Acting MEL/CLA Manager At DAI Global

Scope of Work

Strengthening Regional Peace and Stability in West Africa Program

POSITION: Acting MEL/CLA Manager

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE : September 01, 2024 – November 30, 2024

BASE OF OPERATIONS : Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Burkina Faso, or Guinea

POSITION REPORTS TO: Deputy Chief of Party – Technical

1. Project Background

The Strengthening Regional Peace and Stability (SRPS) in West Africa Program is a five-year, USAID-funded program implemented by DAI. The program supports the efforts of West Africans to address the risks of instability from democratic backsliding and from conflict, and prioritizes targeted governance, conflict and violence prevention, peacebuilding, and preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) interventions across the region. The program will engage with regional partners and with governments that demonstrate commitment to power-sharing and resource redistribution, both of which are crucial for reducing exclusion, violence, and conflict. Program interventions will address causes of fragility, and focus on good governance approaches, conflict prevention and response, and P/CVE interventions across select target countries in the Sahel and coastal West Africa.

1. Objectives of the assignment

The Acting MEL/CLA Manager will support SRPS establish an effective MEL/CLA system to effectively monitor program activities, highlight program achievements through an effective communications strategy, and provide guidance to the M&E subcontractor, Navanti, regarding the use of their field enumerators.

The Acting MEL/CLA Manager will be directly responsible for overseeing the implementation of SRPS’s AMELP, ensuring capture and analysis of requisite data to measure the established indicators for this program. Work with the COP, DCOP-Technical, and Country Representatives to develop Country-specific AMELPs based on the Y2 workplan and AMELP. S/he will ensure that all project performance monitoring activities and systems, including necessary data management and visualization software and data collection instruments, are collected, stored, managed, analyzed, and reported at a high degree of quality. The Acting MEL/CLA Manager will work under the supervision of the DCOP-Technical and work collaboratively across a small team of field enumerators, M&E Research Manager, Communications Specialist, and GIS Consultant.

3. Tasks & Responsibilities

Tasks and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Data management, analysis, and reporting:

• Develop and manage all project performance monitoring activities and systems, including necessary data management and visualization software and data collection instruments, to collect, store, manage, analyze and report M&E data on output, outcome, and impact indicators.
• Provide oversight to Navanti’s production of regular (monthly or quarterly) context monitoring reports. The COP, DCOP-Technical, USAID, and Country Representatives will determine the focus or topic areas to be covered in the reports.
• Ensure that all M&E data and reports are uploaded into the Activity Database.
• Liaise with multiple stakeholders (SRPS colleagues, USAID, Navanti,) for timely data collection, verification, and feedback.
• Work closely with internal and external communications personnel to track engagement metrics across various digital communications channels, compiling and aggregating data to help inform communications strategy and provide regular insights on access and uptake.
• Conduct regular and ad-hoc data analysis, working closely with other team members, to develop reports (including the semiannual performance report) that demonstrate progress and facilitate learning.
• Ensure data is input into USAID indicator reporting systems as required (e.g., annual DIS entry).
• Engage with relevant stakeholders and grantees to verify and ensure necessary MEL capacity for ongoing reporting and to support the development of performance milestones, collaborating alongside SRPS Country Directors and Grants Specialists.
• Provide technical guidance on survey design, sampling, etc.

Collaborating, Learning and Adapting:

• Support the SRPS team in developing and facilitating CLA tools and activities to help in the identification, analysis, and synthesis of lessons learned from program implementation; facilitate incorporation of lessons into the activity cycle with the COP and other SRPS colleagues.
• Participate in regular project planning and provide analytical feedback and support to inform decisions.
• Support SRPS in the development and dissemination of thought leadership and learning content including the preparation of responses and products for ad hoc learning requests from USAID.

SRPS MEL Plan development and Implementation:

• Lead annual MEL Plan updates process to adjust the MEL Plan and PIRS as needed.
• Work with Country Representatives, Grants team, home office team, etc., to identify learning questions and outcomes of interest among SRPS and USAID.
• Lead the development and implementation of specific MEL strategies, leveraging an established framework, including discussions on where any deviations are necessary from the standard indicators established, reviewing data collection methods and data verification to track performance and ensure alignment with SRPS Activity-level monitoring framework, in collaboration with SRPS team.
• Integrate MEL data collection and reporting requirements into SOWs for new grants and subcontractor task orders, ensuring they are incorporated into deliverables or milestones.
• Verify transaction close-out reports and documentation; review other MEL-related deliverables.

Data quality assurance:

• Responsible for overall data quality control; conducting data verification and other quality assurance activities (e.g., spot-checks, data quality assessments) to ensure accuracy of MEL data and reports.
• Facilitate and/or provide M&E training to the project staff and partners.

4. Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline and 5 – 8 years of relevant work experience or Master’s degree in a related discipline that demonstrates complementarity to the scope of requirements and 3 – 5 years of relevant work experience.
• At least 2 years of proven experience managing MEL or research on donor-funded projects.
• Working knowledge of USAID or other donor MEL guidance and policy.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders for data collection, data verification, reporting and dissemination.
• Demonstrated experience in data analysis and data visualization.
• Excellent writing, communications and data management skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work collaboratively with members of a complex team, pulling in resources and expertise as needed to address challenges and identify solutions as a team when needed.
• Fluency in English and French.

Desired Qualifications:

• Strong analytical thinking and experience with market-driven development solutions that engage the private sector as partners for sustainable impact.
• Familiarity with approaches to measuring capacity development, behavior change, or institutional learning and experience using light-touch monitoring options to understand pathways of influence, such as perception surveys, outcome harvests, most significant change, etc.
• Experience building capacity of staff and partner organizations in MEL.
• Ability to use PowerBi, Kobo Toolbox (or similar online survey tools), Google Analytics.

About DAI:

DAI is a global development company with corporate offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, EU, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Palestine and project operations worldwide. We tackle fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability.

DAI works on the frontlines of global development. Transforming ideas into action—action into impact. We are committed to shaping a more livable world.

DAI and its employees are committed to confronting racism and holding ourselves accountable for positive change within the company and in the communities, cultures, and countries in which we live and work. DAI is committed to attracting and retaining the best employees from all races and backgrounds in our continued effort to become a better development partner.

DAI upholds the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.