Fresh Jobs at Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Position Overview

The Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Officer, YEFFA Multi-Country Support, will be responsible for the coordination and implementation of the Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture (YEFFA) countries program’s MEL, results data monitoring, reporting, and quality systems, in line with YEFFA’s theory of change and results frameworks. The position will ensure hands-on and onsite technical support and capacity building to YEFFA countries to strengthen performance data tracking, verification, reporting, and compliance, supporting evidence-based decision-making in liaison with the YEFFA Program Management Unit (PMU) and AGRA’s Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Unit.

The ideal candidate will coordinate YEFFA country investments (including consultancies and convenings) performance and results data quality tracking and verification, including accompanying field-facing and problem-solving technical support to strengthen the quality, credibility, and use of YEFFA results across countries. The position holder will lead data verification and provide direct, hands-on M&E support to YEFFA country teams and grantees, troubleshooting M&E implementation challenges through routine country missions and data quality verifications. He/she will serve as a key operational link between country implementation, the YEFFA Program Management Unit (PMU), and AGRA’s M&E Unit. He/she will work closely with the Senior M&E Officer, Continental Programs, who has oversight of YEFFA MEL performance and results data. The position will report to the Head of YEFFA Program Delivery with matrix reporting to the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide ongoing M&E support to the YEFFA PMU in collaboration with the Senior M&E Officer, YEFFA, and Continental programs.
• Provide technical oversight, aligning country results, program design with YEFFA theory of change and Results Framework, ensuring compliance with YEFFA objectives.
• Provide a consolidated analysis and practical insights on YEFFA country performance to the Head – YEFFA PD and the Director – GYI to inform decision-making.
• Generate quarterly YEFFA country program/investments performance and milestones dashboards, including an analysis of compliance.
• Provide technical support to the design of YEFFA investments and integration of YEFFA MEL plans into workplans, budgets, and grant agreements to ensure clear results linkages.
• Lead data integration of YEFFA with continental pillar data to demonstrate YEFFA achievements in coordination with the Senior M&E Officer, YEFFA, and Continental programs.
• Lead YEFFA country M&E support needs identification, working closely with the Senior M&E Officer, country teams, and the M&E unit.
• Coordinate and support planning and delivery of MEL technical support and troubleshooting to YEFFA country teams and implementing partners on data capture, documentation, and reporting challenges.
• Lead routine and ad-hoc data quality checks, verification, and validation exercises.
• Strengthen source documentation, audit trails, and evidence standards for YEFFA indicators.
• Provide technical guidance and training to implementing partners on results reporting, indicator definition, and data management systems.
• Lead grantees onboarding as well as validation of data reported on AMIS on YEFFA to ensure quality and accuracy. 
• Lead implementation and backstopping of the digitized tool used by country teams.
• Lead implementation of YEFFA results and reporting protocols at the country level, in liaison with in-country and regional M&E Officers.
• Monitor and support follow-up actions arising from DQAs, spot checks, and validation missions.
• Lead in-country portfolio reviews, field monitoring, quarterly performance reviews, and learning sessions.
• Analyze country and portfolio-level results and performance data to identify trends, risks, and implementation bottlenecks.
• Provide evidence-based impact stories and inputs to YEFFA PMU for management discussions and decision-making, including mapping of tertiary youth work opportunities created.
• Lead the review of YEFFA countries' impact pathways as required.
• Contribute to the preparation of YEFFA Annual Results Reports and data-driven presentations for the Mastercard Foundation and AGRA Board.
• Work closely with YEFFA and AGRA’s MEL focal Points, particularly the Senior M&E Officer, Continental Programs, to harmonize performance indicators and streamline data reporting requirements.
• Collaborate with YEFFA countries to ensure MEL integration within their workstreams.
• Facilitate cross-country learning through synthesis of field insights and best practices.
• Facilitate cross-country learning through synthesis of best practices in MEL and adaptive management.
• Lead continuous improvement of YEFFA MEL systems, processes, dashboards, and tools.
• Document program lessons and support countries in alignment with contributing to the YEFFA learning agenda.
• Contribute to the ongoing integration of program learning questions into program implementation and country objectives, as well as country learning events.
• Lead evaluations, surveys, and MEL-related consultancies as required in collaboration with the AGRA MEL Unit.

