Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Lead-OTL at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Lead-OTL

Requisition ID: req46187
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employment Type: Full-time
Sector: Monitoring & Evaluation
Employment Category: Regular
Open to Expatriates: No
Work Arrangement: In-person

Job Overview / Summary

• This is a strategic role within the USAID-supported Opportunities to Learn (OTL) Project in IRC Nigeria that works closely with the program team to improve program quality, providing MEL technical leadership, to program design, planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning commitments to the project. Core responsibilities include ensuring the OTL project has a strong MEL system in place, implemented as intended and reported to support program technical leadership and other consortium partners to deliver desired outcomes and impacts.
• The MEL lead reports directly to the chief of party and coordinates closely with the IRC Nigeria MEAL Coordinator.

Major Responsibilities
Design and development (30%):

• Ensure establishment and maintenance of routine monitoring systems, presentation of findings and building-related staff competencies
• Support team in the development of detailed monitoring plans that: i) provide an indicator matrix, ii) map MEL roles and responsibilities of project and support staff, iii) consider ethical and safe collection and storage of data, iv) consider data quality audits, v) consider storing, protecting and sharing project documents, and vi) consider end of project learning review.
• Work with Result area leads and support staff to develop TORs for needs assessments and surveys.
• Conduct needs assessments and another survey in new locations and provide reports.
• Accountable for selecting/defining sampling strategy.

Monitoring and evaluation (30%):

• Work with the team to determine which monitoring activities will take place and which data collection methods will be used to ensure their adequacy and appropriateness.
• Work with MELSA to ensure the smooth conduct of monitoring activities and DQA
• Accountable for providing consistent, supportive supervision as necessary to meet monitoring objectives and ensure data quality.
• Work with MEL team and support staff to track progress on action points related to implementation and MEL activities
• Provides inputs from survey and assessment data for tracking of overall progress on the OTL project.

Information management and reporting (20%):

• Accountable for providing technical leadership on information management across states
• Accountable for data aggregation and reporting
• Accountable for the conduct of CLA activities including Pause and Reflect, Knowledge management, etc.
• Support dissemination of learnings and reports to stakeholders
• Support in the design of appropriate materials for learning

Staff capacity building (15%):

• Support in the training of staff in data collection methods, management, analysis and action techniques.
• Accountable for the implementation of client responsiveness mechanism (CRM) in OTL operation sites
• Coaching and mentoring of MEL staff on Accountability Monitoring and Evaluation, Learning (AMEL), and Collaborating Learning and Adapting (CLA) activities.  
• Training of staff in new MEL and CLA approaches

Knowledge management and learning (5%):

• Accountable for conducting data quality audits of project & programs to identify and resolve systemic problems affecting data quality, and documenting and storing findings in project files on Box.
• Provide oversight on CLA activities, especially on Knowledge Management and pause and Reflect.
• Oversight for surveys, assessments, and discrete learning documentation.
• Other duties as may be allocated by the supervisor.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to:  COP
  Position directly supervises:  Reporting Specialist, MEL Officer(s), CLA senior officer
• Indirect Reporting: Data assistant/intern
  Other Internal and/or external contacts:
• Internal: Program lead, Result area leads, Specialists, Managers, Senior Officers, Officers
• External:  MELSA, USAID team, Partner organizations, stakeholders

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree; over seven years of experience in designing and leading complex MEL programs.
• Five years of experience in USAID programs; experience on education projects preferred.
• Strong understanding of education metrics and processes needed to build MEL capacity of organizations, particularly youth-based CBOs and CBMCs on data collection, transparency, and use.
• Deep understanding of MEL ICT4D tools and ways to utilize data for decision-making.
• Knowledge of CLA is a MUST
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.