Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator

Requisition ID: req51555

Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator

Sector: Monitoring & Evaluation

Employment Category: Regular

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Sierra Leone

Work Arrangement: In-person

Job Description

BACKGROUND:  The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, provides relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. The IRC is committed to bold leadership, innovation and creative partnerships. Active in public health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, youth development, and protection and promotion of rights, IRC assists people from harm to home.

The IRC began working in Sierra Leone in 1999, implementing emergency interventions at the height of the civil war and subsequently provided critical support during the Ebola outbreak between 2014 and 2016, which had a direct impact on more than 14,000 people. Since then, the IRC has become a key development partner in Sierra Leone, working in coordination with the government and delivering essential interventions that support the recovery and development of the lives of our clients.
Between 2022-2023, the IRC implemented programs in three key sectors: health, education, and protection and empowerment. Sierra Leone continues to feel the effects of a strained healthcare system, economic instability, and social challenges, exacerbated by the climate crisis and the geopolitical and economic instabilities on a global level. The IRC currently prioritizes programming aimed at increasing access to quality healthcare services and improving the education, livelihoods, and well-being of children, women, and youth.

Job Overview/Summary:
With direct management support from Deputy Director of Programs and technical support from the Regional MEAL unit, the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator will ensure that the IRC SLE country program implements the monitoring and evaluation commitments as set out in its Strategic Action Plan. Core to that the M&E focal person will be ensuring that suitable monitoring and evaluation systems are in place, implemented as intended, and reporting in a comprehensive and timely manner to facilitate program coordinators and managers deliver programs that achieve the desired outcomes /impacts.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Technical lead of the MEAL unit, direct management of the team, collaboration with program and operations department. In detail:

Strengthening outcome / program / sector M&E
Responsible for providing technical oversight & support for establishment and maintenance of routine monitoring systems, presentation of findings and building related staff competencies.
Work with sector leads to ensure that project design in proposals is sound, client-informed and contextually appropriate, based on learning from previous projects and technical best practice, and includes a Theory of Change and IRC log frame (with IRC core indicators and enabling assessment of project progress, quality, outcomes, and if relevant impact).
Responsible for ensuring that detailed and feasible project monitoring plans are developed that: i) provide an indicator matrix, ii) map M&E roles and responsibilities of project and support staff, iii) consider ethical and safe collection and storage of data, iv) consider data quality audits, v) consider storing, protecting, and sharing project documents, and vi) consider the end of project learning review.
Work with sector leads to determine which monitoring activities will take place and which data collection methods will be used to ensure their adequacy and appropriateness.
Work with sector leads to ensure that monitoring activities are adequately resourced, with sufficient project and support staff and adequate budget.
Work with sector leads and support staff to ensure that the project work plan includes monitoring activities (or that a stand-alone monitoring work plan is in place), is up-to date and progress tracked.
Work with sector leads and support staff to develop, translate, pilot, and finalize data collection tools using paper and electronic systems (i.e. CommCare)
Work with sector leads and support staff to establish project/program databases &/or tracking sheets, &/or set up in the data platform CommCare
Work with sector leads and support staff to ensure that data is collected and entered in databases &/or tracking sheets, &/or the data platform on a regular basis.
Responsible for conducting data quality audits of projects & programs to identify and resolve systemic problems affecting data quality, and documenting and storing findings in project files as appropriate.
Assist in conducting regular analysis and action planning meetings in line with IRC’s Project Cycle Meeting approach to (1) compare data against project milestones, targets, and quality expectations across project sites; (2) identify issues requiring further attention; (3) define action needed and assign responsibility and deadlines,
Work with sector leads and support staff to track progress on action points related to implementation and M&E activities.
Work with sector leads and support staff to provide M&E inputs for reports written during project implementation and to new business development opportunities.

Technical oversight and support for surveys, assessments, and other discrete learning activities, and building related staff competencies.

Work with sector leads and support staff to develop the TORs for needs assessments and surveys.
Work with sector leads and support staff to develop detailed work plans and budgets for needs assessment and survey activities.
Assist in selecting/defining the sampling strategy, design, and training materials.
Work with sector leads and support staff to clean and conduct descriptive analysis of needs assessment and survey data.
Provide the M&E inputs for needs assessment and survey report writing.
Provides inputs from survey and assessment data for tracking of overall progress on projects, programs and strategic priorities.

Learning
Assist in conducting and documenting end of project learning reviews, and sharing lessons learned and best practices, incorporating these into new project designs.
Assist in identifying, documenting, storing, and sharing lessons learned that have implications for refinement of best programmatic practice.

Strengthening Country program M&E
Responsible for updating country program Indicator Dashboard (PID)
Responsible for establishing cross-sectorial approaches to monitoring (for example for activities being undertaken by more than one sector, or client counting).

Client Responsiveness and Accountability (CRA)
Responsible for developing and delivering technical support plans, guidance and tools to achieve Sierra Leone’s strategic ambition of Client-Centered Programming.
Identifying staffing and budgeting approaches to institutionalize Client-Centered Programming, promote Client Responsiveness goals, and protect client data.
Supervise Sr. CRA Manager to implement country program’s CRA workplan in line with SAP priorities (ex: client satisfaction survey, community consultations, CRA/safeguarding trainings, etc.)
Advocate for inclusion of CRA budget in proposals/existing projects.

HR and Staff Management
Coach, mentor and support M&E staff, provide vital tools and resources, as well as on the job training.
Provide technical supervision to a M&E team across multiple sectors and geographical areas: set clear performance objectives; inform management of staff work plans; contribute to regular performance reviews; champion a positive working environment for professional development; and foster an inclusive and respectful team climate.
Lead the recruitment of country M&E staff, TTA’s, consultants and, support their onboarding.
Provide consistent, supportive supervision to strengthen staff performance as necessary to meet monitoring objectives and ensure data quality.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS:
University degree (statistics, social science, public health, development economics, or a related discipline)
Minimum four (4) years of experience within the development / humanitarian sector, at least 2 of which are at management level preferably in Africa.
Proven technical skills in monitoring and evaluation, including experience with multi-sectorial and multi-donor funded programs and experience with qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
Previous experience with electronic/mobile data collection (Kobo, CommCare, and/or PowerBI) required.
Proven abilities in developing monitoring plans, data collection, information management, use of databases, data visualizations, and analysis and performance monitoring.
Demonstrated ability to train and build capacity of others.
Comprehensive knowledge of humanitarian accountability principles and their translation into practice.
Experiencing collecting, analysing, and using client feedback to inform and adapt programming.
Demonstrated experience supporting MEAL components of business development and donor reporting.
Strong planning, organizational and interpersonal skills.
Excellent analytical, presentation, and reporting skills.
Excellent database, data management and data analysis skills, with experience using at least 2 software applications such as Microsoft Excel, Access, SPSS, STATA.
Strong commitment to IRC’s mission, purpose, and values.
IRC is an organization committed to complying with employment non-discrimination legislation. IRC considers all applicants on merit regardless of race, sex, colour, origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.

Standards of Professional Conduct:
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Client Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation, combating trafficking in persons and several others.

Gender Equality:
IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

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