The Evaluator's Edge
Take ownership of your career
Gain clarity, build confidence, and take meaningful action toward the evaluation career you deserve.
The Evaluator’s Edge is a career coaching program for evaluators with 2+ years of experience who know they are made for more. Through reflective practice, career branding, and strategic planning, you’ll not only define your ideal career but you’ll begin building it during the program, with the mindset, tools, and support to make it happen.
Book a Fit Check Call
You became an evaluator to make an impact. Now it’s time to step into your full potential.
If you are here, you care deeply about making a difference. You chose evaluation because you saw it as your way to contribute to real change.
But somewhere along the way, things got harder.
Opportunities feel limited.
Your financial goals feel out of reach.
Your commitment to this field is being tested.
And yet, you still believe in the work. You still believe in your potential. You just need a clearer path forward.
If you’re ready to build an evaluation career that actually works for you, I’m here to help you define what that looks like and remind you why you’re already so deserving of it.
There is a future for you in this field. And it doesn’t require sacrificing your life goals to get there.
If any of these resonate, The Evaluator's Edge is for you
✋🏼 You feel like you’re falling behind, stuck in a role with no room to grow, becoming passive when you know you have so much more to offer
✋🏼 You’re exhausted by the cycle of disappointment, constantly expecting things to improve only to end up back in the same place.
✋🏼 You love being an evaluator, but you are torn because you think your career is coming at the expense of your financial goals.
✋🏼 You’re drowning in career advice that doesn’t fit but you are unsure how to build a strategy that actually does.
✋🏼 You’re stuck in the evaluator’s career paradox - too senior for junior roles, too junior for senior ones.
✋🏼 You feel overwhelmed about where to start, what to focus on and how to actually get closer to having a career that lights you up, fulfils you and pays you what you know you’re worth.
I get it, because I used to be you.
But what if I told you that there is a way to continue doing the evaluation work you love and have a career that:
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🌟 Feels so energizing and full of possibility, you find yourself sharing your dreams with the people who matter most.
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🌟 Recognizes all the value you bring into evaluation and pays you accordingly.
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🌟 Makes you feel like you are fulfilling your purpose by having the impact you want to have in this world
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🌟 Is aligned with your values, passion, and the type of life you actually want to live.
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🌟 Is so satisfying you can't help being a champion for evaluation as a career.
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🌟 Makes every hour of training, every credential, and every hard-earned skill feel worth it.
Clarity. Confidence. Momentum.
The evaluation career you deserve is waiting.
The Evaluator’s Edge is a career coaching program for experienced evaluators who are ready to reach their full potential and enjoy their career confidently without sacrificing their goals.
This all-in-one coaching experience will give you the tools, skills, and support to help you build your confidence, career identity, and an action plan so you can build an evaluation career that works for your life and amplifies your impact.
What is included
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Your Evaluator's Edge
Gain clarity by defining what makes you stand out. You will unpack your strengths, values, lived experience and accomplishments to define your evaluator's edge and your career vision.
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Your Career Toolkit
Build your resume, cover letter, and elevator pitch that actually sound like you. You will learn how to communicate your edge authentically and effectively.
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Your Career Strategy
Take action towards your ideal career through challenges designed to active your career outcomes. Develop a 12-month career strategy that is feasible, actionable, and tailored to your career vision.
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12 Workbooks
with coaching exercises, including the step-by-step process to define your evaluator's edge, develop your new identity, and create your career strategy.
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12 Career Coaching Training Videos
released every week to support you in every step of the program
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22 Career Group Coaching Sessions
60-minute group coaching sessions where you can talk through anything related to confidence, defining your edge, job search, and so much more.
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Supportive and vibrant community
12 weeks of access to a private community made of amazing evaluators like you, where you can get support, feedback, and celebrate your wins!
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2 Personalized Coaching Sessions
1:1 coaching sessions where you can get support on confidence-building, job strategy, interviewing, career strategy, and everything in between! Plus unlimited support via the community.
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Lifetime Access to Alumni network
Join the exclusive and private group of alumni, made up of ambitious evaluators across the world leading in their field on their terms.
I'm Maria, and I'm living proof that you don't have to leave this field to achieve your goals!
In 2019, I moved to one of Canada’s most expensive cities for what I thought was my dream job in evaluation. I took a pay cut because I believed the opportunity would be worth it. It wasn’t.
The role was entry-level, and the pay didn’t reflect my training or experience. I was told that I wanted to "grow too quickly" and that I needed to wait my turn, even when my performance showed I was ready.
I had worked so hard to become an evaluator without formal academic training in the field. I had done everything I could to get there. Why was I still being undervalued and struggling to pay the bills?
My mental health hit rock bottom, and I started thinking that I had to choose between being an evaluator and meeting my personal goals.
Things shifted when I decided to invest in myself. Not in more credentials, but in reframing what I believed was possible.
I built a strategy. I took action. I went to therapy. I discovered coaching. I stopped waiting for permission.
Since then:
🌟 I became a Manager of Research, Evaluation, and Learning
🌟 I doubled my income in just two years
🌟 I built a consulting and coaching business that aligns with my values
In the process of using my evaluator's edge, I've become a recognized member of our evaluation community. I've supported hundreds of evaluators in their careers through my work at EvalYouth, EvalYouth North America, and The Evaluation Couch podcast.
