M & E and Impact Information Manager at Northern Rangelands Trust

Job Description

Purpose of the position:

This position will be embedded within the Sustainability Department, reporting to the Chief Operations Officer, and working closely with the Fundraising and Grants management teams, the Communications team, NRT goal leads, regional directors, community conservancies and the Sustainability Planning efforts, to facilitate ownership and access of the information produced by the NRT and conservancy operational and impact monitoring systems.

The M&E and Impact Information Manager will be responsible for the conceptualization, design and implementation of the analytical and technical solutions to meet the goals NRT projects. Working closely with a team of environment management experts, you will lead the M&E technical vision of NRT projects and guide MEL technical discussions with project stakeholders, as well as bring MEL technical deliverables to bear. You will ensure high-quality deliverables are completed within scope and on time, and that implementation outcomes are attained per know best practices. These monitoring tools are essential components of NRT’s efforts to track conservancies’ operational effectiveness and impact, to inform effective decision making and adaptive management at the level of individual conservancies and across NRT as a whole, and to report to donors and partners on the effectiveness of their support.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and maintenance the overall NRT conservancy information database and impact monitoring system
• Bring an innovative MEL technical vision to the project
• Ensure quality of each deliverable
• Maintain overall ownership of the NRT results framework, it’s indicators, data collection, management and dissemination systems
• Ensure that all indicators are fit-for-purpose, with adequate baselines, and ambitious but achievable targets
• Contribute to donor reporting ensuring that the various donor-specific results – set out in the relevant donor financing agreements - fit seamlessly within the overall NRT results framework, and allow direct donor-specific reporting where needed
• Lead the effective implementation of the devolved livelihoods (Social-CoMMS) monitoring system in partnership with NRT conservancies (Social-CoMMS), and the evolution of S-CoMMS to incorporate effective governance monitoring
• Work with conservancies to ensure effective data collection, timely data entry, data management, and accurate reporting of results from the livelihood monitoring system (Social CoMMS)
• Work with NRT staff to develop and maintain the overall impact monitoring system that incorporates information from the livelihood monitoring system (Social CoMMS), the Wildlife (W-CoMMS) and Vegetation (V-CoMMS) monitoring systems, the quarterly Conservancy Reports, and other NRT monitoring programmes and activities
• Develop and maintain the NRT conservancy information database and results measurement database and ensure timely data entry, analysis, visualization and feedback, including automated reporting systems for standard parameters
• Work closely with the NRT Regional Directors and Conservancy Managers to ensure responsibility for effective information collection and validation, and with Grant Managers to ensure effective dissemination to NRT, donors, partners, conservancies and other stakeholders
• Provide training and support to the NRT field staff, senior management and grants managers to facilitate access to and interpretation of the conservancy database and impact information
• Support conservancies to develop and implement conservancy level operational management and impact monitoring systems to support local ownership of information for adaptive management
• Support NRT goal leads in results-based planning to ensure integration of impact monitoring and measurement into annual operational plans and budgets
• Support the compilation of progress and impact reports (quarterly and annual donor reports, NRT board reports, annual State of Conservancies Reports, etc) and work with the Communications team to ensure correct content for NRT’s communications efforts

Qualifications: Education/Knowledge/Technical Skills and Experience

• A Master’s degree in a subject relevant to Conservation, Development and/or Monitoring and Evaluation is required.
• At least 7-10 years’ experience in data science, data analysis and informatics or project impact monitoring systems, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Working knowledge of the major languages for analytics and data mining including R, SQL and ACCESS databases, GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS) and ability to create reports with effective visualization and communication
• Demonstrated ability to create a user-centered technical design
• Data-oriented personality with a keen eye for detail, data analysis and presentation
• Demonstrated ability to lead and work with others to follow your recommendations and ensure operationalization of best practices with sensitivity to local communities and diverse teams.
• Experience with community development and field research and monitoring.
• Excellent people management and communication skills and experience
• Excellent and confident public speaking and presentation skills
• Fluency in English is required, knowledge of Kiswahili is a plus