Director, Strategic Research & Evidence

World Vision Applied Research Lead

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 31,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children's life stories!

Job Purpose:

Lead World Vision's applied research, evidence generation and learning translation function, using child data across the partnership - AIM/AIM+, programme monitoring, evaluations, operational research and commissioned studies - to produce decision-useful, externally credible evidence. The role commissions and leads applied research, evidence synthesis and university partnerships; translates findings into actionable learning and strategic insight; and ensures evidence informs programme quality, fundraising, policy influence and senior leadership decisions.

Child Data Analytics & Insights retains ownership of analytics, dashboards, data products and analytical services.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead applied research and evidence synthesis using child data from AIM/AIM+, programme monitoring, evaluations, operational research, commissioned studies and other evidence sources.
• Deliver the annual AIM/AIM+ insight narrative as a research/learning product, translating OP3 and senior-leadership questions into answerable research questions, data stories and decision-use products.
• Commission and/or lead secondary analyses of the 400,000+ household AIM data set and other datasets to generate cross-country insights across child wellbeing, resilience, vulnerability, equity and integrated sector outcomes.
• Set interpretation standards for child-data research, including methods, uncertainty, claim boundaries, reproducibility and responsible use of sensitive data. Coordinate with DMEAL and data governance on data availability, quality, extracts and analytical constraints.
• Translate the OP3 research agenda into a sequenced portfolio of studies across Integrated Child Wellbeing Pathways, Christian Faith/Spiritual Nurture/Child Flourishing, Climate Stress and Child Resilience, Long-Term Community Transformation, and Local-to-Global Systems Transformation.
• Commission, scope, lead and quality assure research studies, evidence syntheses, secondary analyses, mixed-methods, ex-post/longitudinal and quasi-experimental or comparative designs.
• Ensure research designs address cross-sector programming questions across health, nutrition, WASH, livelihoods, child protection, resilience, climate, faith and development, systems transformation, and humanitarian/nexus contexts.
• Develop or approve research questions, theories of change, protocols, TORs/RFPs, analysis plans, sampling approaches, ethics/IRB pathways, data-use agreements, publication plans, technical review processes and acceptance criteria. Coordinate with FO/RO teams, Support Offices, sector leads, GAM, A&EE, DM, universities and external researchers so commissioned studies are rigorous, feasible, field-grounded and operationally usable.
• Develop university and research-institution partnerships that strengthen methodology, credibility, peer review, publication potential and access to specialists.
• Shape joint research through co-PI models, advisory groups, fellowship/student pipelines, data access protocols, authorship plans, dissemination and workplans.
• Build publication and dissemination pathways, including peer-reviewed outputs, working papers, evidence briefs, donor-facing research products and public learning products.
• Agree partnership scope, deliverables, data-use arrangements, ethical requirements, acceptance criteria and dissemination expectations with legal, data governance, safeguarding and line management as needed.
• Mobilise technical and funding leverage by matching WV data assets, field presence and OP3 priorities with external expertise in child wellbeing, faith and development, health/nutrition, climate, systems and longitudinal research.
• Represent WV research and evidence agenda with academic partners, donors, Support Offices, foundations and external evidence networks.
• Translate research findings and child-data findings into leadership-ready insight products, Research Board materials, executive briefs, donor-facing narratives, programme design implications, influence products and practical learning tools.
• Define an evidence-to-decision pathway for each major research product, identifying the decision owner, intended use, audience, timing, format and measure of uptake before products are commissioned or produced.
• Facilitate interpretation and uptake with programme, sector, FO/RO, SO, GAM, advocacy, communications and senior leadership teams so findings inform design, adaptation, fundraising, policy influence and external positioning.
• Track whether research improves decisions, is used by external actors, or contributes to resource mobilisation, aligned with the OP3 success metrics…