Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Associate At International Republican Institute

Job Summary

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day-to-day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks, include:

Excellence- We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom- We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion and the power of global collaboration. Transparency- We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

ELP is responsible for providing technical support for IRI’s monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) efforts, led by two sub teams, the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Team and the Evaluation and Research (E&R) team. The M&E team advises and assists program staff with MEL related aspects of proposal development, project start up, project implementation (including monitoring, learning, and evaluations) and close out. The E&R Team leads thematic, cross-cutting or donor priority evaluation and research, produces thematic technical guidance to help teams understand sound program design principles and tests program theories that result in more innovative and effective projects. Together, ELP helps program teams create and implement better projects informed by IRI’s evidence base.

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Associate will be responsible for providing MEL and administrative support, as part of IRI’s M&E team, to IRI program staff on program design, performance monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

This is a hybrid role based in Washington, DC.

Position Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in political science, international relations, or related field.
• 0-1 year of experience in international development, MEL, research, or related field.
• Strong organizational skills, ability to multi-task, and attention to detail required.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint required.
• Excellent writing, research, and communication skills required.
• Familiarity with common MEL elements such as: logic models, performance monitoring plans and indicator matrices preferred but not required.
• Familiarity with US government grants and cooperative agreements (or similar funding mechanisms) through USAID and U.S. Department of State is a plus.
• Familiarity with both qualitative and quantitative data analysis software, such as Dedoose, NVivo, SPSS, STATA, R or AtlasTI is a plus.
• Proficiency in another language (in addition to English) is a plus.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

• Provides general support to ELP, including administrative support, developing and tracking work plans, monitoring deadlines and deliverables, drafting ELP update newsletters, and other relevant project-related elements.
• Supports efforts to monitor and evaluate IRI programs worldwide by facilitating MEL consults and reflection sessions, drafting data collection tools, assisting with basic qualitative and quantitative data cleaning and analysis, and contributing to reports.
• Reviews MEL elements of proposals, indicator tables and reports to ensure compliance with funder requirements and IRI’s internal best practices and approaches.
• Supports MEL training and MEL capacity building of program staff by providing logistical and facilitation support during ELP’s trainings, managing ELP’s training calendar, and helping draft and update related deliverables such as MEL training guides, guidance notes and similar tools and handouts.
• Supports IRI-wide data quality audit processes, conducts project document and indicator data review for quality issues.
• Provides logistical support for meetings and events; manages ELP’s events calendar.
• Supports IRI’s communication strategy including IRI’s branding and outreach plans on projects assigned, including drafting and updating program summaries and other outreach materials, drafts web stories, tweets, etc.
• Occasional travel to difficult locations outside the U.S. may be required.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education

Required

Bachelors or better in Political Science or related field.

Experience

Required

Less than 1 year:

• Undergraduate degree in political science, international relations, or related field. • 0-1 year of experience in international development, MEL, research, or related field. • Strong organizational skills, ability to multi-task, and attention to detail required. • Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint required.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)