Mid-Level MEL Specialist, USAID/Nigeria Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Support Activity (MELSA)

Social Impact is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits.

Project Objective:

The purpose of this five-year project is to support USAID/Nigeria staff and partners to implement more efficient, effective, and transparent activities by improving: (1) USAID and Implementing Partner’s (IP) capacity to achieve expected results; (2) USAID’s understanding and tracking of activity and project performance; and (3) Mission and activity ability to collaborate, learn, and adapt (CLA).

Position Description:

SI is seeking multiple full-time, Mid-Level Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialists who will contribute to the implementation of activities for this project. The MEL Specialist should possess experience across the MEL spectrum, including conducting a variety of monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities. These positions will be based in Abuja. The MEL Specialist will serve on a full-time basis throughout the five-year year period of performance.

Please note: This is a local position. Only candidates with Nigerian citizenship will be considered.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and CLA Leads to contribute to the implementation of MEL activities. Help to support the integration of MEL into learning and continuous quality improvement efforts.
• Monitoring responsibilities: Participate in activity case studies, site visits to monitor activities, and conduct data quality assessments (DQAs). Conduct review of existing project- and activity-level MEL plans and recommend refinements to USAID/Nigeria’s MEL plan.
• Assessment/Evaluation responsibilities: Manage and/or participate on evaluation teams, including conducting data collection throughout Nigeria, data analysis, and report writing. Conduct and/or support analyses and assessments as needed, including but not limited to assessments for the midcourse stocktaking for the 2020-2025 CDCS and any successor CDCS, Political Economy Analysis, Gender Analysis, etc.
• CLA responsibilities: Support training USAID, Government of Nigeria, and implementing partner staff on MEL. Facilitate and/or support multiple learning events bringing together a variety of stakeholders.
• Other responsibilities: Provide timely inputs and quality deliverables for all assignments. Develop program recommendations based on qualitative and quantitative data. Develop dissemination plans for reporting and sharing findings with USAID/Nigeria. Other ad hoc MEL activities, as required.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree and a minimum of five years of relevant experience, or Ph.D. and four years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience in development of MEL activities including: MEL plans at the activity and project level, monitoring activities, data quality assessments, evaluations, MEL training and capacity building, implementing learning agenda activities, as well as other MEL technical activities.
• Expertise conducting MEL activities in one or more of the following technical fields: 1) Economic Growth and Environment; 2) Education; 3) Health.
• Knowledge of and hands-on experience with the USAID program cycle and evaluation policy.
• Excellent communication, writing, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Fluency in spoken and written English required.
• Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations and implementing partners.