Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager At Near East Foundation

Title: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager

Reports to: Vice President of Programs

Location: London, United Kingdom

Travel: Yes, 25% of the time

Relocation: Relocation assistance is not provided

Salary Scale: £45,000 – £52,000 (DOE)

The Near East Foundation is seeking candidates for a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager (MEL) to be based in its HQ Office in London, UK to provide support in the development of MEL systems, process and capabilities, and training to M&E and Learning project staff. For 100 years, NEF has worked to build more sustainable, prosperous and inclusive communities in the Middle East and Africa through education, governance, and economic development initiatives. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF currently operates in ten countries with Headquarters in the USA, UK and Belgium. Its programs are organized around three themes: Inclusive Economic Development, Climate-resilient Development, and Stabilization and Peacebuilding.

Position Description

The MEL Manager is a member of NEF’s headquarters team (USA, UK and Belgium), reporting to the Vice President of Programs. Under the leadership of the Vice President of Programs, the MEL Manager will collaborate with USA, UK and Belgium HQ-based Program team, including Senior MEL Officer and Digital & Data Officer, as well as with regional and country-based MEL and Program teams, to optimize NEF MEL systems and tools and to build countries MEL capacities. As part of the Program Team, the MEL Manager is responsible for NEF’s overall monitoring and evaluation framework. This includes improvement, optimization, evolution, and demonstrating impact against the framework.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strengthening and execution of MEL strategy and policies;
• Review and strengthen MEL coordination, support and quality assurance processes and systems;
• Oversee the completion, roll out, and optimization of the newly developed MEL Database;
• Lead strategy for building MEL management capacity for HQ and country program staff; identify performance gaps and solutions for field teams;
• Ensure that indicators library, standardized performance indicators, and their specific measurement tools are relevant, up to date, optimized, and in use;
• Oversee and optimize the design process of project and program log-frames, MEL Plans and data collection methods;
• Oversee data management procedures and optimization;
• Provides targeted MEL support to strategically important projects and programs;
• Oversees the contribution of the MEL team to learning products, adaptative management system, and project and program development and growth — including targeted support to strategically important projects and programs;
• Participate in the development of project proposals, including log frames, indicators, and MEL plans;
• Optimise and enforce proper data collection policies and procedures;
• Organise quality control procedures and regular data quality assessments;
• Manage when applicable third-party data collection firm and its deliverables.
• Have overall responsibility for MEL quality control procedures, data audits and data integrity;
• Support the MEL team to document procedures for data preparation including data cleaning, standardization, and analysis;
• Support the MEL team to analyse data and report on project and program performances to inform learning, adaptation, and growth;
• Develop quasi experimental methodologies for more rigorous impact assessment;
• Contribute to the development, documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, and information on the outcomes and impact of NEF interventions on target beneficiaries;
• Contribute to knowledge production on NEF’s approaches, impact and learning;
• Contribute to periodic program portfolio reviews;
• Represent NEF and participates in relevant communities of practice;
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• A university degree in a relevant subject.
• At least 7 years direct professional experience in M&E and Learning in the international development or humanitarian response field, including 3-5 years of experience on USAID, EU or UKAID funded projects (and/or other equivalent international development donors);
• Proven experience designing qualitative and quantitative data collection tools and survey instruments;
• Working knowledge of database and smartphone-based data collection applications;
• Proven experience designing rigorous methodologies for impact assessments;
• Proven experience in organizational learning and knowledge production;
• Proven experience leading or facilitating trainings, learning events etc. with field teams;
• Demonstrated experience supporting multiple projects simultaneously;
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables and descriptive statistics;
• Applicable knowledge working with statistic software such as SPSS, SAS, STATA;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and the ability to clearly articulate key messages for multiple audiences and stakeholders;
• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office suite;
• Legally authorized to work in the United Kingdom without company sponsorship now or in the future.

Additional Desired Qualifications

• Experience in MEL programming in fragile settings;
• Experience in third-party MEL programming;
• Thematic experience in programmatic areas relevant to NEF;
• Experience in MEL for innovate finance programming;
• Experience and success with proposal development and fundraising for NGOs;
• Previous field experience in one or more countries in an NEF region of interest is a plus; understanding of context and operating environment;
• Arabic and/or French language skills are a plus.

Position Criteria:

• Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English;
• High degree of flexibility and adaptability with a willingness to travel to countries where NEF works;
• Ability to work effectively across a wide variety of cultural contexts;
• Ability to communicate with colleagues and partners at a distance;
• Understanding of effective and values-based partnership work;
• Strong relationship building skills, particularly at a distance; effective team player; able to develop and maintain working relationships within a disperse and dynamic team;
• Creative thinker; display solutions-oriented approaches in an innovative and frequently high-pressure environment.