Senior Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning at Grassroot Soccer

• The Senior Manager should thrive in a matrixed organisation and be adept at coordinating with all Global functions, including Global Programs, Business Development, Fundraising, Marketing & Communications, and Finance & Operations.

Primary Responsibilities:

Lead GRS’s Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Cycle (40%)

• Set the strategic direction for MEL, ensuring alignment with GRS’s Global Theory of Change and organisational priorities.
• Manage two global MEL staff (Assistant Systems Analyst & Developer, Coordinator, MEL) and provide functional guidance to MEL staff in Impact Teams.
• Ensure Impact Team staff are trained in data collection, MEL systems, consistent quantitative indicators, and the use of data for decision-making.
• Partner with the Research Manager to design and implement rapid learning cycle assessments that generate actionable insights for programme adaptation.
• Lead the creation and rollout of implementation standards and process indicators to assess and improve programme quality alongside results data.
• Deploy and manage dedicated paid data collectors in priority geographies to strengthen data quality and timeliness.

Strengthen MEL Tools, Systems, Indicators and Data Quality (30%)

• Oversee the design and implementation of MEL plans, systems, and processes, ensuring standardised quantitative indicators are used across all programmes and countries.
• Lead GRS’s transition to and optimisation of mobile-based MEL systems, improving real-time data access and quality.
• Chair the Salesforce Governance Committee, ensuring the platform holds all data needed for organisational KPIs and is supported by strong governance protocols.
• Explore and pilot the integration of AI tools into MEL systems and processes to improve data collection efficiency, analysis, visualisation, and reporting.
• Establish and enforce annual and mid-year cut-off dates for data input to improve timeliness and accountability.
• Conduct routine data quality assessments and verification protocols, with feedback loops to field and partner teams.
• Analyse the global dataset to identify trends, risks, and dependencies such as reliance on certain partners or delivery models, and advise senior leadership on implications for MEL systems and resources.
• Expand the use of Salesforce to replace key spreadsheets, prioritising data of greatest organisational value and risk.

Leadership, Learning, and External Collaboration (30%)

• Build a culture of learning across GRS by integrating MEL and research insights into programme design, strategic planning, and organisational decision-making.
• Oversee preparation of MEL and learning outputs, including Tableau dashboards, data visualisations, and narrative briefs.
• Lead the analysis of programme cost-effectiveness to inform strategic resource allocation, programme design, and donor engagement.
• Establish a standard internal annual global reporting template as the single source of truth for organisational results, accompanied by analysis of key trends and drivers.
• Collaborate closely with Fundraising, Institutional Philanthropy, and Marketing & Communications to ensure MEL insights and consistent quantitative impact measures are effectively integrated into donor proposals, reports, and public communications.
• Facilitate regular learning forums such as quarterly learning calls to share global data, evaluation results, and thematic insights across geographies.
• Manage the MEL budget, aligning resources with organisational learning and impact priorities.
• The ideal candidate should hold qualifications and demonstrate exceptional skills in the following areas:

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in public health, business, social sciences, or a related field.
• 8 - 10 years of progressive management experience.
• Proven expertise in both qualitative and quantitative programme evaluation methods in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Experience applying technology solutions, including AI tools, to strengthen MEL systems and processes is strongly preferred.
• Preferred expertise in MEL in one or more of the following areas for programs in Sub-Saharan Africa: implementation science, adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), HIV and AIDS, and mental health.
• Experience in programme cost-effectiveness analysis and using cost data to inform decision-making is an asset.