Now, I'm so excited to share my deep understanding of this field and my coaching experience to help you build the career you deserve.
So, what's the investment for the evaluation career you deserve?
PAY IN FULL (Best Value) $1549 USD
OR
PAY IN 3 INSTALLMENTS OF $568 USD
The Evaluator's Edge content, including:
✔️ Lifetime access to workbooks and exercises that will help you refine, communicate, and use your evaluator's edge time and time again
✔️ 22 career group coaching sessions
✔️ 2 individual coaching sessions + unlimited community support
✔️ Access to a supportive community that will walk along side you throughout the program
✔️ Lifetime access to The Evaluator's Edge alumni network filled with ambitious evaluators across the world
✔️ Three group breathwork sessions facilitated by Libby Smith
🚀 BONUS:
🚀 Master The Job Market: Insights from a database of +1000 evaluation jobs (Value $2000)
🚀 Job Search Like an Evaluator: Tracker system for measurement and learning (Value $500)
🚀 Eval Landscape: Step by step process to find jobs in any region or country (Value $300)
🚀 Interview Prep With AI: Step by step guidance to practice with your edge (Value $200)
This program gets results!
I really regained my confidence in my work. I discovered just how much I've done and now know where I want to focus to continue progressing toward my dream job. The program's approach has done a great job of shifting my mental model about myself. -Hairat Ajose
The Evaluator's Edge has been a great investment in myself and my career. Maria has been kind, patient and empathetic in a moment where I felt stuck, unhappy and was contemplating fully leaving not just evaluation but the international development sector. It has forced me to think about the direction in which I am heading in, what I actually find important, and how I can get there. -Lea Corsetti
I was on the fence about investing in my career in this way. I'm glad that I did! I feel more confident and clear on the contributions that I bring to any role. I especially appreciated that Maria has been through challenges on her own journey and was empathetic about how hard it can be to change how you think of yourself and your career. And that is exactly what I was able to do--to see myself differently. Instead of feeling stuck, I now see this moment in my career as an opportunity to find something that's really aligned to my strengths. -Katie
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this work for me?
You’ll thrive in this program if you’re an experienced evaluator who knows you haven’t yet reached your full potential and are ready to build a more fulfilling, aligned career. This program is designed for evaluators who already have foundational skills and want to step into greater clarity, confidence, and opportunity.
If you’re an emerging evaluator still trying to break into the field or looking for support in developing core evaluation competencies, this program won’t be the right fit at this stage.
Why should I trust Maria over other career coaches?
The field of evaluation is niche, complex, and unlike most other professions. If you’re an evaluator, you already know how much training, experience, and nuance it takes to be truly competent. Our work is rooted in academia, shaped by power dynamics, and often undervalued in the very systems we’re trying to strengthen. That history fuels imposterism and makes our career paths anything but straightforward.
Most evaluators work in nonprofits, public institutions, or social‑impact spaces. We’re driven by purpose, not just paycheques. And that means generic career advice simply doesn’t fit. It doesn’t account for the realities of our field, the expectations placed on us, or the internal barriers we carry.
I understand this because I’ve lived it. I’ve navigated the same challenges, questioned my place in the field, and rebuilt my career with intention. And I’ve supported hundreds of evaluators through the same journey.
My expertise in evaluation—combined with years of coaching experience—allows me to help evaluators build careers that reflect their values, their strengths, and their full potential. I don’t offer one‑size‑fits‑all advice. I offer guidance grounded in the realities of your profession and your lived experience.
How much time will it require?
Most clients spend about 3–4 hours per week on the program. The more time you’re able to invest—especially when you’re creating your strategic actions toward the end—the more momentum you’ll build.
You’ll also keep lifetime access to all lessons and workbooks, so you can revisit the material anytime during or after the program as your career evolves.
Can I use my work's professional development funds to cover the costs?
Yes! This program is a great way to use your professional development funds. It is designed to help you step into your full potential so you can increase your impact in your current role.
Will this work for me if I'm considering becoming a consultant?
Consulting can be an incredible path, but it also comes with trade‑offs. Whether it’s the right fit for you depends on how you define success and what you want your career to look like. That’s exactly the kind of clarity we build inside The Evaluator’s Edge.
If you’re considering consulting, you’ll leave the program with a stronger sense of whether it aligns with your goals, a clear value proposition, and strategic steps for building the kinds of reciprocal relationships that lead to opportunities.
That said, this program is not designed to help you set up or run a consulting practice. Instead, it helps you make an informed, confident decision about whether consulting is the right next step for you.
Will the content still apply to me if I live in another country?
Yes! All concepts and exercises are designed to support evaluators no matter where they’re located. While there are always regional or cultural nuances in how different job markets operate, I’ll point out where those differences matter—and the skills you build in the program are fully transferable across contexts.
The Evaluator’s Edge community includes evaluators from a wide range of regions and professional environments. That diversity is one of our greatest strengths. It creates richer conversations, broader perspectives, and an international network that expands your opportunities far beyond your local context.
You won’t just learn from the program, you’ll learn from each other, too.