Siren is seeking a Senior Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer to join a dynamic, multi-disciplinary team to help us bring together evidence from across our work, identify connections and emerging insights, and communicate the wider story.
This role will connect information across project activity, identify patterns, tensions and emerging questions, and turn complex findings into clear, credible and compelling narratives for a wide range of audiences.
The successful candidate will be an excellent researcher and writer with a strong understanding of the Lebanese socio-economic and political context. They will combine analytical rigour with curiosity and judgment, helping teams, partners and decision makers understand not only what is happening, but why it matters and what to do next.
Siren already runs a robust MEL system, and we are looking for the right person to join our team and help us draw even greater value from the evidence we generate. This is not primarily a role for designing or administering a MEL system. The priority is to connect and interpret evidence across our work, identify the bigger picture, and communicate with clarity and purpose.
Siren is an equal opportunity employer. At Siren we value ethics, dedication, sustainability, safeguarding, respect, and inclusion.
Are you interested in working with our dedicated team on impactful projects? We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of background. Do apply!
Want to learn more about us? Check our digital brochure: https://materials.sirenassociates.com/brochure
Key Responsibilities
Insight, synthesis and learning
- Bring together quantitative and qualitative evidence from across projects to identify cross-cutting patterns, relationships, gaps and implications.
- Interpret findings in light of Lebanon's political, institutional, social and economic context.
- Contribute to regular sense-making and learning processes that help teams test assumptions, reflect on unexpected findings and adapt their work.
- Frame forward-looking questions and practical recommendations for programmes, leadership and partners.
Research and evidence
- Contribute to rigorous, proportionate research using qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods.
- Develop research questions, methodologies, sampling approaches and analytical frameworks suited to the decision at hand.
- Undertake data collection, analysis and synthesis, ensuring quality, ethics, inclusion and responsible data use.
- Assess the strength and limitations of evidence, triangulate across sources.
Communication and evidence storytelling
- Produce excellent written outputs in clear, precise English, including research reports, project narrative reports, policy briefs, learning products, articles, presentations and public-facing content.
- Translate technical findings into accessible stories tailored to audiences ranging from the general public to Lebanese institutions, international governments and development partners.
- Use data visualisation and narrative structure thoughtfully to translate evidence.Work with technical and programme colleagues to ensure that external communications are accurate, useful and grounded in evidence.
- Present findings confidently and facilitate discussion with senior and non-technical audiences.
RMEL quality and collaboration
- Support credible evaluation and learning approaches, including theories of change and contribution analysis, while remaining attentive to non-linear change and unintended outcomes.
- Support the strengthening of an organisation-wide culture of inquiry and learning.
- Manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work when contexts, information and timelines shift.
Requirements
Essential
- At least five years of relevant professional experience in research, evaluation, learning, policy analysis, applied social research or a closely related field. A relevant university degree or equivalent combination of professional experience and training.
- Strong understanding of the concepts and theories that underpin monitoring and evaluation practice.
- Demonstrated ability to synthesise varied and sometimes incomplete evidence, make connections across datasets and contexts, and generate useful insights.
- Strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, including research design, data collection, analysis, triangulation and critical appraisal of evidence.
- Excellent English writing and editing skills, with a portfolio of clear, engaging outputs for different audiences.
- Ability to communicate data through compelling narrative, well-chosen visualisation and concise presentation.
- Strong contextual understanding of Lebanon, including its institutions, political economy and social dynamics. Candidates do not need to be Lebanese.
- Experience working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and a range of senior, technical and community stakeholders.
- High integrity, sound judgment and discretion, particularly when handling sensitive evidence or relationships.
Desirable
- Professional proficiency in Arabic.
- Knowledge of security sector reform, security sector governance or public sector reform.
- Experience working with government institutions, civil society, donors or international partners.
- Experience with data visualisation, statistical analysis or qualitative analysis tools.
- A postgraduate qualification in social research, public policy, political science, development studies, evaluation or a related discipline.
How we work
Our approach is agile and multidisciplinary. We look for colleagues who act with integrity, stay curious and work cooperatively across disciplines. The Senior RMEL Officer will be comfortable making progress amid complexity: adapting as evidence changes and maintaining high standards when priorities or conditions shift. They will be intellectually confident and open to challenge, ready to test assumptions and attentive to perspectives that complicate the expected story.
What success looks like
- Teams and decision makers can see the larger story across projects, articulated in various reporting formats (contractual project reports, research pieces, communications products, data visualisation)
- Evidence reaches the right audience in a form they can understand and use.
- Learning leads to sharper questions, better decisions and timely adaptation.
Benefits
Competitive Employment Conditions
