Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager at DAI Kenya - Development Alternatives, Inc.

Tasks & Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and institutionalize monitoring and evaluation systems and approaches that provide useful data for reporting, communications, and organizational learning.
• Ensure the design of monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems track inclusion of various groups, continuously monitoring and adjusting for impact, and must engage women, youth, and marginalized communities in the development and implementation of the learning agenda.
• Draft MEL Plan that will outline approach for establishing the baseline. This may include using existing available data (project, host-country, other donor) in addition to conducting a baseline assessment if necessary.
• Oversee implementation of data quality assessment processes and procedures.
• Develop/adapt tools for data collection; designs and implements surveys and other data collection tasks, including overseeing implementation of the project’s baseline, mid and end-of-project surveys.
• Lead collaboration with USAID assigned external evaluators and provide documentation/verification of data as requested.
• Institutes regular use of performance monitoring data among component leads and technical staff.
• Identifies best practices and state-of-the art approaches to the program activities and evaluates them.
• Provides technical assistance and training to the project’s teams and partner organizations as necessary.
• Ensure proper tracking, measurement, and recording the targeted results that serve as measurable performance standards by which the project’s performance will be assessed and the indicators in the MEL plan to provide metrics to measure progress.
• Co-train technical teams on the use of the project’s management system (TAMIS) and work closely with them to ensure that TAMIS is regularly and accurately updated.
• Validates, and provides input into the Annual Work Plan, MEL Plan, Baseline Report, Quarterly Performance Reports, Annual Reports and Final Report.
• Inform technical teams about the project’s outcomes and impacts on a regular basis, providing necessary recommendations for meeting targets where needed.
• Works closely with the Learning and Adaptation Advisor to design routine technical meeting as a platform for sharing ideas among technical teams.
• Support and advise technical teams on assessments and learning activities.

Qualifications

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in education, public or business administration or management, statistics, or related field required.
• Minimum of 7 years of MEL data collection experience.
• Demonstrated expertise and an in-depth understanding of qualitative and quantitative research design, data collection, and data analysis.
• Prior experience leading, designing, managing, and/or commissioning performance evaluations and other types of research.
• Experience training / facilitating large groups.
• Experience working with USAID or other international donors.
• Strong track record of working on projects of similar scope, complexity, and size.
• Ability to communicate findings to a range of external and internal stakeholders and apply MEL results and learning to planning.
• Proficiency in statistical software.
• Experience with M&E tools and systems for WASH development projects.
• Excellent English written and oral communications skills.
• Preference for individuals that have worked extensively in northern and southeastern Kenya, especially Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, Samburu, Turkana, Wajir, Kitui, Makueni, and Taita Taveta.
• Preference for individuals that have worked on programs with a focus in water, sanitation, agriculture or sustainable livelihoods.