Requisition ID: req5079
Job Title: Measurement, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning Coordinator
Sector: Evaluation & Learning
Employment Category: Regular
Employment Type: Full-Time
Open to Expatriates: Yes
Location: Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
Job Description
The IRC has been present in Bangladesh since 2017 and obtained registration with the NGOAB in March 2018. Since the IRC obtained registration in March 2018, it has moved quickly to expand its integrated emergency health and protection response through both direct and partner-based programming focused on primary healthcare, women’s protection and empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and child protection. Recently IRC has also introduced two new programs: Protection Rule of Law (PROL) and Education.
Through 2018, the IRC’s response strategy will primarily target Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, while meeting the significant needs in both refugee and host populations, as already existing vulnerabilities are compounded with cyclical monsoon and cyclone seasons that impose additional threats to the lives and protection of those refugees as well as vulnerable host populations. IRC will grow over time its geographic coverage within Cox bazar and to other parts of the country, thus expand its’ networks and partnerships around emergency preparedness and response work, reach beyond the Rohingya refugees, also targeting the vulnerable host groups in Cox Bazar and other parts of Bangladesh.
Purpose of the position:
This role will provide the leadership necessary to ensure that the IRC Bangladesh country program develops and meets its monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning dedications, as set out IRC’s Strategy 2020, partnerships with donors and all partners. Core to this will be providing strategic direction to, and harmonization of, MEAL efforts in Bangladesh during IRC’s scaled up multi-sectoral interventions.
The person will directly report to the Deputy Director of Programs with technical support from the Regional Measurement Action Coordinator. 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. S/he will, in coordination with the program teams, be responsible for developing and implementing an internal capacity-building strategy including training and mentoring M&E staff and promoting a culture of peer-learning. This position supervises MEAL Manager.
Major Responsibilities:
Program/project design and learning
- Responsible for providing technical oversight and support for establishment and maintenance of routine monitoring systems, presentation of findings and building related staff competencies.
- Responsible for ensuring that detailed and feasible project monitoring plans are developed which: 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 program and support staff to determine which monitoring activities will take place and which data collection methods will be used to ensure their adequacy and appropriateness;
- Ensure that the project work plans include monitoring activities (or that a supportive stand-alone monitoring work plan is in place), and up-to date to track progress;
- Establish project/program databases and/or tracking sheets;
- Lead both program and M&E staff in the collection, entry, sharing, verification, analysis, and use of data and share with all partners;
- Assist in conducting and documenting end of project learning reviews, and sharing lessons learned and standard methodologies, incorporating these into new project designs;
Program Management, Technical Quality, and Strategy
- Building on existing practices, establish a coherent Bangladesh MEAL system (approaches, procedures, structures), encompassing both programs implemented by IRC, as well as programs implemented in partnership with other implementing organizations.
- Provide MEAL technical assistance to program teams and inputs into the design stages of program proposals, budgets, logframes, indicators, and measurement methodologies, plans and tools.
- Ensure the country program meets IRC’s global monitoring standards (“Monitoring for Action”) for improved monitoring practices, data quality and use of data within the organization. As part of this, champion an organizational culture shift from a focus on data being primarily for donor reporting or indicator calculation purposes to using data for programmatic course correction and other decision
- Ensure continued functioning of, and improvements to, the country beneficiary feedback and response mechanism, and adherence to regional standards and expectations.
- Ensure continued generation of accurate information about beneficiary reach, as per country requirements.
- Ensure that the country program has innovative and technology-driven MEAL systems and tools.
- Develop systems and procedures that measure country program-wide performance and achievements towards outcomes (using the Outcomes & Evidence Framework core indicators and other methods as appropriate) and strategic and organizational commitments.
- In close collaboration with the program teams, develop and execute a coherent strategy and plan for strengthening MEAL capacities of implementing partner organizations, incorporating technical assistance into the design stages of program.
- Lead on planning and managing internal or external program evaluations.
- Recruit, support and oversee the technical quality of work by MEAL unit team members supporting the unit’s and program teams’ implementation of MEAL systems.
- Responsible for coordinate data quality audits of projects and programs to identify and resolve systemic problems affecting data quality, and documenting and storing findings;
Program Development
- Support Program teams (Health, WPE, Protection, Education, livelihoods), and the Grants Unit in ensuring that MEAL elements support strong proposals for new funding and high-quality reporting on current programs.
- Support program and grants teams to ensure that project design in proposals is logically sound, beneficiary-informed and contextually appropriate, based on learning from previous projects and standard methodologies, and includes a Theory of Change or/and logframes, SMART indicators, and measurement methodologies, plans and tools;
- Work with program and grants staff to ensure that monitoring activities are adequately resourced;
Staff capacity building
- Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of MEAL team members in relevant technical and management competencies.
- Coach, train, supervise and mentor M&E staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
- Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing guidance on career paths.
Research, Learning and Analysis
- Identify, monitor and report unmet needs related to MEAL. Explore the potential of the IRC to address those needs within the parameters of the Bangladesh Strategic Action Plan and sector priorities.
- Support the greater sharing and use of research and learning within IRC’s program sectors, including by contributing to program development and design, to ensure interventions are responsive to needs and informed by a sound understanding of the humanitarian context in Bangladesh.
- Support learning at project close-outs through documentation of lessons and standard methodologies using both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Major Challenges/Difficulties of this Role:
- This is a new role which will require significant investment to set up the required systems
- Need to work with multiple partners and meet multiple demands
- Low capacities hence significant time investment in building capacities will be required
Deliverables/KPI:
- Total reach data collected and disseminated
- MEAL monitoring tools in place and monitoring data used to inform programming
- Quality logical frameworks
- Existence of a functional MEAL strategy
- Functional social accountability mechanisms in place
- Indicator and beneficiary tracking systems in place
- Assessments, surveys and other measurements are conducted on a timely basis and reports shared
Qualifications
- 10 years’ experience working in humanitarian/development contexts.
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience developing and implementing monitoring and evaluation strategies, including design of systems and tools, data analysis and report writing
- At least 5 years’ experience of working on large scale, complex, multi-sector programmers in both emergency and/ fragile contexts and developing project based M&E systems for a range of different donors
- Experience with statistical packages (e.g. SPSS, R) and familiarity with IT applications to support MEAL and information management;
- Previous experience of working on large scale, complex, multi-sector program in both emergency and development contexts and developing project based M&E systems for a range of different donors
- Excellent writing skills, with proven ability to produce various reports
- Proven experience of developing theory of change or logical frameworks
- Experience leading and managing staff
Knowledge, Skills & Competences:
- Highly developed influencing, communication and interpersonal skills, including ability to communicate technical issues effectively and persuasively.
- Experience in conducting measurements using qualitative and quantitative methodologies
- Excellent organizational and program management experience, including with staff work plans, budget management and monitoring and evaluation.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and facilitation, interpersonal, coordination and networking skills.
- Excellent English communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Excellent database, data management and data analysis skills, with experience using at least 2 software applications such as Microsoft Excel, Access, SPSS, STATA;
- Previous experience with electronic/mobile data collection and management tools (KoBo, Magpi, CommCare,). GIS mapping preferred;
- Strong commitment to IRC’s mission, purpose and values
Specific Educational Qualification:
- University degree (statistics, social science, public health, development economics, or a related discipline). Advanced degree preferred
- Certificate in data analysis packages
Professional degree / Certification:
- Certification in Project Management an added advantage
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Are you ready to join the most dynamic team? #LI-GR2
