Experienced Evaluator

Are you the one who gets excited about analysing and social change?

We are looking for a colleague to help us increase the positive social impact of organisations through our evaluation services!

MDF Training & Consultancy BV (MDF) is a global training & consultancy company with over 40 years of experience in empowering people worldwide to create social impact (www.mdf.nl). At MDF, we dream of an inclusive sustainable world with fair and equal opportunities for all, as envisaged in the SDGs. We have a dedicated team of evaluation professionals who are specialized in shaping complex-aware, user-focused and attractive evaluation processes.

Our multi-national Netherlands-based evaluation team is looking for an experienced evaluator who can lead evaluations for our clients. Our evaluation team studies the effects of social interventions, development projects and government policies. We look beyond the direct results of these activities and measure whether there is a change in the attitude and/or behaviour of an intended target group. Evaluations also provide insight to account for the use of public funds and the results thereof.

MDF evaluations use systematic, applied social-research processes for judging the quality of public, private, and hybrid actions in support of public values. We combine empirical evidence and value-based judgements and help people make better decisions. These insights are of great importance as they can help organisations, networks, alliances, and individuals steer and adjust interventions, strategies and policies, so that they can meaningfully contribute to impact for society.

Our clients include:

• Government ministries and agencies that invest in development cooperation and the social domain: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, RVO, ENABEL, GiZ, municipalities and provinces in the Netherlands (Gemeente Almere).
• Multilateral Agencies: United Nations, the World Bank, International Labour Organisation, International Organisation for Migration, UNESCO, UNDP, Council of Europe.
• (international) Non-governmental organization: Oxfam, Care, Save the Children, Caritas, Friends of the Earth International, International Civil Society Centre, Goededoelen Nederland, KWF, NWOi.
• Corporate and Private Foundations: Porticus, MasterCard foundation, IKEA foundation.

What will you be doing?

You will be involved in acquiring and undertaking evaluation assignments for a variety of clients within and outside the Netherlands. As the lead evaluator, you are the contact person for the client: you are responsible for drawing up a research plan, managing the research implementation, conducting interviews and analysing data, developing conclusions and recommendations, and drafting the evaluation report. You ensure a smooth process and deliver high quality result. You are also the one who ensures that the communication and coordination with the client is structured and pleasant. You do all this together with your team.

When is this your job?

• You are an enthusiastic evaluation professional with at least 10 years of working experience with a heart for social issues and sustainability.
• You have the proven ability to design and conduct qualitative and quantitative action research and evaluations.
• You can lead and manage small project teams of MDF and/or external evaluators.
• You have a sound understanding of current trends in monitoring and evaluation methodologies, to capture insights about change at outcome and impact levels.
• You have demonstrated experience in acquiring assignments through tendering processes.
• You can efficiently collect, process and analyse large amounts of data.
• You have the analytical and critical reflection skills to draw evidence-based conclusions, and forward-looking, utilisation-focused recommendations.
• You can work on many different projects at the same time and are flexible in switching from one task/evaluation to the next.
• A master’s degree relevant to the domain (e.g. social science, sociology, public or business administration, economics, international relations, migration, good governance, agriculture, environmental sciences, climate adaptation, sustainability, etc.).
• A committed team player, entrepreneurial, able to work independently.
• Excellent command of English is required, including in writing. A good command of Dutch, Arabic, and/or French is considered a strong plus.

What we offer:

• Work that matters, that is challenging and varied!
• Become part of a professional multi-cultural team of 7 evaluators, a mix of young and senior consultants, that operates in collaboration with our network of MDF offices spread out over Africa and Asia.
• Get the chance to lead small project teams with diverse evaluation specialists and subject-matter experts, and take part in exciting evaluation assignments for a wide variety of clients.
• Within the team, you will be given a large degree of freedom to find and get involved in assignments that inspire you.
• You are closely involved in the development and innovation of our services.
• Personal and professional growth opportunities, a solid onboarding process and continuous exchange and learning moments with other evaluation professionals to further develop your skills to master high quality methods and approaches.
• To ensure a healthy work-life balance, we've implemented a hybrid work model for this role. You'll be required to visit our office in Ede no more than twice a week, allowing you flexibility while maintaining collaborative engagement. You will receive a company laptop and a budget to purchase an ergonomic chair, desk, monitor or other appliances to comfortably work remotely.
• We provide an NS business card, so you can travel to the office by train; By car, you’ll receive a travel allowance of €0.23 per km, or if you are keen on cycling, take advantage of our bike purchase scheme.
• An initial contract for 1 year, with the possibility of extension into a permanent contract. Starting date and % of employment (32-40 hours per week) are to be decided in consultation. A market conform package of primary and secondary labour conditions, salary depends on work experience and expertise (€4037 – €5275).

How to apply:

If interested, please send a short motivation letter in Word or PDF explaining how you fit the job description, accompanied by your CV to Ms. Marjan Zandee (mdf@mdf.nl) before 30 April 2025. Please mention in the title of your email: Vacancy for experienced evaluator.

Note that we can only hire candidates with a valid working permit / legally allowed to work in The Netherlands and residing in the Netherlands.

Please note that only candidates fitting the above profile will be contacted and invited for an interview. An assessment, interview and reference check will be part of the recruitment process.