MEL Manager | Lusaka, Zambia | 2024 At Chemonics

Chemonics International seeks a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager for the anticipated five-year, $50-$99 million USAID-funded Zambia Sustainable Water and Sanitation Activity. The activity will focus on WASH governance and finance mechanisms, sustainable service delivery, and enhancing resiliency of the water system in Lusaka City and the Copperbelt, Central and Eastern provinces of Zambia. The activity aims to improve governance and management capacity for WASH at the subnational level; increase access to sustainable water and sanitation services, including in institutional settings; and increase the resilience of water supply to climate change, disaster and public health emergencies.

The MEL Manager will support MEL activities across project implementation and will assist with the design and implementation of the Activity’s knowledge and learning plan and Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP), create and organize the reporting and documentation required by the AMELP, develop appropriate methods for data collection, and ensure that youth- and gender-sensitive indicators and results are included. S/he will organize and implement data collection and tracking tools for survey data, results and progress information, conduct regular data quality assessments, integrate collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA) principles throughout implementation, and collect lessons learned and successes during project implementation. The MEL Manager will report to the MEL Director and work closely with other technical personnel and activity partners. Zambian nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities:

• Assist with the design and implementation of the activity’s knowledge and learning plan and Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP).
• Create and organize the reporting and documentation required by the AMELP.
• Develop, with input from technical staff, appropriate methods for data collection as per the AMELP. Ensure that youth- and gender-sensitive indicators and results are included.
• Organize and implement data collection and tracking tools for survey data, results and progress information (in coordination with technical staff) for the project.
• Conduct data quality assessments on a regular basis to ensure data is accurate and complete.
• Coordinate regularly with the regional technical staff to ensure that data collection and reporting is consistent and accurate across regional offices.
• Assist the MEL Director in building capacity of staff in data collection and data quality assurance methods. Work with Zambian partners to increase capacity to provide quality, timely data.
• Integrate CLA principles throughout implementation to promote learning and build the MEL and CLA capacity of our subcontractors and stakeholders through training and knowledge transfer.
• Collect lessons learned and successes during project implementation in conjunction with activity leadership, helping the team learn from its data.
• Assisting the MEL Director with the management of the provincial teams MEL ensuring they uphold the rigorous standards of the project’s AMEL Plan, and provide quality control over their work.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in statistics, quantitative/qualitative data analysis or management, program management, anthropology/social sciences, or related field
• Minimum of five years of experience in utilizing tools for data collection, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of donor-funded projects.
• Experience working on WASH projects highly preferred
• Experience supervising or mentoring employees preferred
• Experience with results frameworks, indicators, and targets for USAID-funded projects required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of integrating CLA into project interventions to inform decision-making and incorporating CLA into capacity building for program monitoring requirements.
• Demonstrated experience with quantitative and qualitative research methods, including developing surveys and holding focus groups and capacity building for CLA.
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills, with demonstrated diplomacy and the ability to communicate effectively in a cross-cultural environment.
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English