Associate Director - Monitoring, Learning & Evaluation (MLE) Delivery at Evidence Action

Job purpose

The Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) team supports Evidence Action’s programs through well-designed monitoring, research, and evaluations and timely access to useful and insightful data analysis for evidence-based decision-making. The MLE team provides these services to Evidence Action’s flagship programs in Safe Water and, Deworm the World, as well as Evidence Action’s programs in the Accelerator. We use rigorous and cutting-edge approaches to designing, collecting and analysing M&E data for programmatic decision making.

The Associate Director, MLE leads the Monitoring Learning and Evaluation team in Africa to provide quality and timely data to meet ongoing program decision making, including well designed and implemented program monitoring and evaluation; day-to-day access through cloud-based information systems; and analysis and operational research for program improvements. A critical part of achieving this will be to strengthen systems to maintain standards and to nurture a strong technical team while supporting programs. The Associate Director, MLE will manage a large team and collaborate closely with other managers to achieve team outcomes.

The role d irectly and indirectly oversees MLE function and teams in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria and Liberia and collaborates closely with Global and US-based teams.

Role Reports to: Director, East and Southern Africa

Duties and responsibilities

Lead delivery of Evidence Action’s monitoring, learning and evaluation function in Africa

• Oversee delivery of all MLE areas in the region including survey design, data collection, data management, analysis and reporting
• Oversee the development and maintenance of protocols, guidelines around data-related processes; including survey design, data flow, data collection, data storage, data management, data sharing and analysis.
• Develop and maintain data and information systems for program decision-making including automating day-to-day analysis and reporting through cloud-based data systems, applications and dashboards.
• Conduct any requested quantitative and qualitative operations research for the programs.
• Ensure well planned work plan and budget development in collaboration with the regional leadership and program teams.
• Attract, develop and retain excellent MLE team members and ensure the ongoing development of their professional skills and capabilities.
• Managing MLE external partners and vendors and supporting program partnership engagements related to MLE including defining SoW, budgets, contracts and conducting quality assurance.

Collaborate with teams for data-driven decision-making and active learning for all programs in Africa

• Ensure a service-oriented environment and client-driven relationships with programs to reach programmatic goals.
• Ensure that the regional leadership and program teams have access to timely, useful, and accurate data for ongoing program management, assessment, reporting and publishing research.
• Enable the program teams to use information for engagement with policymakers, donors and decision-makers; including collaboration with the global team and support on information for external communication.
• Develop sharing and learnings across programs (e.g. brown bags, newsletters, caselets etc) for data-driven decision making.

Research and development standards and protocols

• Support the development and maintenance of the organisation’s MLE design standards and protocols.
• Support the development and maintenance of MLE design guides and other MLE design resources such as the MLE design ‘menu’, a document listing M&E methodology and describing the approach, appropriate use, and limitations of each methodology.
• Develop and maintain a document outlining ethical requirements in the countries where Evidence Action operates and assess current organisational processes for obtaining ethical approval.
• When necessary, develop resource document(s) that standardise ethical approval processes for each country.
• Perform any other monitoring, evaluation and learning duties as may be required and assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field with strong economics, statistics, or other analytical and quantitative training.
• Strong technical M&E skills and capacity, with 7+ years of practical experience managing and working directly with data and proven leadership experience.
• Very strong knowledge of STATA , SPSS, or other advanced statistical analysis software; familiarity designing and managing database and cloud computing systems.
• Familiar with phone-based data collection software and systems.
• Self-directed and self-motivated personality, with proven ability to manage demands from multiple clients while adhering to deadlines and priorities.
• Ability to operate effectively within ambiguous environments.
• A sense of humor and excitement to be part of an engaged and intellectually stimulating work environment.