Building a career in evaluation

Whether you are just starting out or looking to advance your career in the field of evaluation, this guide is designed to support you on your journey.

This career guide is structured to provide you with resources and advice tailored to your needs as someone entering the field of evaluation. Here, you will find insights on why evaluation is a valuable and fulfilling career choice, understand the different pathways you can take to enter and advance in the field, and discover useful resources that you can draw upon.

We invite you to explore the various sections of this guide, reflect on your personal career aspirations, and explore different pathways and steps you can take toward building a successful career in evaluation. 

Acknowledgements

This guide was created through a partnership between the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI), EvalYouth, P2P+, and DEval. It builds on the top 20 frequently asked questions (FAQs) identified by P2P+ during their mentoring sessions as part of the ‘Evaluation Activation’ initiative. These FAQs provided a foundation for framing the content and ensuring its relevance to the challenges and questions faced by young and emerging evaluators.

The P2P+ initiative was developed through a partnership involving GEI, EvalYouth, The CLEAR Initiative, UNFPA, IDEAS, and other leading organisations and regional VOPEs. This collaboration brought together global and regional expertise to create resources that support young and emerging evaluators worldwide. We acknowledge the valuable contributions of P2P+ partners, including UNFPA, whose collaborative efforts have enriched career development resources in the field of monitoring and evaluation.

The content of this guide has been co-developed by Maria Montenegro (Independent Consultant), Anna Warnholz (DEval), Alice Macfarlan (GEI), and Gabriela Rentería Flores (EvalYouth), with early but important input from Mariana Branco (IEG) and Helena Stadtmueller (DEval).

Get involved

Help us further develop this content by sharing your career experiences through our Career Pathways in Evaluation Survey, including:

• Your experiences in building a career M&E.
• Challenging and rewarding aspects of your career.
• Your advice for pursuing a career in M&E.

If you are a young and/or emerging evaluator who would like to contribute to this project, please get in touch via the BetterEvaluation contact form. We welcome contributions in the form of blogs on related topics, recommended resources, and other types of content or suggested improvements and additions.