Evaluation Specialist (Remote Contractor) at Conservation X Labs Inc – Apply for a Global Conservation Impact Evaluation Role @Conservation X Labs Inc – Apply for a Global Conservation Impact Evaluation Role

Help Shape the Future of Fire Management in the Amazon: Conservation X Labs Hiring Evaluation Specialist

Conservation X Labs is seeking an experienced Evaluation Specialist to serve as the Fund’s Experimental Design Lead for a groundbreaking philanthropic initiative focused on tackling fire-related tropical primary forest loss across South America’s most significant ecosystems: the Amazon, Pantanal, and Chiquitania.

Job Title: Evaluation Specialist
Location: Remote
Closing Date: Not Specified
Contract Type: Contractor

This independent Fund-level consultancy role is separate from implementing partners and carries responsibility for ensuring the scientific integrity of the Fund’s impact evaluation strategy.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in generating credible, publishable evidence on the effectiveness of integrated fire management interventions across multiple landscapes.

About Conservation X Labs Inc

Conservation X Labs (CXL) is a mission-driven organization dedicated to preventing the sixth mass extinction by leveraging technology, innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and market-driven solutions to address the world’s most pressing conservation challenges.

The organization develops cutting-edge technologies, leads innovation competitions, and supports talented innovators in creating transformative solutions that benefit both people and the planet.

CXL believes that while human activities have contributed significantly to biodiversity loss, humanity also possesses the ingenuity and capacity to reverse these trends.

The Opportunity

This position offers a unique opportunity to design and lead the evaluation framework of a pioneering conservation fund that combines remote sensing technology, causal inference methodologies, and community-based data collection to answer critical questions about effective fire management strategies.

Key Responsibilities

Evaluation Design and Scientific Leadership

• Validate and finalize the Fund’s experimental evaluation design.
• Define and secure study site boundaries across intervention and comparison geographies.

• Lead the pre-registration of evaluation protocols on appropriate open science platforms.
• Develop research questions, hypotheses, statistical methodologies, and evaluation procedures.
• Ensure adherence to the highest standards of scientific rigor and causal inference.

Research and Impact Assessment

• Coordinate with remote sensing specialists on primary outcome measurement methodologies.
• Collaborate with academic and scientific partners on advanced causal inference approaches.

• Oversee quasi-experimental impact evaluations across multiple intervention regions.
• Monitor and document spillover effects between intervention and comparison sites.
• Lead or co-lead mid-term and final evaluations using contribution analysis frameworks.

Data Quality and Evaluation Oversight

• Conduct periodic spot-checks of operational data reported by implementing partners.
• Identify and flag data credibility risks across geographies.

• Support the development of culturally adapted and standardized data collection tools.
• Ensure consistency and reliability of evaluation data across all study locations.

Reporting and Knowledge Generation

• Produce publication-ready findings and scientific outputs.
• Prepare reports and policy briefs summarizing causal findings.
• Synthesize results across the Amazon, Pantanal, and Chiquitania ecosystems.
• Provide recommendations for future study expansion and scaling efforts.

Key Deliverables

The Evaluation Specialist will be responsible for delivering:

• Validated experimental design documentation and pre-registration package.
• Standardized and culturally adapted data collection templates.
• Year 1 variability and statistical power analysis report.

• Outcome variable methodology documentation.
• Periodic partner data quality assessment reports.
• Mid-term evaluation report covering Years 2–3.

• Comprehensive final evaluation report.
• Publication-ready manuscripts and policy briefs.
• Phase 2 study design recommendations for future expansion.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Advanced degree in Evaluation, Statistics, Economics, Ecology, or a related quantitative discipline.
• PhD qualification preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 7 years’ experience designing and leading impact evaluations or quasi-experimental studies.
• Proven experience within conservation, natural resource management, or international development sectors.

• Demonstrated expertise in quasi-experimental evaluation approaches, including:
  • Before-After Control Impact (BACI)
  • Difference-in-Differences
  • Statistical Matching

Technical Expertise

• Experience pre-registering evaluation designs on open science platforms such as OSF, RIDIE, or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of causal inference methodologies.

• Ability to independently evaluate programs while maintaining objectivity and scientific integrity.
• Experience producing peer-reviewed publications or policy-focused evaluation outputs.

Language Requirements

Applicants must be fluent in:

• English
• Spanish
• Portuguese

Preferred Qualifications

Candidates with the following experience will have an advantage:

• Familiarity with remote sensing and satellite-based monitoring systems.
• Experience working in tropical forest conservation or fire management initiatives.

• Knowledge of advanced causal inference methods, including:
  • Double Machine Learning
  • Synthetic Control Methods
• Understanding of land-use management and conservation programs in tropical ecosystems.

Why Join Conservation X Labs?

This consultancy provides an exceptional opportunity to contribute to a first-of-its-kind conservation initiative focused on reducing fire-driven forest loss in some of the world’s most ecologically important regions.

The successful candidate will help generate evidence that can influence conservation policy, guide future investments, and support scalable solutions for protecting critical ecosystems.

Application Process

Interested candidates must submit:

• A brief cover letter (maximum two pages) outlining:
  • Experience with impact evaluation design.
  • Approach to causal inference in complex, multi-site conservation programs.
• Updated professional resume/CV.

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted through the official Conservation X Labs recruitment portal.

Application Link: APPLY HERE FOR THIS ROLE

Note: Early applications are encouraged as the vacancy may be filled once a suitable candidate is identified.