MERL Tech Round Up | November 1, 2017

It’s time for our second MERL Tech Round Up, a monthly compilation of MERL Tech News!

On the MERL Tech Blog:

We’ve been posting session summaries from MERL Tech DC. Here are some posts you may have missed in October:

• Big data, big problems, big solutions
• Data quality in the age of lean data 
• MERL Tech and the World of ICT Social Entrepreneurs (WISE) 
• Tools, tips and templates for making Responsible Data a reality 
• The Good, the bad and the ugly of using IATI results data
• Five lessons learned from applying design thinking to data use
• MERL Tech Maturity Models
• 12 ways to ensure your data management implementation doesn’t become a dumpster fire
• How to buy M&E software and not get bamboozled
• Data Security and Privacy – MERL Tech presentation spurs action

Stuff we’re reading/watching/bookmarking:

There’s quite a bit to learn both in our “MERL / Tech” sector and in related sectors whose experiences are relatable to MERL Tech. Some thought-provoking pieces here:

• New Philanthropy Capital: Towards an evidence based social sector
• Oxfam’s Duncan Green: How to ensure your research influences policy
• FinExtra: On replacing onerous Terms and Conditions with chatbots
• Nature: Is public data exempt from formal ethics review?
• Gov Lab: The potential of social media intelligence to improve people’s lives
• Making All Voices Count/IDS: Research at the intersection of technology, citizen engagement and transparency, accountability and governance 
• MERL Tech participants/organizers: Responsible data resources and guidance

Events:

• Top on our list:  MERL Tech London is confirmed for March 19-20, 2018! We’re taking session ideas until November 10^th. Submit a session idea, register to attend, or reserve a demo table.
• We’ll be at the Feedback Labs Summit this week talking about what makes institutions responsive and adaptive.
• We’ll also be joining sessions at the American Evaluation Association Conference Nov 6-10 to share learning about gender and technology; talk about digitized consent processes; and discuss responsible digital data policy and practice.

Jobs

Head over to ICT4DJobs for a ton of tech related jobs. Here are some interesting ones for folks in the MERL Tech space:

• SocialCops is a team of engineers, data scientists, and entrepreneurs, and they are looking to hire a variety of positions!
• UNU Computing and Society is filling a few Research Assistant and Senior Research Assistant positions, located in Macau, SAR, China.
• PATH is also looking for a Regional Learning and Action Network (LAN) Manager for Anglophone Countries to be based in PATH’s Kampala, Uganda office.
• CHAI’s Global Malaria team is seeking a highly motivated individual to manage the development of a full-scale malaria information system and set of tools that will accelerate malaria elimination across countries. Apply now!
• Oxfam is hiring a Development Data Analyst to be based in Boston, Massachusetts.
• VisionFund International is looking for Data Analyst. Apply soon! Application deadline is October 31st.
• Cooper/Smith is looking for a Senior Technical Consultant who can work with our Technical Director and Lead Data Strategist to conduct a 360 assessment of mobile health applications in Malawi.
• DAI is scoping out the perfect MEL Data Specialistfor their Managing for Development Results (MfDR) team. Apply now!
• You could be the next Data Scientist for Medic Mobile. Location is flexible.

If you’re not already signed up to the Pelican Initiative: Platform for Evidence-based Learning & Communication for Social Change, we recommend doing that. You will find all kinds of MERL and MERLTech related jobs and MERL-related advice. (Note: the Platform is an extremely active forum, so you may want to adjust your settings to receive weekly compilations).

Tag us on Twitter using #MERLTech if you have resources, events, or other news you’d like us to include here!

Don’t forget to submit your session ideas for MERL Tech London by November 10th!