Nicolás Castro Vergara
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Consultant on Educational Policy
Inter-american Development Bank
09.2022 - 09.2025
- Managed seven hybrid-education pilots across Latin American countries, providing support in design, implementation monitoring, counterpart dialogue, and pilot evaluation.
- Supported the preparation of documents related to the Development Effectiveness Framework (DEF) for Education Division projects, including vertical logic frameworks, results matrices, monitoring and evaluation plans, economic analyses, and project completion reports (PCRs).
- Developed a set of 60 standardized outcome and impact indicators to measure the digital education transformation of the division’s projects
- Participated in counterpart dialogue during the design and preparation of loan operations, and supported the delivery of the Development Effectiveness Framework (DEF) component in kick-off workshops.
- Designed and conducted impact evaluations, and contributed to the elaboration of technical notes to advance the division knowledge and research agenda.
Consultant on Evaluation for Loans Operations
Inter-american Development Bank
02.2020 - 06.2022
- Prepared multiple PCRs and conducted cost-benefit analyses on different initiatives including public registration system modernization, Comptroller General strengthening, hydrocarbon royalty monitoring, and preschool education access.
- Elaborated results matrices and monitoring and evaluation plans for multiple loans operations across distinct sectors, including justice, health, national statistics, economic regulation, and telecommunications infrastructure.
Researcher and Data Manager at Research Management Office
Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES)
02.2017 - 12.2020
- Worked on a research agenda focused on the impact and effectiveness evaluation of different government programs in education, such as Aulas Sin Fronteras, Estrategia Pioneros (PTA), and ICFES’s formative assessment Avancemos.
- Managed of the Research Office databases, such as standardized tests results databases, and related administrative information provided by other public institutions.
Manager of National Standardized Test on Formative Assessment
Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES)
01.2019 - 12.2019
- Coordinated the different areas of the institute in order to offer, apply and give results to the schools, of the national test of formative assessment that was taken by the students in grades 4th, 6th and 8th of the Colombian educational system.
Education
M.A. - Public Policy
University of Los Andes
01.2016
B.Sc. - Economics
University of Los Andes
01.2014
Skills
- Problem-solving
- Attention to detail
- Client relationships
- Analytical thinking
- Project leadership
- Project management
- Languages: Spanish (native); English (fluent); Portuguese (Elementary)
- Programs: Office, Stata, and ArcMap
FIELDS OF INTEREST
Public Policy Analysis, Impact Evaluation, Project Evaluation
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- Universidad de Los Andes (July-Dec 2017)
Lecturer at Alberto Lleras Camargo School of Government
Subject: Quantitative Methods for Public Affairs
References
Elena, Arias Ortiz, Lead Specialist in Education, eariasortiz@iadb.org, +12026233968, Inter American Development Bank, Education Division
Timeline
Consultant on Educational Policy
Inter-american Development Bank
09.2022 - 09.2025
Consultant on Evaluation for Loans Operations
Inter-american Development Bank
02.2020 - 06.2022
Manager of National Standardized Test on Formative Assessment
Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES)
01.2019 - 12.2019
Researcher and Data Manager at Research Management Office
Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES)
02.2017 - 12.2020
B.Sc. - Economics
University of Los Andes
M.A. - Public Policy
University of Los Andes