Job Opportunity at Plan International, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning Specialist

Location: Katavi, Tanzania

Company: Plan International

The Organisation

• Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
• We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.
• Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
• We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.
• We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

BACKGROUND

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan has over 80 years’ experience and works in more than 75 countries across the world. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners.

Plan International has been working in Tanzania since 1991. Our work supports marginalised children and youth, especially adolescent girls, to grow up physically and mentally healthy and ready to shape their future. We create an enabling environment and empower girls to be active drivers of change in realising their rights. We prioritise working with partners, and ensuring all of our work is evidence based

Vijana na Ubora, Malengo na Afya (VUMA) project is an anticipated 7-year Global Affairs Canada (GAC) funded project, aiming at increasing realisation of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for Adolescents Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in all their diversity in Katavi region. The project will increase AGYW’s individual and collective agency by building Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, Sexual Gender Based Violence, Mental Health, infection prevention and control (IPC) and nutrition by empowering them via increased social capital; and by helping them to acquire skills, capacities and increased financial capital. The project will also strengthen the provision of gender and adolescent-responsive and inclusive (GAR&I), integrated and innovative ASRHR and protection services and support for AGYW by building community, school, health facility and governmental capacity, infrastructure, planning and management.

In addition, the project will work with local Women Rights Organizations (WROs), Youth Led Organizations (YLOs), adolescent groups and stakeholders to ensure that gender equality (GE), ASRHR and protection frameworks, policies and services are gender-responsive and evidence-based.

ROLE PURPOSE

The MERL Specialist will lead the MERL initiatives of VUMA project, ensures quality design of baseline Midline and end-line evaluation (including data collection tools; methodology and reports). Ensures quality of the data collected and analysis are used to improve ongoing project implementation. She/he will support project director in data synthesis and consistently produces quality reports that inform VUMA project performance indicators.  The Specialist is responsible to make sure the project teams integrate MERL planning across the program life cycle. She/he will drive the qualitative and quantitative routine and periodic data collections, and developing successful mechanisms for the project learning. In coordination with Project Director and MERL team members, she/he will make sure project teams applies the appropriate frameworks, tools and knowledge sharing to improve implementation and contribute to project goal. She/he will be responsible for design, coordination, and constantly improving the VUMA project M&E system and opportunities for research. He/she will work with other organizational MERL team to build MERL capacity of the project team (both Plan and partners) that trains and mentors M&E staff and promotes a culture of learning, including making use of data for descision making.

Dimensions of the Role

• Work closely with other  project specalists to support the design, management and implementation of VUMA  Project MERL systems, and key components of the gender transformative M&E system, and the use of gender data to contribute to annual work planning and budgeting processes;
• Develop and ensure application of effective data collection, tracking, and reporting to monitor project results, outputs, outcomes, training pre-post test results, knowledge acquisition, change of behaviours.
• Lead the baseline and end-line evaluation that can include primary and secondary data collection, household survey, KII and FGDs, Facility Assessment, Gender Assessment based on the project needs.
• Ensure the integrity and relevance of data collected from the project are reliable to support project achievements, and suggest timely adjustments to better serve project objectives and priorities
• Contribute to narrative reporting and donor compliance requirements, including reviewing data in Performance Measurement Frameworks, and work plans and ensuring VUMA Quality reports and work plans are results-focused

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Project Monitoring and Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation

• Liaise with country office teams to develop, implement, and revise monitoring and evaluation plans, including key indicators to be reported to the donor and PLAN GLOBAL MERL systems (YODA and Beneficiaries Counting)
• Create and adapt high-quality data collection tools including monitoring tools and databases, facility assessment and supervision tools, and training materials.
• Develop methods, tools, and processes to capture ongoing implementation learning, including how the project’s strategies are being implemented and adapted.
• Support the project team to apply results-based monitoring and lessons learned to refine activities and implementation.

Research and Evaluation

• Lead the project’s aspects of a qualitative and quantitative evaluations,
• Lead development of research protocols, data collection instruments, study operation procedures, analytic plans, training materials and request for permit submissions.
• Contribute to the project evaluation and formative research studies, including contributing to the development of tools and protocols and/or managing external consultants/partners.
• Provide support to quantitative research and evaluation studies led by external partners.
• Provide leadership on interpreting and synthesizing quantitative and qualitative evaluation findings in order to form a cohesive and coherent understanding of the project’s progress, learning, and impact.
• Cultivate relationships with internal and external stakeholders to partner with in designing high-quality research for the VUMA project.

Information Management

• Lead and collaborate with project staff to translate project learning and results into accessible technical products for global and country stakeholders.
• Lead project’s data visualization efforts.
• Lead or contribute to regular project’s donor reporting, including preparing presentations or other deliverables to Country office, Plan Management, the National office, and donor.
• Conceptualize, convene, and present in technical consultations, webinars, and other engagements internally and externally.
• Design standardized templates and tools that ensure quality and facilitate the acquisition, aggregation and flow of information in programs.

