Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Specialist at Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI)

Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) is an international development company. For more than 45 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 80 countries.

Our development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines. Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Specialist

Location: Bauchi
Start date: November 2020 – August 6, 2025

Background

• The purpose of the five-year (2020-2025) “State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness” (“State2State”) Activity is to increase the accountability, transparency and effectiveness of selected state and local governments (LGAs) in Nigeria.
• This will be achieved by: strengthening governance systems (with a focus on public financial management [PFM] and procurement, as well as monitoring and evaluation) related to the delivery of services in key sectors (basic education, primary health care, and water, saanitation and hygiene [WASH]); increasing government responsiveness to citizen needs and priorities; and improving government and civil society capacity to manage conflict (through work on prevention, mitigation and reconciliation with the same sectoral partners, not stand-alone assistance to the police or judiciary).
• State2State will achieve this purpose by facilitating the strengthening of subnational governance systems in a sustainable manner, supporting the efforts of local reformers and building on locally-derived solutions including, to the extent possible, reforms already working in other parts of Nigeria.

Position Objectives

• The Senior MEL Specialist will support the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (DMEL) in the oversight of all M&E and learning activities, including data collection, monitoring, and reporting.

Responsibilities
The Senior MEL Specialist will:

• Oversee the execution of the M&E strategy, ensuring interventions are rooted in local context and serve as learning platforms for future interventions.
• Work closely with DMEL and MEL Specialists to ensure the strategic and functional integration of all MEL activities as well as active collaboration with donors, other implementers, and local counterparts.
• Oversee MEL activities, provide technical direction and support to the design process and ensure results for contract activities.
• Will undertake, with DMEL guidance, investigations of reform issues and possible solutions.
• Support DAI’s adaptive systems approach and facilitate reviews of whether initiatives, once launched, are achieving expected results.
• Assist with timely rapid scans of the political economy, conflict, and PFM, and measure State2State impact within states.
• Lead data collection and analysis of project results and indicators and assemble data required on a recurrent basis to track program performance.
• Verify data, conduct audits of collection procedures and perform data checks.
• Support M&E training of staff and assist in cultivating a culture of learning.
• Ensure office cooperation with internal/external data quality assessments and that activity information is shared in a timely and appropriate manner.

Reporting:

• The Senior MEL Specialist (Bauchi Main Office) reports to the Director, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (DMEL) and works with colleagues across units and teams.

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree in any the following or related fields: Social Science, International Development, Evaluation Research, Statistics, and Economics.
• At least 9 years of experience in designing, managing and implementing results-based MEL activities.
• Candidate should ideally possess experience in democracy and governance sector projects, especially USAID-funded projects, highly desired. Experience in tracking and submitting M&E data is required
• Experience working with government (national, subnational and local) and civil society strengthening in Nigeria is highly desirable
• Ability to work collaboratively, foster goodwill, and build coalitions with relevant sectoral agencies, groups and organizations
• Technical skills in analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, with excellent organizational, oral and written communications skills in English.
• Progressively responsible experience in monitoring and evaluation of democracy and governance programs and working with development agencies and organizations, government officials, civil society leaders, community leaders, project beneficiaries and project staff.
• Extensive knowledge of reporting procedures, best practices, guidelines, and tools for monitoring, evaluation and learning, including impact evaluation.
• Ability to conduct research and documentation.
• Experience using USAID Monitors for quarterly and annual data reporting.
• Supervisory skills, and ability to work well on a team.
• Proficient in Microsoft programs, i.e., Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc., and the ability to use various commercially available statistical software programs.
• Strong attention to detail is required

Application Closing Date
20th November, 2020.