Head of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)

ABOUT ARK:

ARK is a social enterprise, empowering local communities through the provision of agile and sustainable interventions to create greater stability, opportunity and hope for the future.

We believe that strong, resilient communities are the foundation of local, national, regional and international development and stability – and ultimately a safer, peaceful and more prosperous world.

At ARK, we have delivered research and programmatic interventions validating this approach in over twenty countries since 2008. As a social enterprise we work in partnership with communities, our donors, and other implementers to build local capacities, generate opportunity and bring about sustainable change.

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

The Head of MEAL will sit within our Operations team, which leads the delivery of all our work. You will lead the design and delivery of MEAL approaches and methodologies across our global programme portfolio, on programmes ranging from youth and governance, migration and political accountability to security sector transformation, strategic communications and countering extremism.

Your role will be based in the UK and you will report to the Chief Operating Officer, working closely with the Head of Research and Analysis and Project Managers in the field to support delivery across our portfolio. You will also work with our Business Development team to design new programmes and projects, manage senior consultants and build relationships with key partners and institutions. This includes developing appropriate and innovative approaches and methodologies to meet the needs of our largely governmental clients and writing technical proposals.

In addition, you will also support the consolidation of good practice and the dissemination of learning within the company as well as the training of junior staff members and/or project staff or partners as relevant.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Technical Design (70%)

The Head of MEAL will lead the design of ARK’s approach to MEAL, developing methodologies and approaches, leading technical proposal writing, quality assurance, management of personnel and representing ARK externally.

• Support the articulation, development and roll-out of innovative MEAL approaches and methodologies, that reflect both professional best practice and meet the technical requirements of our donors.

• Provide internal and external thought leadership on ARK’s technical offering ensuring impact is captured and communicated effectively.

• Develop and/or revise MEAL templates as a part of organisation-wide effort to improve impact capture;

• Lead on, and contribute to, the technical design of new ARK opportunities, from identification and pre-positioning through to submission, negotiation and inception.

• Develop and sustain strong working relationships with key clients and other relevant stakeholders.

• Provide quality assurance of technical approaches on new programmes and/or bids.

• Engage with and influence emerging opportunities and delivery concepts and ensure ARK’s MEAL offering is responsive to market requirements.

• Lead and/or contribute to internal and external communications related to MEAL.

Learning (30%)

The Head of MEAL will support internal learning. This includes building awareness of ARK’s approaches and strengthening the capacity of colleagues to design and deliver to the required standard.

• Lead the identification of lessons and facilitate lesson-learning across the company. Support the dissemination of relevant thematic learning from project activity both externally and internally e.g. through newsletters, papers, engagement at conferences etc.

• Support professional development at ARK, including through the design and delivery of in-house training.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Essential

• 10 years+ experience working on design, monitoring, evaluation and learning within the international development, stabilisation, humanitarian and/or the government sector.
• Core technical expertise in MEAL.
• Mastery of the design and implementation of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methodologies.
• Experience leading the design and delivery of complex MEAL approaches for programmes and projects, including at the national level.
• Experience with complexity-aware monitoring and adaptive management models.
• Experience managing teams of staff and consultants for the successful delivery of projects.
• Written and oral fluency in English.
• Experience of working in fragile and conflict-affected states, including experience working remotely or semi-remotely.
• Experience delivering conflict sensitive, inclusive and gender mainstreamed MEAL approaches.
• Experience in delivering training and capacity building support and facilitating meetings and events.
• Experience of different measurement and evaluation frameworks and techniques, organisational learning and participatory learning techniques.
• Post-graduate social sciences or evaluation degree (PhD would be advantageous) or an equivalent combination of academic and professional experience.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% of time.
• Advanced computer skills with Microsoft Office.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a fast-moving team, willingness to contribute at different levels required to achieve success, self-motivated and ability to work independently.
• Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Accuracy, attention to detail and client focused with the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team using a solution oriented approach.

Desirable

• Demonstrable experience working with senior stakeholders in sensitive contexts.
• Good understanding of best practice in stabilisation, development, capacity building, community resilience and governance programming.
• Arabic language skills.
• Demonstrable quantitative skills (e.g. SPSS) and experience of data management and visualisation tools.
• Experience supporting the pursuit of new business, including competitive bidding.

MORE ABOUT OUR COMPANY:

What Makes Us Different

We pride ourselves on being the first people able to access and operate in challenging fragile and conflict-affected environments. We are expeditionary by design and our systems and structures enable flexible and agile responses while ensuring safe, effective and compliant delivery.

Working with and through teams drawn from the communities in which we operate enables us to deliver impactful interventions built on intimate local understanding. In collaboration with our global network of international and local experts, we integrate nuanced understanding of the challenges we aim to solve with best practice and field-leading innovation to deliver programming that meets short-term stabilisation objectives and builds the evidence base and knowledge needed to lay the groundwork for long-term peacebuilding and development programming.

What We Do

We enjoy sectoral experience in civil society development, good governance, protection and human rights, refugees and migration, stabilisation, gender, security and justice, as well as cross-cutting experience in programme design and learning, organisational development and management, research and analysis, needs assessments, monitoring and evaluation, communications and capacity building.

Our People

Today, our team covers a diverse range of professional backgrounds; from diplomacy, humanitarian, development and the military, to the UN, civil society groups, multilateral organisations, journalism and the private sector.

They bring sectoral expertise in civil society development, good governance, protection and human rights, refugees and migration, gender and security and justice, as well as practical experience in programme design and learning, organisational development and management, research and analysis, needs assessments, monitoring and evaluation, communications and capacity building. The multi-disciplinary and multi-national nature of our team means the research we undertake and the programmes we deliver are grounded in empirical need and deliver measurable and sustainable impact.

ARK Group is an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. ARK Group does not discriminate on the basis of ability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We welcome all kinds of diversity. ARK Group places human dignity at the centre of its development and stabilisation work and is thus committed to the protection from sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adults. All ARK Group employees and related-personnel are expected to share this commitment, and only those who also uphold these values will be recruited as part of our team. This vacancy is therefore subject to a range of due diligence checks.