FHI360 is currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (hereafter, “MEL Director”) for an Access to Quality Early Childhood Care and Education in Emergencies project. This position will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and is contingent upon award.
Project Description
This project, jointly funded by USAID Ethiopia and the LEGO Foundation seeks to strengthen the early childhood care and education (ECCE) experiences in Ethiopia, with the goal of increasing early learning opportunities for young children, creating long-term benefits as the country grapples with outbreaks of conflict. This programming will promote early childhood education curricula that strongly emphasize play-based social and emotional learning, including Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for young preschool-aged children and their caregivers. It will have an explicit focus on cross-sector linkages that bring more holistic services for young children under one umbrella, especially including education, health, nutrition, and child protection services. Quality pre-primary education can be a stable source of social and emotional support to young children living in conflict and crisis. Such quality preprimary education should support and develop children’s early learning skills across a number of domains, including social, emotional, cognitive (pre-literacy and pre-numeracy), and physical skills. This activity builds on the early childhood Nurturing Care Framework across all intermediate results.
Job Description
The Research and Learning Director will be responsible for the Intermediate Result 1.4. IR1.4: Generation and use of quality evidence on adaptive implementation of Early Childhood Care & Education activity in emergency contexts. In addition, he/she will oversee the monitoring, evaluation, and learning components of the project, overseeing a research and MEL team entrusted with bringing data and evidence into continuous learning and adaptation across the project’s other three Intermediate Results.
The Research and Learning Director will lead the setup and implementation of a research strategy around the program, including a series of rapid-cycle evaluations of multiple innovative components of the program. He/she will maintain the systems to collect data and leads analysis to produce information on inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impact of the project, and work with the Data Management team to develop, maintain, and use, a dynamic monitoring system of key ECCE indicators. S/he collaborates with and oversees sub-grantees to provide feedback on data collection and indicators; analyzes data reported from sub-grantees; and supports training of M&E personnel in quality assurance methods. S/he collaborates with the project team to design operations research (OR) to support learning, evaluation, and planning, and oversees the implementation of OR projects as well as analysis, dissemination, and use. She/he shares MEL data and improvement plans as well as strategies for implementation improvements for greater project impact with the project team.
Responsibilities
- Designs and oversees the monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities of the project and liaises and coordinates with third-party evaluation teams;
- Leads the design, development, planning, and implementation of assessments and project evaluation activities. This includes development and dissemination of tools, materials, reports, papers, and intervention-linked research;
- Develops strategies and tools for the design and implementation of monitoring of specific technical components;
- Works closely with project heads to co-design monitoring tools, select indicators, and determine field monitoring responsibilities. Works to ensure tool compatibility and coordination within the M&E framework as well as consistency with national and donor requirements;
- Responsible for providing technical assistance, developing and setting up systems for the timely collection, management, analysis, and reporting of valid and reliable data that meet donor reporting requirements;
- Focus on strengthening the M&E system, building capacity of partners and staff, and improving alignment and support to host-country M&E systems;
- Develops and leads the implementation of a robust learning agenda for continuous learning, collaboration, and adaptation;
- Undertakes periodic reviews of project and/or country M&E systems and plans and implements M&E system strengthening actions. Provides guidance on information systems for quality assurance, as well as best practices documentation and reporting; and
- Oversees the publication and dissemination of information on successful and promising approaches, lessons learned, and other project results to project partners, donors, Government of Egypt counterparts, and other key stakeholders.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree or its International Equivalent required in monitoring and evaluation, education, demography, social science, economics, or relevant discipline.
- At least 8 years of experience related to monitoring, evaluating, and reporting in education, ideally in early childhood and in conflict and crisis settings;
- Strong understanding of play-based educational methods, including in conflict and crisis settings;
- Experience in the design and implementation of M&E systems for USG-funded projects, (particularly USAID), preferably in Ethiopia;
- Strong understanding of education data and education indicators;
- Strong analytical skills and ability to articulate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences;
- Excellent report writing, analytical, and communication skills, including oral presentation skills;
- Mastery of the design and implementation of qualitative and quantitative data collection methodologies; experience with complexity-aware monitoring and adaptive management models is desired;
- Computer skills, including MS Office, Access and Excel, and mobile/internet data collection software (ODK, Kobo, Survey Monkey and others)
- Experience supervising and mentoring staff and working in cross-organizational consortium teams;
- Must have demonstrated ability to work in complex environments, work across different cultures, and manage and coordinate with diverse staff to deliver impact within agreed timelines;
- Fluency in English required, Amharic strongly preferred, other local languages a plus.
This job posting summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.
FHI 360 is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer whereby we do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.
FHI 360 will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws.
FHI 360 fosters the strength and health of its workforce through a competitive benefits package, professional development and policies and programs that support a healthy work/life balance. Join our global workforce to make a positive difference for others — and yourself.
Please click here to continue searching FHI 360’s Career Portal.
More Information
- Job City Ethiopia