Evaluation Specialist

Career Guide
An Evaluation Specialist designs and runs evaluations to understand whether a program, service, or policy is working. They define success measures, collect and analyze evidence, and communicate findings so leaders can improve results and make better funding and strategy decisions.

Key Responsibilities

  • Define evaluation goals, questions, and success measures
  • Build evaluation plans, timelines, and budgets
  • Develop data collection tools such as surveys and interview guides
  • Coordinate data collection with staff, partners, and vendors
  • Ensure data quality, privacy, and ethical practices
  • Analyze quantitative data and qualitative data
  • Interpret results and connect findings to program decisions
  • Write clear reports, briefs, and presentations for nontechnical audiences
  • Support learning sessions and improvement planning with stakeholders
  • Maintain documentation for methods, assumptions, and limitations

Top Skills for Success

Stakeholder Management
Written Communication
Presentation Skills
Project Management
Data Analysis
Survey Design
Interviewing
Qualitative Analysis
Evaluation Design
Program Theory Development
Indicator Development
Ethics And Privacy
Grant Compliance
Reporting And Visualization

Career Progression

Can Lead To
Senior Evaluation Specialist
Monitoring And Evaluation Manager
Research Manager
Program Manager
Quality Improvement Manager
Transition Opportunities
Data Analyst
Policy Analyst
Program Director
Research Scientist
Impact Measurement Lead

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills
Advanced Statistical MethodsQualitative Coding RigorEvaluation PlanningFacilitationData VisualizationPrivacy ComplianceCost AnalysisProcurement Management
Development SuggestionsBuild a small portfolio with one evaluation plan, one survey, one interview guide, and one short findings brief. Practice turning results into clear recommendations. Strengthen analysis skills with a focused course in statistics and qualitative methods, then apply them to a real dataset.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range
Entry LevelUSD 55,000 to 75,000
Mid LevelUSD 75,000 to 105,000
Senior LevelUSD 105,000 to 140,000
Growth Trend
Steady demand. Hiring is supported by government accountability requirements, grant funded programs, healthcare quality improvement, and increased use of evidence in funding and policy decisions.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers
MathematicaWestatRTI InternationalAbt GlobalICFDeloitteKPMGUNICEFWorld BankBill And Melinda Gates Foundation
Industry Sectors
GovernmentNonprofit OrganizationsInternational DevelopmentHealthcareEducationPhilanthropyManagement ConsultingResearch Organizations

Recommended Next Steps

1
Create a one page evaluation plan template you can reuse
2
Build a sample dashboard that tracks 5 to 10 program indicators
3
Draft a concise findings brief with recommendations based on a public dataset
4
Seek a role supporting grant reporting or program measurement to gain practical experience
5
Join a professional community focused on evaluation and impact measurement
6
Request informational interviews with evaluation teams in government, nonprofits, and consultancies