International Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist, Rural WASH Project 126 views0 applications

About the organisation:

SEED Madagascar is a British Charity working in partnership with communities in the south east of Madagascar. We integrate high quality community health, sustainable livelihoods, education infrastructure and conservation programmes to support long term, sustainable change and add to international best practice through research and publication across all of our programmatic areas. We are now looking for early career officers and managers to work alongside national staff and expand our team.

Position Overview:

Based in the coastal town of Fort Dauphin in the southeast of Madagascar, this post will provide specialist MEL knowledge to a new water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) project. The successful candidate will work within a combined national and international staff team to drive a MEL strategy for this rural WASH project, an initiative that aims to contribute to Madagascar’s national vision of improving sanitation. Predominantly office-based in Fort-Dauphin, the MEL Specialist will travel occasionally to regional sites to oversee evaluations. This exciting post would suit an early-career specialist seeking essential in-country MEL experience in supporting high-impact WASH programming.

Timeframe: 12-month; extendable

Probationary period: 3 months

Contract: Full-time; 1,200,000 Malagasy Ariary per month

Reporting to: Head of Project Development (WASH)

Project background:**

This project is a one-year WASH initiative that will be implemented across 22 communes in the Anosy region. Using a community-led total sanitation approach, this project will build the capacity of local communities, associations, and governments to improve WASH outcomes. The project will combine a range of behavior change techniques to address WASH issues; including sanitation marketing, menstrual hygiene management, and WASH in schools and healthcare centres; with the goal of supporting communities to become open defecation free.

Primary Responsibilities:

Coordination of data collection for evaluating progress toward WASH indicators. Analysis of surveys and qualitative methods for assessing the WASH knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of community members across sites. Capacity-building for SEED, the WASH team, and local partners to ensure high-quality data collection that aligns with international best practice.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Aligned with international best practice and national standards, contribute to and oversee the implementation of an MEL strategy to support progress toward WASH indicators;
2. Coordinate and analyse wide-scale WASH KAP and ability-to-pay surveys (baseline and endline) to inform project implementation and evaluate impact;
3. With field-level MEL Auditors, regularly review and assess the quality of data regarding latrine construction, open defecation status, and other WASH practices;
4. Adapt tools and oversee collection of qualitative data regarding WASH KAP and market research, analysing results to inform implementation;
5. Manage, and design when needed, data storage systems for project findings;
6. Create MEL reports that will be disseminated to partners and published online;
7. Contribute to regular donor reports about MEL findings;
8. Collaborate with the Head of Project Development and Head of WASH to identify opportunities for new WASH initiatives based on project learnings;
9. Monitor data quality and provide technical guidance for improved MEL structures and procedures, with consideration to geographical and budgetary limitations;
10. Provide capacity-building for SEED staff and local partners in using MEL tools, such as Open Data Kit, and following MEL best practices, ensuring data quality and promoting a sustainable MEL approach for the broader organisation;
11. Monitor planned and actual outputs in accordance to project targets;
12. Contribute project learning to ensure SEED is positively represented in external meetings and affairs, including with donors and government ministries, to maintain strong working partnerships;
13. Work closely with other members of the WASH team to exchange information and provide mutual support;
14. Any other tasks that the Head of Project Development deems necessary within the broad outline of the role

Person specification:

● Master’s degree in WASH, Community Health, International Development, Research Methods or related field;

● Demonstrable proficiency and experience in using R and/or STATA;

● Demonstrable proficiency in multivariate statistical analysis;

● Experience of working/volunteering internationally in a research or MEL capacity; WASH capacity desirable;

● Experience in implementing MEL frameworks for international development, WASH, and/or community health sectors, including for quantitative and qualitative data; experience with participative methods is desirable;

● Experience in research design, and working with qualitative and quantitative data collection tools;

● Experience using data collection platforms such as Open Data Kit is desirable;

● Clear demonstrable understanding of research ethics;

● Ability to work with staff and partners to implement MEL systems and build capacity across cultures;

● Demonstrable experience of information analysis and report writing, and ability to align these to KPIs; experience writing for donors is desirable;

● Have the ability and desire to work with teams from different economic and cultural backgrounds and across multiple language barriers;

● Experience of working with translators;

● Have excellent communication skills, including a sound ability to adapt material for different audiences;

● Be able to work both independently and as part of a multicultural and multilingual team;

● Have passion and motivation for working with staff and volunteers;

● Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to SEED’s ethos and approach and be a good ambassador for SEED at all times;

● Demonstrate proven ability to recognise and appropriately deal with challenging situations;

● Demonstrate an awareness of and comfort with increased social and professional responsibility, working at all times with cultural sensitivity and respect;

● Demonstrate the ability, social skills and confidence to give clear guidance and support to other members of the team in respect of the philosophy and procedures of SEED in order to protect both their safety and the reputation of the NGO;

● Be punctual and be able to work to tight deadlines in an organised manner and to a high standard;

● Have a flexible and patient attitude;

● Ability to adapt to MEL strategy to accommodate project learning and shifting partner requirements;

● Have excellent problem-solving skills;

● Knowledge of or willingness to learn French and/or Malagasy is essential

Practicalities:

The successful candidate will need to be equipped with their own laptop computer (non-tablet).