Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist
University of Chicago Energy Policy Institute
📍 Remote (Global)
🕔 Full Time
⌛ 28/02/2025
The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) Air Quality Fund within EPIC’s Clean Air Program at the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth is seeking a Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist, EPIC Air Quality Fund. The role is tasked with leading efforts to implement, expand, and communicate about a system to measure progress of the EPIC Air Quality Fund and its Awardees, who are charged with the mission to drive national clean air action with open air quality data.
This work includes doing research and tracking of Awardee progress, as measured by the EPIC Air Quality Fund’s existing Milestone Criteria. It also includes devising potentially new metrics to include in these criteria. Additionally, the position requires communicating these criteria and the progress of the Fund in an open manner through public channels and to donors. It is anticipated the position will require frequent, deep engagement with Awardees and the larger international air quality community. The ideal candidate will possess an empathetic, entrepreneurial, curious spirit that thrives in shaping order from ambiguity and is excited about contributing to a mission-driven program that is rapidly scaling and tightly focused on supporting the success of its Awardees.
The Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist, EPIC Air Quality Fund will report to the Director of the Clean Air Program at EPIC, Christa Hasenkopf, who is based in Munich, Germany. The position will work closely with leadership and staff at the EPIC Clean Air Program, Air Quality Life Index, along with other programs at EPIC.
What this role will accomplish:
By end of 2025, determine baseline values of the Fund’s existing Milestone Criteria through research and engagement with Awardees
In 2025 and beyond, build and execute creative approaches to transparently measuring “global” progress of the program on top of these Milestones, as well as possible ways for individual grantees to measure success in their specific country contexts
Chronicle and communicate Fund progress through public and donor channels, including building a transparent method for the Fund’s progress to be assessed (e.g. on GitHub or other open method that allows public scrutiny and comment)
Typical Activities
Travel for approximately 10-15% of the time to Awardee countries in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and presenting at/attending relevant conferences
Conduct group interviews with Awardees
Effectively create and/or use qualitative and quantitative datasets for analysis that may be necessarily incomplete or imperfect
Communicate results and processes to the public and donors. For example, this could take the form of hosting public webinars to describe the Fund’s monitoring and evaluation processes, and also accept public critique
Support the Clean Air Program Team during ‘all hands on deck’ activities
Work with a remote-first team across multiple time zones, from Chicago to Delhi
Required Qualifications
3 or more years of experience in monitoring and evaluation techniques, and it is a bonus if previous work involved a focus on air quality or an environmentally-related field
Strong organizational and analytical skills, as well as sharp attention to detail
Strong diplomatic and communication skills with diverse external and internal stakeholders from a variety of country and cultural contexts
Strong written and oral communication skills
Willingness to quickly learn necessary air quality related topics, if not already experienced
How to Apply
Fill out this Google Form, which will request a cover letter expressing your interest and describing previous monitoring and evaluation work relevant for the position, as well as a CV/resumé. Applications will be accepted until Feb 28, 2025 and will be evaluated on a rolling basis.
Note: This role will be affiliated with the University of Chicago and not an employee of the University of Chicago.
About the EPIC Air Quality Fund
The EPIC Air Quality Fund launched last summer, supporting local groups and organizations in installing air quality monitors to provide open data to some of the world’s most polluted communities and working toward national-level clean air impacts. The Fund aims to expand access to air quality data to 1 billion people by 2030. Background information on the Fund:
EPIC Awards Four Grants to Improve Air Quality Monitoring and Data Access
Snapshot of 2024 Global Air Quality Actors: A Surge of Local Demand for Data
EPIC Awards 12 Projects to Improve Air Quality Monitoring and Data Access
About the EPIC Clean Air Program
The EPIC Clean Air Program is working to bring actionable information about the quality of the air we breathe and its impact on our health to every corner of the globe in order to motivate action and lay guideposts for efficient air pollution policies. This work includes the EPIC Air Quality Fund to bring high quality and high frequency air pollution monitoring and data access to the places of the world where it is needed most; the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), which uses air pollution data to translate the impact of pollution on a person’s life expectancy; and several particulate pollution trading markets being piloted in Indian cities in coordination with state governments. More on the Clean Air Program.
