Monitoring , Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Lead- Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA)

Save the Children is seeking a Monitoring , Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Lead for an anticipated five-year USAID-funded Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) in Mozambique. The program will seek to sustainably improve food and nutrition security and resilience among poor and chronically vulnerable households and communities in the selected regions. The estimated implementation timeframe for the RFSA is 2021-2026. Hiring is contingent upon successful award of the project and USAID approval of the candidate.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The proposed program will be an integrated, multi-sectoral food and nutrition security intervention. The MEAL Lead will provide technical expertise and leadership to generate and analyze quality evidence and data through monitoring, assessments and evaluations. The MEAL Lead will supervise the program’s monitoring and evaluation team, and will coordinate with program learning and management processes to ensure effective feedback loops that contribute to the achievement of desired outcomes.

Key Functions:

• Develop, and manage the implementation of a sound program MEAL Plan.
• Build, manage, and continuously strengthen the program’s MEAL system, ensuring that this system is developed in a consultative fashion and provides timely and accurate data regarding the program’s progress towards food and nutrition security and resilience outcomes.
• Supervise the development of a program M&E Information System (MIS), with an emphasis on cutting-edge digital M&E platforms.
• Lead the program’s qualitative and quantitative analysis, survey and sample design.
• Coordinate routine monitoring and annual monitoring survey processes, leading the contracting of external support (consultants, firms) as needed. Coordinate with donor processes for program baseline and final evaluations, and for ad hoc assessments or evaluations as needed.
• Lead, or contribute to, data quality assurance mechanisms throughout the life of the award.
• Contribute to the adjustment and management of the program’s Theory of Change (ToC), ensuring coherence between the ToC and M&E systems.
• Promote evidence-based decision making among the program’s senior management team, ensuring that evidence from the program’s M&E system is used in collaborating, learning and adapting processes.
• Supervise the program’s M&E team, providing training, mentoring and coaching to team members as required while ensuring high performance.
• Contribute to the program’s Refinement period (initial 12 – 24 months) studies, as well as the program’s overall targeting strategies and community consultation approaches.
• Play an important role in annual results reporting, while leading or contributing to M&E components of routine and ad hoc program reports.

Required Background and Experience

• A Master’s degree in a quantitative field (economics, statistics, public health, applied sociology, etc.) with significant training in quantitative methods plus eight years of relevant work experience; or, a PhD in a quantitative field plus six years of relevant work experience
• Specific technical expertise in monitoring, evaluation, and learning as it pertains to food and nutrition security and resilience programming.
• Demonstrated experience in leading M&E for a large award, including developing and managing the M&E plan and strategy for such an award. Familiarity and/or experience with USAID/Office of Food for Peace monitoring and evaluation requirements is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience with food and nutrition security indicators.
• Demonstrated experience in East/Southern Africa, preferably Mozambique
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently
• Excellent written communication and presentation skills in English and Portuguese
• Knowledge of local languages is an asset.
• Strong training and coaching skills.

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