Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Manager at Aga Khan Foundation

The position

AKF is seeking an experienced Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager to provide direction, leadership and technical oversight of key M&E initiatives across the four sub-components of Foundations for Education and Empowerment (F4EE) in Africa, a new partnership programme co-funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Aga Khan Foundation (AKF). The Regional M&E Manager will ensure F4EE is results-oriented and in line with GAC’s result based management policy and guidelines.

F4EE will be active in five countries (Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda). The Regional M&E Manager will be based in one of the F4EE countries in Africa (likely Kenya) and report within the AKF East Africa structure. The position will include approximately 30% travel per year to enable in country support. This individual will work closely with AKF’s technical programme team in East Africa (including education, ECD, and civil society advisors), AKDN agency programme and M&E teams in all five countries of implementation, AKF’s Global Programme Team, AKF Canada, and the AKDN Quality of Life unit.
 
Specifically, the Regional M&E Manager will:
 
Design and Planning    

• Contribute to the M&E-specific components of the programme implementation plan, taking a lead role in ensuring M&E activities are comprehensively designed and budgeted.
• Work with programme staff, technical specialists, and M&E staff to develop and plan key components of the F4EE gender sensitive M&E system, contributing to annual work planning processes.
• Provide oversight and support in the development of country-specific M&E plans, including data collection tools.
• Identify platforms and mechanisms to systematically store all project data
• Ensure country teams use the AKF Awards Information Management System (AIMS).

Data Collection and Quality Assurance        

• Collaborate with the programme teams to integrate data collection into existing programme tools and where applicable design additional gender sensitive M&E data collection tools and processes.
• Collaborate with AKF M&E and technical programme teams to ensure real-time data collection from all stakeholders and engaging ICT enabled systems where applicable.
• Provide technical and operational oversight of regional M&E-based consultancies.
• In collaboration with country and agency M&E teams, lead F4EE data quality assurance and auditing processes.
• Ensure all data collection processes adhere to ethical research standards, including AKF’s Safeguarding Policy.

Work with AKF regional technical team, Global Programme Team, and AKDN sister agencies to contribute to the effective implementation of the research and learning agenda.

Data Analysis and Use 

• Ensure real-time data analysis of all F4EE data. This will include cross analyses of data to identify correlations.
• Ensure data, data analysis, results, and lessons learned are effectively documented and communicated to internal teams and external partners.
• Facilitate regular review of project and annual targets and theory of change based on all data collected and analysed.  
• Support national-level data interpretation sessions, ensuring data is thoroughly reviewed and used effectively.

In collaboration with country and agency M&E teams, ensure all data required for partner and donor reports and communications pieces are available and accurate
 
Technical Support, Coordination, and Development  

• Conduct a capacity assessment to identify the strengths and capacity gaps across the F4EE M&E team.
• Design and deliver targeted annual capacity development plan for the M&E team ensuring this is collaborative.
• Where needed, provided targeted support to F4EE M&E team members including coaching
• Build relationships and maintain coordinated communications with all F4EE stakeholders.

The requirements

Required Qualifications and Experience

• A post-graduate degree in international development, social sciences, gender studies, or like, ideally with a focus on M&E
• Minimum of seven years of relevant practical experience designing, implementing, and managing gender sensitive M&E systems for donor-funded development projects, with specific experience in education, ECD, civil society, and gender equality and women’s empowerment projects
• Knowledge of gender analysis and assessments, including approaches, methods, and frameworks
• Experience managing real-time end-to-end data management systems and solutions, including ICT enabled data collection, analysis, and rapid feedback loops
• Experience with development and overseeing implementation of data collection tools and systems for the entry, analysis and storage of data
• Experience with adaptive management, iterative M&E and effective feedback loops to ensure use of data in strategic and programmatic decision-making
• Experience with developing successful knowledge translation strategies and tools to capture, use and communicate results and learnings to inform and strengthen strategies, program design and practices
• Experience in using quantitative and qualitative data analysis tools (e.g. SPSS, NVIVO, etc.) is an asset
• Experience in providing remote support or willingness to learn effective remote facilitation and support skills
• Demonstrated capacity to respect and safeguard vulnerable populations.
• Experience working in project geographies, i.e. Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda
• Knowledge and experience with Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC’s) results-based management tools, donor requirements and reporting processes, including M&E gender equality results is an asset

Competencies and Attributes

• Ability to develop strong, collaborative working relationships in diverse teams located across multiple offices, organisations, and geographies
• Demonstrated ability to effectively develop the technical capacity of an M&E team through a strategic capacity development process
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills in a cross-cultural context
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English; ability in any of Kiswahili, French, and Portuguese is an asset