Technical Leadership

• Provide leadership, training and mentoring in the areas of MERL learning agendas, and other skills required for assessing the impact of programs.
• Lead a project team in planning for large-scale assessments and/or broad surveys (e.g. baselines, end-lines).
• Coordinate with project leadership and senior management to encourage a culture of learning within project staff.
• Lead a project team in planning for and oversight of external evaluations in partnership with program leadership.
• Ensure project use appropriate M&E systems and tools, to inform and improve each individual program, as well as feed into the broader country-level M&E system and country strategy.
• Support project and other teams in collecting sex and age disaggregated data and using gender sensitive data- collection methods in order to understand and respond to program results with diverse participants.
• Participate in the facilitation of project planning sessions, assisting team leaders in the development of their annual plans.

Capacity Building and Mentoring

• Collaborate with HR on recruitment and on-boarding of new MERL team members.
• Develop and oversee implementation of a capacity building strategy for team members and partners.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Internal and External Coordination
• Active contributor and collaborator with Country Office counterparts to promote the use of MERL best practices.
• Strengthen linkages with other internal resources to enhance organizational learning where relevant to MERL.
• Maintain close working relationships with MERL counterparts in the country by attending MERL reflection meetings, and other relevant international NGOs, and local NGOs and associations in the project areas.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of Safeguarding policies.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Ensure compliance to COVID-19 and other outbreaks safety measures

Compliance to Global Polices

Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEIP) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring Plan and Partner’s staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures

Communications and Working Relationships:

Internal:

• This position works closely with Project Director (high)
• This position works closely with the project M&E and other specialists staff within the project (high)
• This position work closely with other Head of MERL and other M&E staff across Plan (Medium)
• This position works closely with Thematic heads (medium)
• This Position works closely with MERL team in Plan Canada

External:

This position works closely with MERL staff of implementing partner organizations (medium)

Key relationships

• Plan International Canada
• Programme Unit & Country Office
• Head of MERL
• Head of Youth Economic Empowerment, Child Protection, and Education
• Functional networks within Plan

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Required experience and Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or its international equivalent degree in development studies, social sciences, M&E, Demography, gender studies, or statistics, ideally with a focus on M&E;
• A minimum of five years of relevant practical experience in designing, implementing, and managing gender transformative M&E systems for donor-funded development projects, with specific experience in education, ASRH, gender equality and child protection projects;
• Experience managing real-time end-to-end data management systems and solutions, including ICT, enabling data collection, analysis, and rapid feedback loops;
• Experience with the development and overseeing the implementation of data collection tools and systems for the entry, analysis, and storage of data;
• Minimum of 5 years of providing training, and in a supervisory and/or management role, in monitoring and evaluation to all levels of stakeholders;
• Experience with adaptive management, iterative M&E, and effective feedback loops to ensure the use of data in strategic and programmatic decision-making;
• Advanced experience and skills in using quantitative and qualitative data analysis tools (statistical package) (e.g., SPSS, STATA, NVIVO, etc.) is an asset;
• Experience in designing and implementing digital data collection tools, for monitoring purposes as well as periodic data collection
• Experience in providing remote support or willingness to learn effective remote facilitation and support skills;
• Excellent report writing, analytical, and communication skills, including oral and virtual presentation skills

Essential

Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of the M&E and preferably minimum 2 years of experience in Non-profit making organisation
• Knowledge of gender analysis and assessments, including approaches, methods, and frameworks;
• Demonstrated knowledge in developing and leading gender-transformative MERL strategy to guide large program delivery
• Knowledge in leading a diverse team and in context of multiple stakeholders with complex relationshipsa

Skills

• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Proficient computer skills and use of relevant accounting packages
• Ability to work under multidisciplinary and multicultural environment
• Excellent communication skills, with demonstrated ability to write technical reports
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
• Fluent spoken and written English and Kiswahili

Behaviours

• Hardworking with capacity to work independently with minimum supervision
• Honest, integrity, open and transparent personality.
• Working towards achieving a team goal
• Be able to Respect all groups of people in the community and culturally sensitive
• Persuasive and able to work with different cultural settings
• Motivated, energetic and strives to develop and support others
• Result oriented and a team player
• Working for the best interest of the organisation and children
• Appreciate of child rights and gender equality

Desirable

• Knowledge and experience with Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC’s) results-based management tools, donor requirements, and reporting processes, including M&E gender equality results is an added advantage.
• Experience managing rigorous M&E and knowledge of programs that support girls’ education.
• Data-driven, detail-oriented, self-starter with excellent analytic skills
• Demonstrated experience in data management and analysis.
• Demonstrated experience with data quality assessments and audits.
• Strong program management, presentation, team-building and interpersonal skills
• Advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Commitment to girls’ development and a values-driven work environment.
• Operate in a high-pressure deadline-driven environment with professionalism
• Managing project with strict reporting deadlines
• Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

• Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
• Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
• Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
• Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
• Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people

We strive for lasting impact

• Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
• Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
• Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
• Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

Physical Environment

Working environment will include both typical office environment and field environment

The position requires regular field travels, at least 60% of the work time

Level of contact with children

Mid contact: Occasional interaction with children during reflection meetings, evaluations, and research

Location: Katavi

Reports to: Project Director

The deadline for submitting the application is 13 February 2022.

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