Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Hello, AEA365 community! Liz DiLuzio here, Lead Curator of the blog. This week is Individuals Week, which means we take a break from our themed weeks and spotlight the Hot Tips, Cool Tricks, Rad Resources and Lessons Learned from any evaluator interested in sharing. Would you like to contribute to future individuals weeks? Email me at AEA365@eval.org with an idea or a draft and we will make it happen.
I’m excited to share some insights on a topic that often flies under the radar but plays a crucial role in shaping global programs—evaluation positions in international development. My name is Eloisa Ramos, and I’ve always been fascinated by how organizations measure success and impact. Today, I’ll walk you through some findings from my research that analyzed online job postings for evaluation roles within the international development sector.
The world of international development is complex and ever-changing. With billions of dollars invested in projects worldwide, ensuring that funds are used effectively is paramount. That’s where evaluators come in. But what exactly does it take to land an evaluation-focused job in this field? What do you need to be an evaluator? The research analyzed 214 job advertisements from third-party contractors and found some interesting trends.
First off, contrary to what might be expected, having a formal degree or certification in evaluation isn’t a strict requirement. Only about 23% of the job ads specified a need for an evaluation-related educational background. Instead, the overwhelming majority (95%) emphasized previous experience in evaluation work. This suggests that hands-on experience is far more valuable than classroom learning in this field. If you’re considering a career in evaluation, this means gaining real-world exposure—through internships, volunteer work, or related positions—can be your way in.
Another key finding is the emphasis on a well-rounded skill set. Technical skills and know-how in quantitative and qualitative methods are important, but so are soft skills like communication and stakeholder engagement. In fact, over 50% of the job postings required fluency in at least one non-English language, with French, Arabic, and Portuguese being among the most in demand. This highlights the global nature of the work and the need for evaluators to adapt to different cultural and geographical contexts. Additionally, over half of the advertised roles were linked to developed countries-funded projects, meaning familiarity with donor operating, monitoring and reporting procedures, systems and protocols is a major asset.
So, what does this all mean for aspiring evaluators? If you’re looking to break into the field as a young and emerging evaluator (YEE) or an advanced evaluation practitioner, focusing on the practical experience, ensuring your soft skills are present and fostered, developing multilingual abilities, and understanding donor expectations could give you a competitive edge. Moreover, being adaptable and ready to work in diverse environments will make you a strong candidate in this highly dynamic field.
Evaluation is more than just numbers, tables, graphs and 50+ paged reports—it’s about ensuring that development efforts make a real difference. As international development continues to evolve, so too will the role of evaluators. If you’re passionate about making an impact and love problem-solving, this could be an ideal and transformative career path for you.
What are your thoughts on these findings? Are you considering a career in evaluation, or are you already working in the field? I know this may not be the most opportune time to share this blog’s topic given the current landscape, but I hope some still found merits to it. I’d love to hear your experiences and insights in the comments!
Here are some resources that informed my research:
Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org . aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.