Qualifications and Experience Required:

• Master’s degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Development Economics, Statistics, Data Science, or related discipline.
• Professional certification in MEL, Results-Based Management, or Data Analytics is an asset.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in monitoring, evaluation, and results management in large-scale, multi-country programs in Africa.
• Proven experience with donor-funded initiatives, particularly Mastercard Foundation or equivalent development partners.
• Expertise in results framework design, performance tracking, and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize data into actionable insights and communicate results effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience supporting adaptive management and institutional learning.
• Demonstrated strong ownership and responsibility for results management processes, ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) data.
• Exhibits the ability to adjust MEL frameworks, tools, and methodologies in response to changing program contexts, emerging priorities, and evolving stakeholder needs.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain a strong focus on measuring performance outcomes and assessing progress against defined targets and indicators.
• Experience in delivering high-quality MEL outputs promptly, supports evidence-based decision-making, and contributes to improved program effectiveness through actionable insights and performance feedback.
• Ability to proactively capture, document, and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and evaluative insights to support organizational learning.
• Ability to facilitate knowledge-sharing processes and promote a culture of reflection, learning, and continuous improvement to enhance program design, implementation, and impact.

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Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assess, analyze, and understand the Agricultural Finance situation in each of AGRA’s 15 focus countries in relation to the country plans, focus value chains, availability of youth-focused funding, and AGRA’s investment portfolio.
• Identify risks and market gaps in financing the input and output markets for the identified value chains in collaboration with the AGRA country staff.
• Identify relevant public sector partners (Ministries, Central bank, de-risking schemes, DFIs/IFIs, donors) that are instrumental in designing and deploying de-risking instruments and relevant policies and regulations that enhance financing of food systems with a focus on the agricultural sector.
• Support AGRA’s country teams to engage public sector actors and enhance their role in reducing the cost and risk of financing the agricultural sector by introducing innovations and best practices through consultancies, convenings, and catalytic grants.
• Initiate dialogue with public sector partners on their role in financing the agricultural sector and the support that AGRA could bring to expand and improve financing of food systems. This could be through consultancies, grants, and convenings.
• Engage with public sector actors to support them in identifying opportunities and potential partners that improve access to financial services for food system actors.
• A trusted technical advisor to the Governments and, based on skills and evidence, advocates for the deployment of public funds to catalyze agricultural finance in the countries.
• Build strong networks in agricultural finance and stay abreast of market developments to proactively disseminate knowledge and experience to AGRA’s partners, networks, and other stakeholders in Africa.
• Develop and optimize tailored solutions that grow the agricultural finance sector (using public and donor funding) as a project proposal or program, including facility structuring, negotiations, documentation, and delivery.
• Achieve Resource Mobilization for AGRA and the focus countries to expand the blended finance portfolio and profile of AGRA.
• Optimizes relevant data and information and analytics to support the Head – Inclusive Finance to drive effective negotiations with governments and donor agencies involved with dense, functional networks of blended finance partners throughout AGRA’s program area.
• Document and disseminate learnings derived from the blended finance work.

Key Qualifications and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from a reputable academic institution in a relevant field, such as public finance, agricultural economics, or business economics
• A master’s degree in (agricultural) business, macroeconomics, or another relevant field is desired.
• Experience in financial development, preferably in a public (funded) institution or an agricultural finance program in Africa
• Good knowledge of the structure and functioning of public sector institutions that can reduce the cost and risk of agricultural finance.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing blended finance structures that mobilize private capital to support inclusive and sustainable agricultural development.
• Experience in the financial and agricultural sector and working with relevant public institutions that influence the functioning of the financial ecosystem.
• Ability to align blended finance mechanisms with development outcomes and climate resilience in the agriculture sector.
• Proficiency in structuring concessional finance instruments (e.g., guarantees, subordinated debt, technical assistance) tailored to agricultural value chains and rural development context.
• Ability to work effectively and build the knowledge base of both national and regional teams in the specialized field of blended finance for food systems.
• Knowledge of market systems development (MSD) approaches and their interaction with blended finance intervention.
• In-depth understanding of the financing needs and challenges across agricultural value chains, especially in smallholder-dominated markets.
• Knowledge of the public regulatory regimes operating at the national level to identify areas for improvement in the financial instruments and products available to the agricultural sector.
• Proven experience working with bilateral and multilateral donors, development finance institutions (DFIs), and philanthropic organizations to mobilize capital and align funding with agricultural development objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to build partnerships that enhance the scalability and sustainability of blended finance interventions in agriculture.
• Excellent writing skills (ToRs, grant proposals, and knowledge documents) and communication skills (conducting webinars, chairing meetings, panel and moderation roles).