The Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) is a new global alliance formed to enable the digital ecosystem to deliver greater scale, efficiency, and social impact as it creates more inclusive digital economies in emerging markets. Working with partners, DIAL generates evidence of what works through a series of demonstration projects, distils insights and tools to promote scale-up and replication, and provides mechanisms to encourage knowledge sharing, collaboration, and co-investment throughout the ecosystem.
DIAL is a donor-funded program hosted within the UN Foundation and based in the UN Foundation’s Washington, D.C. office. The incumbent will be an employee of the UN Foundation.
DIAL is seeking a Manager, Insights to join the Insights and Impact focus area within DIAL. The Manager, Insights will collaborate with external partners and colleagues across DIAL and will report to the Senior Director, Insights and Impact.
The Insights and Impact focus area in DIAL drives the research, knowledge and advocacy agenda of DIAL. This programmatic team works to uncover emerging good practices in funding, designing and deploying digital services. The Insights and Impact team has a unique opportunity to invest in exploratory research, along with the ability and mandate from DIAL’s board to shape a completely new research agenda each year. This flexibility ensures DIAL’s investments are keeping pace with the rapidly evolving digital development and technology landscapes worldwide.
The Manager, Insights role is therefore ideal for an experienced candidate passionate about digital development who wants to help solve some of the biggest issues facing the sector. The individual selected for the role will help shape and deliver DIAL’s analytical products, knowledge work and advocacy agenda.
The Manager will have the following key areas of responsibility:
- Project Supervision – end to end ownership of select DIAL research investments, from conceptualization and design, execution, to dissemination and impact
- Insights Generation – partnership development and generating ideas for new lines of enquiry
- General Team Support: support on other Insights and Impact team initiatives and general DIAL priorities
Project Supervision
- Supervise and drive the delivery of specific research investments and projects from conceptualization to completion
- Commission and oversee projects generating priority insights for the digital development community
- Develop and refine the strategy and approach for knowledge sharing including target audiences, analysis framework, partners, impact and dissemination channels
- Analyze and publish research results in the form of blog posts, social media, white papers and long-format reports
- Manage external vendors (e.g. management consulting firms) supporting DIAL’s research efforts, including vendor selection, contract pricing and regular reporting
Insights Generation
- Support the development of the Insight and Impact team’s research investments which may take the form of grant funding, research partnerships, policy guidance and/or technical support. Engage with the digital development community to understand relevant topics and trends
- Develop relationships with key actors including potential research partners
- Interact with other programmatic teams at DIAL (Data for Development and Platforms and Services) to maximize mutual connections across DIAL’s multiple investments
General Team Support
- Support other initiatives within the Insights and Impact team or general priorities for DIAL
- Demonstrated excellence for producing intellectual capital and driving thought leadership, either in a development or private sector setting.
- Minimum five (5) years’ professional experience, with desired experience in strategy consulting, international development, and engagements across the public, private and nonprofit sectors
- Experience in the digital development space and familiarity with diverse stakeholders in the development community
- Relevant experience designing, delivering and managing research projects, particularly in coordination with external vendors
- Strategic thinking skills and clear ability to structure opportunities and tradeoffs
- Excellent writing skills along with a passion for writing short format and long format pieces; interest in innovation for new ways to communicate technically complex materials
- Detail-oriented and results-driven
- Entrepreneurial, with a talent for creative problem solving, perseverance, flexibility and resilience; a self-starter who enjoys being a thought partner on new ventures
For full-time employees we offer an excellent range of benefits, including a choice of two health plans through CareFirst (PPO or HDHP). Dental insurance, vision discount plan, Life Insurance, Supplemental Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Long-Term Care Insurance, Health Club Discounts, Commuter Benefits, Employee Assistance Program and Warby Parker discounts.
12 Paid holidays, 4 weeks of vacation, 10 sick days, 3 personal days and 8 weeks of parental leave (mother or father). Access to the UNFCU Credit Union, 150% match on our 403b retirement plan, Flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and discounted Zipcar membership.