranging operational, technical, and/or or project management support to a global digital health projects or digital portfolio of network members/country projects. Will  supervise consultants who serve as a global, network member/county focal point. Work with network members/country project teams, headquarters technical and service departments, and subcontractors to ensure program/project objectives are met to high standards of quality and timeliness and are in compliance with donor requirements. Ensure the programmatic and financial health and technical quality of a portfolio of network members and country or global project(s) of high complexity. Demonstrate advanced knowledge or provides specialized subject matter support in digital health or technology project management. Supports country, project, or departmental leadership with donor relations. May also contribute to wider departmental and/or organizational initiatives and working groups. Within a global project or technical team also contribute to the development of technical documents and presentations for internal and external audiences.

What you will do

Programme Planning, Design, Implementation, and Monitoring

• Lead the planning, implementation, and monitoring of project activities to ensure achievement of project goals and targets.
• Develop and manage annual, quarterly, and monthly work plans, tracking progress and addressing implementation challenges.
• Oversee project performance, ensuring timely delivery of milestones, outputs, and donor commitments.
• Monitor country office compliance with donor reporting requirements, performance metrics, financial processes, and operational procedures.
• Ensure adherence to donor regulations, government policies, and organizational standards and procedures.
• Coordinate consultants, partners, subcontractors, and county stakeholders to ensure effective project execution and alignment with project objectives.
• Lead and coordinate digital and community-based demand generation strategies to increase awareness, knowledge, and uptake of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services, particularly among adolescents and young people.
• Use audience insights, behavioural data, and performance analytics to continuously optimize demand generation interventions and strengthen conversion from awareness to service uptake. 
• Map, engage, and maintain strategic partnerships with public and private sector health facilities to strengthen service delivery, referral pathways, and access to sexual and reproductive health services.
• Establish and monitor linkages between digital demand-generation platforms and health facilities to facilitate service uptake and continuity of care.
• Work closely with county health teams, implementing partners, and service delivery points to monitor the availability of family planning commodities and identify potential stock-out risks.
• Support commodity security efforts by tracking family planning commodity supply trends, escalating supply challenges, and coordinating appropriate responses with relevant stakeholders.
• Support project monitoring, learning, and adaptive management by reviewing performance data and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Prepare and contribute to donor reports, technical documents, presentations, and other project deliverables.
• Foster strong relationships with donors, government counterparts, implementing partners, and health service providers to support project success and sustainability.

This list should not be considered exhaustive; you will be expected to deliver other duties relevant and appropriate to this position.

Who You Are

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate program vision into impactful delivery while spotting long-term opportunities.
• Partnership builder, with proven success in forging relationships across donors, governments, the private sector, and civil society.
• Effective communicator with excellent written, spoken, and presentation skills for donor reports, proposals, and public representation.
• Mission-driven leader, committed to youth empowerment, gender equality, and inclusion, especially for adolescent girls and young women.
• Team player, able to collaborate across diverse teams and digital platforms to ensure youth-centered and inclusive programming.

Work Experience and Education Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field
• Master’s degree in a related field(added advantage)
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in the design, delivery and implementation of health programs both public and private sector
• SRH programming experience a plus
• Knowledge of international development, international donor priorities and/or health areas required (Gates, CIFF, corporate and foundation donors).
• Excellent written, verbal, and cross-cultural communications skills. 
• Strong, proven skills in Excel, budget management and monitoring, and strong financial acumen.
• Excellent analytical/problem solving skills.
• Project and staff management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to multi-task and work effectively in a fast-paced team environment.
• Ability to work effectively independently and within diverse teams and contexts.
• Highly organized, diligent, reliable, and a self-starter.
• Ability to revise and improve processes to improve efficiency

go to method of application »

The Tech & Evolution

• The Shift to GenAI: For over a decade, Girl Effect has leveraged user insights to build safer digital platforms.  The integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) has fundamentally transformed their product offerings.
• Current Scale: Our custom GenAI feature—which safely sits behind strict, custom guardrails—has already processed over 150,000 user submissions. Plans are underway to expand this feature to mixed-coded languages in South Africa, Kenya, and India.
• The Next Frontier: Girl Effect is moving from simple question-answering to creating complex, long-term conversational pathways such as Single Session Interventions (SSIs) for mental wellbeing. Our interactions are deeply rooted in behavioral science, designed to safely nudge vulnerable young users toward positive health outcomes.

The Technical Stack

• AI & Orchestration: Python-based services integrating GPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), and Claude (Anthropic).
• Infrastructure: Custom RAG pipeline, real-time performance metrics, and guardrails hosted on Azure.
• Channels: We deploy to WhatsApp, MoyaApp, Telegram, and custom web apps.

Key Skills & Requirements

• You’re a GenAI and LLM expert: You have hands-on, proven experience building with modern AI frameworks and models, using the elements described above in our technical stack. You possess a postgraduate degree in Data Science (or a similar field), are familiar with the full software development lifecycle, and can help to guide big architectural choices.
• You care deeply about user safety: Working with vulnerable youth means safety isn't an afterthought for you. You are passionate about building responsible AI, setting up rigorous evaluation metrics, and ensuring every chatbot interaction is accurate, secure, and helpful.
• You are an excellent collaborator and translator: You can seamlessly sit at the center of technical and non-technical worlds. You are comfortable talking code and setting standards with data scientists, whilst open to discussing impact and behavior change goals with subject matter experts in mental health, safeguarding, and evaluation to understand the use case.
• You can juggle and own: You have strong organizational skills and are able to prioritize a technical roadmap in an agile environment. You are ready to conduct code reviews, design experiments to prove the tech works, and represent the organization's data science vision at public events or partner meetings.
• You are mission-driven: Above all, you have a genuine passion for using technology to make a tangible, positive impact on the lives of young girls around the world.

Qualifications:

• Postgraduate degree in Data Science or a relevant discipline
• Strong technical acumen, able to guide decisions on digital platforms and tools.
• Understanding and experience of the software lifecycle
• Exceptional organizational and multitasking skills.
• Proven expertise in the application of LLM and GenAI technologies
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with staff at all levels of the organization
• A genuine passion for our mission and the positive impact we’re making on the lives of girls.