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: On/about June 15, 2023
Place of Performance: Bauchi State (main office), with travel throughout the six partner states (Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bauchi, Gombe, Ebonyi and Sokoto) contingent upon prevailing security situation.
Reports to: Director, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (DMEL)

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, sanitation 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

• In light of the above, State2State seeks to engage a Senior MEL Specialist with vast background in public sector reforms, and governance to support the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (DMEL) in the oversight of all M&E and learning activities, including data collection and analysis, monitoring, and reporting.

Responsibilities
The Senior MEL Specialist will:

• Support 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 in the intervention states to ensure the strategic and functional integration of all MEL activities as well as active collaboration with donors, other implementers, and local counterparts.
• Capture learning using Collaborative Learning and Adaptive (CLA) mechanism and management process.
• Support MEL activities, provide technical direction and support to the design process and ensure results for contract activities.
• Undertake, with DMEL guidance, investigations of reform (PFM reform, policy reform, among others) at state and LGA levels 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 Economic Analysis (PEA), use of Conflict Assessment Framework (CAF), and PFM, and measure State2State impact within states in the context of governance and service delivery.
• Lead data collection and analysis of Activity’s results on governance indicators and assemble data required on a recurrent basis to track program performance on advocacy, policy reform, PFM (budget analysis, IGR, procurement audit etc.), and citizens engagement.
• Support M&E training of staff, CSO and government partners, 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.
• Other responsibilities not detailed herein as assigned by the DMEL.

Reporting:

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

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s Degree in any of 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 including, governance, and public sector reforms.
• 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 compulsory.
• Experience working with government (national, subnational, and local) and civil society strengthening in Nigeria is mandatory.
• Experience using USAID Monitor online system for quarterly and annual data reporting.
• 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 governance programs and working with development agencies and organizations especially state PFM institutions, 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 in PFM, Citizen engagement, Service delivery, conflict, and GESI.
• Ability to conduct research and documentation.
• 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.
• Advanced skills in writing quarterly and annual program reports and review of technical documents like assessment reports, survey reports among others.
• Possess both a willingness and an ability to train and be trained.

Application Closing Date
25th May, 2023.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online