VPRU Measurement Advisor at International Rescue Committee

Job Overview:

•  The Violence Prevention and Response Technical Unit (VPRU) provides dynamic support to IRC’s country offices on protection programming—including direct technical assistance to country program staff—ensuring innovation, promotion of standards, and improvements for all protection programming implemented by the organization. This includes work across the streams of women’s protection and empowerment (WPE), child protection (CP), and protection rule of law (PRoL), as well as cross-cutting/integrated protection approaches.
• As part of VPRU’s MEAL team, the VPRU MEAL Advisor provides critical support to help systematize VPRU monitoring systems, strengthen quality and alignment of our global data, and build a team culture of collaborative learning and reflection. As part of this role, the VPRU MEAL Advisor will work closely with the IRC Measurement Unit and peers to directly support, manage and coordinate key activities related to global monitoring systems and data quality, such as VPRU’s Annual Statistics processes, Core Indicator revisions and socialization, Program Indicator Dashboard rollout, data toolkit development, etc. Beyond data collection systems and quality, the Advisor will also work with protection country- and regional-facing colleagues to strengthen internal team MEAL comfort, capacity, and guidance to analyze, interpret, and meaningfully use different types of data across VPRU’s global programming (in close collaboration with the VPRU Senior MEAL Advisor). In addition to these cross-cutting tasks, the Advisor may also support MEAL activities for a limited number of VPRU-led projects.
• The Advisor will work closely with the VPRU MEAL team, VPRU technical leadership and technical advisors (TAs), and country program teams as they strengthen MEAL systems and promote consistency, quality, reflection, and use across IRC’s global protection data.

Major Responsibilities:

Lead Systematization, Quality Review, and Use of Protection Data Related to Country Programs (primary role)

• Lead and coordinate VPRU’s engagement in the Annual Statistics process, including liaising between the IRC Measurement Unit, VPRU TAs, and country programs on preparation, training, data quality review, and data analysis and reflection processes
• Update and streamline IRC Core Indicators for protection across sectors (in collaboration with senior technical leadership), including (i) development and refining of any new protection indicators and frameworks and (ii) supporting socialization, uptake, and use of Core Indicators with VPRU team
• Develop, refine, and validate new and existing monitoring tools and approaches for key indicators
• Support rollout and socialization of IRC Program Indicator Dashboards among VPRU colleagues, including support to TAs on related interpretation and decision-making with country teams
• Lead development and rollout of data toolkits for specific protection interventions with the IRC Measurement Unit (MU), including drafting of select toolkits
• Provide ongoing training and capacity building with protection colleagues – both within VPRU and with country programs, as needed – on core protection MEAL competencies, tools, different types of data, analysis, interpretation, and meaningful use of data for decision making
• Collaborate with VPRU colleagues to identify further approaches to strengthen global data quality, triangulate different types of data, and explore how data can be used for protection-focused advocacy, communication, and programmatic decisions

Provide Ongoing Direct Technical Support to VPRU Projects

• Independently lead and manage MEAL activities for a limited number of VPRU-led grants, while working closely with VPRU technical advisors (TAs), specialists, and MEAL staff. We currently anticipate this role will support a single project for FY24 on Protection Case Management

Support Broader Learning Strategies, Guidance, and Resources for VPRU MEAL

• Provide ad hoc support to other VPRU team members for discrete MEAL-related tasks, as needed
• Support the creation and rollout of core MEAL guidance and resources for VPRU teams
• Lead and track against relevant components of VPRU MEAL’s strategic workplan
• Lead and contribute to MEAL technical sections of business development
• Represent VPRU MEAL on external meetings, working groups, and other platforms, as needed
• Contribute to VPRU’s anti-racism commitments

Job Requirements:

• A minimum of 6 years of experience in humanitarian, international development or similar fields working or researching gender-based violence, child protection, protection rule of law, or relevant technical areas.
• At least 3-5 years of experience leading protection-specific MEAL activities, preferably in humanitarian contexts. May substitute protection programming experience for some protection-specific MEAL experience.
• Strong interpersonal skills and collaborative approach: able to successfully work with, facilitate discussion among, and build trust with diverse teams and across diverse contexts, including senior technical leaders
• Strong understanding of protection data monitoring and evaluation considerations in low resource and humanitarian contexts
• Demonstrated MEAL expertise across the data life cycle – with a particular emphasis on strong data collection, management, analysis, and interpretation skills – for multiple types of data
• Ability to generate high quality MEAL deliverables that demonstrate attention to detail, strong understanding of data and protection best practices, and are appropriate for diverse end user(s)
• Strong facilitation and training experience, with ability to synthesize and share information and build team capacity in ways that are accessible for all. Includes experience facilitating data interpretation and/or reflection sessions.
• Experience developing and refining logframes, theories of change, and/or indicator drafting/revisions
• Strong data visualization and dashboard development skills that demonstrate an understanding of how to use data to tell a compelling story
• Strong organizational skills and ability to balance/set competing priorities across a diverse portfolio
• Exceptional communications skills – strong active listening skills, constructive verbal and written skills, strong public presentation skills, and forward-thinking communication with collaborators
• Flexible work demeanor: the ability to work well both in a dynamic, globally diverse team and independently, and able to take initiative and produce results as well as accept and integrate feedback
• Experience leading and reviewing MEAL technical sections for business development
• Experience with ODK-based mobile data collection applications (CommCare, Kobo, Ona, etc.) required
• Fluency in English required
• Committed to upholding anti-racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion principles

Preferred experience & skills:

• Degree in in social work, social research, international development, public health, or related fields is highly preferred, or a combination of a formal education and commensurate experience. A concentration in monitoring & evaluation will be an asset.
• Demonstrated understanding of feminist/equitable/collaborative approaches to data and learning
• Experience with digital data visualization/analysis platforms or software (e.g. PowerBI) strongly preferred
• French, Spanish and/or Arabic language skills preferred