IMPACT EVALUATION, RESEARCH, AND LEARNING MANAGER (Maternity cover)
OVERVIEW
Fairtrade is the most recognized and trusted sustainability label, working to make trade fairer for people and planet.
For more than three decades, Fairtrade has been making an impact on the way trade works. We believe that every farmer and worker should have access to a better way of doing business, and a better way of living.
Fairtrade International is an independent non-profit organisation representing more than two million small-scale farmers and workers worldwide. It owns the FAIRTRADE Mark, a registered trademark that appears on more than 37,000 products. Beyond certification, Fairtrade International and its member organisations (three producer networks and 19 national Fairtrade organisations) partner with producers and businesses, engage consumers, and advocate for a fair and sustainable future.
Unit’s description and purpose:
The Global Impact unit strengthens the Fairtrade system by driving institutional learning and effectiveness through robust monitoring and evaluation systems. We are the hub for the analysis and communication of high-quality data and information about Fairtrade and its impact, as well as supporting strategy delivery. The unit includes the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team, which is the Fairtrade system’s hub for MEL which directly connects evidence to strategic decision for the Global Strategy, individual Fairtrade projects and global programmes, Standards, producer support, and more.
PRINCIPAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Overseeing Fairtrade Research and Evaluation: Manages Global Impact commissioned research and evaluations, and supports research and evaluations commissioned by other Fairtrade International units and Fairtrade organizations, ensuring that there are rigorous research methodologies, effective dissemination of findings, practical recommendations, and actionable learnings for the Fairtrade system. Develops and implements procedures and guidelines for the management of research and evaluations within the Fairtrade system.
Amplifying research findings internally and externally: Organizes learning events based on research to ensure learnings are promoted and used by various stakeholder groups within the Fairtrade system. Helps to build appropriate action-plans based on research where learnings are used to promote adaptation, change, and improvement. Presents Fairtrade research findings at external research workshops and conventions and helps to organize and facilitate presentations of others in the Fairtrade system.
Encouraging a Fairtrade Learning Culture: Develops a Fairtrade Learning Strategy and adapts/maintains Fairtrade Research for Learning Agenda. Ensures that Fairtrade research contributes to understanding Fairtrade’s impact and tests the assumptions in Fairtrade’s Theory of Change. Coordinates research efforts across the Fairtrade system through the Research Task Force. Hosts and guides occasional research-focused interns, students from partner organisations, or student assistants.
Building External Research Collaborations: Builds on an existing academic engagement strategy to engage with external research institutions more deeply to collaboratively fund and perform research on Fairtrade’s impact. Brainstorms with external research teams, contributes to research funding proposals, builds research methodologies, jointly oversees research implementation, and works together to interpret, amplify, and communicate findings.
Managing Digital Learning Platforms: Acts as the product owner for Fairtrade’s Research Hub, a searchable database and platform of external studies exploring Fairtrade’s impact, and Fairlearn, a platform for live and asynchronous Fairtrade e-learning. Contributes to a Steering Committee for an Impact Platform for understanding and learning from Fairtrade’s projects, programmes, and commissioned studies.
Other tasks that are consistent with the level and responsibilities of this post.
SKILLS REQUIRED
Level of education: The position holder will have a Master’s degree (With a research component) or higher (PhD preferred) in development economics, econometrics, applied sociology, social sciences or another relevant field in management or natural sciences.
Years of professional experience: A minimum of five years’ experience in research and/or impact evaluations, with at least two years’ experience working on topics relevant to, or with, stakeholders from the Global South.
Job Specific Competencies/knowledge:
- Project Management
- Research and Evaluation
- International Development Expertise
- Stakeholder Management
- Enhancing data-driven decision making
- eLearning Content
- Event/conferences organization
- Capacity Building
Personal Qualities:
- Cross-cultural communication
- Facilitation
- Rapid Learning
- Collaboration/Teamwork
- Problem Solving
- Multitasking
- Teaching
- Presentation Skills
- Relationship Management
- Evidence Collecting
- Flexibility
- Mentoring
Software/Tools:
- Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, Outlook, Powerpoint, Teams, Planner, Clipchamp)
- Adobe Creative Cloud & Suite
- Miro
- Canva
- Claude.ai, or similar AI assistant tools
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- This is a full-time, maternity cover (apprx. until March 2028) position within Fairtrade International.
- Location is at Fairtrade International offices in Bonn, Germany with the opportunity for hybrid work arrangements
- The office language is English.
- Salary as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Wholesale and Foreign Trade Industries for North Rhine Westphalia Group 6a and over tariff payments (starting from 5455,00 Euros gross per month)
- Holiday Bonus and 13th salary
- 30 days of holidays per year (for fulltime employees)
- Subsidised public transportation ticket
- Subsidised meal services
- Childcare cost subsidy
Please note that Fairtrade International is strict on compliance with the required qualification criteria mentioned above, and only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.