MEL Specialist – WASH and Schools At SEED Madagascar

SEED Madagascar is a British Charity working in partnership with communities in southeast Madagascar. We integrate high quality community health, sustainable livelihoods, education infrastructure, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and conservation programmes to support long term, sustainable change and add to international best practice through research and publication across all of our programmatic areas.

Position Overview

Based in the coastal town of Fort Dauphin in the southeast of Madagascar. The successful candidate will work alongside National and International staff to provide specialist knowledge of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) for SEED’s WASH and Schools programme. The candidate will be responsible for developing a system for monitoring the long-term impact of SEEDs School programme, including reviewing and adapting current baseline and endline methodology. Predominately office-based in Fort Dauphin, the MEL specialist will travel occasionally to engage with partners and visit project sites. This exciting post would suit an early-career MEL specialist seeking in-country experience for developing and managing MEL systems.

Location: Fort Dauphin, Anosy Region, Madagascar with occasional travel to rural schools *Timeframe:*12months (3-month probation) with potential to extend Contract Type: Local salary, contribution to flights and insurance Reporting to: Head of Programmes – WASH and Schools

Core Responsibilities

1. Lead in the development and adaptation of MEL tools, such as needs assessments, and baseline and endline surveys, to maximise effective data collection.
2. Develop and pilot a long-term impact evaluation, to measure the long-term outcomes of SEED’s WASH and Schools programme.
3. Design a comprehensive MEL framework that encapsulates a variety of activities and indicators.
4. Ensure that MEL findings are in accordance with and reporting across indicators for a variety of stakeholders, including donors, and Government organisations.
5. Provide training and technical support to community liaison officers in data collection.
6. Collate data from various sources to inform project activities and identify long-term trends.
7. Coordinate the collection and lead the analysis of data from surveys and other sources to assess the impact of project activities and progress towards outcomes.
8. Support the WASH and Schools team in capturing MEL activities in reports and proposals for donors, and other stakeholders.
9. Produce reports compiling learnings from monitoring and other project MEL conducted.
10. Ensure activities respond and adapt to key learnings, identifying areas in need of further study or development.
11. Ensure all of SEEDs policies and procedures are evident throughout the work of the department, including those for safeguarding, whistleblowing and anti-corruption, and undertake continual training to ensure these are promoted at all times
12. Provide support and guidance to teams across SEED on MEL and be an active member of SEEDs Community of Practice, leading sessions where required.
13. To undertake any other tasks commensurate with this role as requested by the Head of Programmes

Person specification

• Master’s degree in International Education, WASH, International Development, Research Methods or related field
• Experience of working/volunteering internationally in a research or MEL capacity; Education or WASH experience desirable
• Experience in the design, development, and implementation of MEL frameworks for international development, including for quantitative and qualitative data
• Clear, demonstrable understanding of research ethics
• Demonstratable experience of data analysis and report writing. Experience using SPSS, R, or equivalent, is desirable
• Experience with mobile data collection; experience working with Open Data Kit (ODK) software would be an asset
• Experience with MS Access or other database software would be an asset
• Have the ability and desire to build capacity across cultures, working with teams from different economic and cultural backgrounds and across multiple language barriers
• Possess an open mind and the ability to form good relationships both internally and externally with a variety of social groups, including excellent listening and verbal communication skills and a flexible and patient attitude
• Be able to work to and advocate for all of SEEDs policies and procedures, safeguarding those that SEED works with and reporting any concerns appropriately
• Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to SEED’s ethos and approach and be a good ambassador for the organisation at all times
• Demonstrate the ability, social skills and confidence to give clear guidance and support to other members of the team in respect of the philosophy and procedures of SEED in order to protect both their safety and the reputation of the NGO
• Be punctual and be able to work to tight deadlines in an organised manner and to a high standard
• Have passion, curiosity and motivation for the job while working in an honest and trustworthy manner
• Excellent problem-solving skills