Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at So They Can (STC)

Job Description

Reports to: Country Manager

Term: Permanent on satisfactory completion of six (6) months probation

The primary purpose of the M&E Officer will be to provide support in monitoring and evaluating ongoing projects for STC Kenya. The incumbent will be responsible for overall M&E and learning needs of the programs and will report findings based on real data to show performance of the projects. The aim of the role is to provide technical advice on frameworks, tools and methodologies to strengthen M&E systems and enable the organisation to effectively report its impact.

The M&E Officer will support the team in all data collection, analysis, and learning activities to help ensure accountability and efficiency from start to finish for all programs and projects. The M&E Officer will provide technical field support to assist in the establishment of an M&E unit within the two countries’ development strategy. The findings produced by the M&E Officer will be a basis for the development of the projects and for wider leaning of the organisation.

Additionally, the M& E Officer will work with other members of the team in both countries, as need be, on grants writing and set up, follow up of program expenses and indicators, implementation of processes, standard operating procedures and any other tasks given to her/him by his/her Manager  or member of So They Can Executive. The M&E Officer will be responsible for but not limited to the following tasks:

• Developing Systems and Frameworks:
  • Coordinate the creation of robust procedures for monitoring and evaluation of project activities;
  • Develop the overall portfolio of monitoring and evaluation activities by: clarifying responsibilities; preparing work plans; and consulting on a detailed budget for the monitoring and evaluation;
  • Support the Management Team in defining and implementing key project performance indicators (KPI) as well as monitoring them throughout the duration of the projects;
  • Assist Program staff and the Project Managers in clarifying project information needs and proposing strategies to increase data collection and data use;
  •  Work with the Program Team to develop tools and data collection procedures including, but not limited to logical frameworks, performance tracking tools, indicators, data flow charts, and M&E manuals;
  • Support the Management Team in reviewing the performance of existing management information systems to help identify potential areas for improvement,
  • Keep abreast of developments in M&E best practices in order to recommend tools and strategies to increase program performance.
• Coordinate On-going M&E Activities:
  •  Train and support the Program Teams in methodologies to properly capture, consolidate and archive data regarding program performance;
  •  Oversee and execute monitoring and evaluation exercises included in the programs and projects documents with focus on external impacts and internal lessons learned;
  •  Perform regular field visits to ensure the quality of data collected by Programs Team and verify the accuracy of reported data;
  • Coordinate the preparation of all monitoring and evaluation reports, guide staff and executing partners in preparing their progress reports in accordance with approved reporting formats and ensure their timely submission;
  • Establish an effective system for assessing the validity of monitoring and evaluation data through a review of activities/installations, completed monitoring forms/databases, and a review of aggregate level statistics reported;
  • Prepare consolidated progress reports for the Executive Team;
  • Identify strengths and weaknesses in existing data collection and management systems and propose solutions.
  • Support Stakeholder Relations:
  • Assist Program Teams in establishing log frames, M&E work plans, and targets during the drafting donor project proposals as well as throughout project implementation;
  • Provide data to the Executive Team to support responses to donor, partner, and Executive Team data queries in an accurate and timely manner;
  • Review and analyse internal reports to identify potential deficiencies in project implementation and to enhance quality of reporting to the Executive Team;
  • Support Country Manager in reviewing donor reports to ensure high quality stewardship of funds and a high level of transparency;
  • Develop close working relationships with all project participants and stakeholders and establish and maintain good working relations with external partners as required.

Qualifications and Competencies:

Essential:

• University Degree preferably in Development Studies, Business Administration, Social Science, Statistics, or other related field;
• At least 3 years work experience in offering program support in donor funded projects;
• Extensive experience with monitoring program implementation using qualitative and quantitative approaches;
• Experience in monitoring and evaluating for education and/or community development programs;
• Demonstrable experience in coaching, mentoring or managing teams of professionals;
• Excellent ICT skills with command of MS Excel and other MS Office packages;
• Strong verbal and written English and Kiswahili language skills.

Desirable:

• Experience using data analysis packages and database management systems, particularly Salesforce.

Personal Specification:

• Individual with strong professional and personal integrity;
• Commitment to excellence through professional development;
• High level of attention to detail and pride in work outputs;
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage a variety of tasks in a time sensitive environment to meet deadlines;
• Team player with positive attitude towards supporting professional improvement of colleagues;
•  Excellent communication skills with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relations both nationally and internationally;
• Ability to travel frequently and for extended periods;