MEL Manager – Bangassou – Central African Republic

Job Description

MEL Manager P2P CAR

Location: Invisible Children in Bangassou, CAR with regular travel to other project localities

Reports to: Program Manager

Key Collaborators: Regional MEL Manager, Community Peacebuilding Managers, Grant Officers, VSLA and Livelihoods Technical Officers, Communication, and Media Specialist in Central African Republic. Director of Research and Policy (Washington DC).

Supervise: MEL Officer

Project Summary: **

This activity will focus on interventions aimed at achieving the following results:

1) Undermine credibility of hate speech and armed groups

2) Reduce intercommunal tensions and resolve conflicts by developing tools to resolve local-level conflicts

3) Protect communities by building community capacity to reduce their exposure to security threats in a non-violent manner using early warning systems, community protection committees, and other approaches.

Position Summary:

This position will manage the development and implementation of Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Systems for projects executed by P2P. A strong emphasis is on data collection, integrity, data analysis, reporting, and dissemination to key stakeholders. The MEL Manager will provide technical input to project reviews and proposals and will deliver leadership and support in the implementation of Invisible Children’s regional and global monitoring and evaluation systems at the country level, ensuring standards in baseline surveys, living income benchmarking, impact monitoring, and evaluation processes that contribute to the global strategies.

The MEL Manager will be responsible for the technical leadership and guidance of the project MEL system. S/he leads project performance monitoring, improvement and delivery of results and quality meeting USAID requirement and expectation.

The incumbent will oversee the MEL Officer based in Zemio office (CAR) and project partners in achieving project results.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

I. Leadership

· Lead by example, modeling IC’s culture and values, fostering an environment of teamwork, accountability, creativity, and innovation, and equipping and empowering direct reports and IC teams to do the same

· Model the highest standards of integrity and communication both internally with IC teams and externally with local and regional stakeholders, partners, and funders

· Contribute to the development of IC’s strategic priorities and programs, ensuring that program considerations are appropriately built into global plans and budgets

· Represent IC in regional meetings, conferences, and events as needed to coordinate with partners, donors, and other organizations

II. *MEL Strategy and Design

· Work with the Program Manager, and Director of Research & Policy to develop and oversee monitoring systems to track success of program implementation

· Provide strategic and technical leadership support to implementing partners in performance monitoring and evaluation, results reporting, data utilization for program decision making

· Develop and implement a monitoring and evaluation system that capture all the project activities and results

· Provide input to the Program Manager and other stakeholders related to M&E decisions, such as applicable evidence for project learning; the identification of priorities, needs and indicators; the design, set up and use of M&E systems to collect data; and the design of E&L studies

· Utilize innovation and knowledge of technical components of programmatic activities to continuously improve the MEL strategy and design

· Improve data systems – collection, storage, use – to increase effectiveness and scalability of M&E systems

· Participate in and provide support to project design activities including development of project theories of change and strategic frameworks (Results Frameworks, Log Frames)

· Develop and empower field teams to follow a Monitoring and Evaluation plan, including helping to determine performance and impact indicators and targets

· Provide inputs and support to proposal development for M&E components

· Identify opportunities to provide and present E&L findings and data to contribute to decision-making, program design, and strategic planning, as appropriate

· Assess need, identify, select, and manage relevant consultants for evaluation and research, as required, including developing scopes of work, reviewing survey design, conducting quality control of the work, and reviewing final reports

III. *Systems and Processes

· Work with the Program Manager to design, implement, and improve on MEL systems and processes including a system for mobile data collection

· Lead the development and the set up of Activity Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Plan (AMELP)

· Lead data collection, storage, and analysis in support of continually improving upon the services provided by our programs

· Ensure that IC utilizes the appropriate technology and systems to streamline MEL and improve efficiency of data collection and storage

· Support management and accountability through routine, accurate collection and

· reporting of information that confirms status of program activities

· Develop quality control systems needed for Program Partners (subgrantees) to properly manage information and data

· Work with program staff to ensure M&E tools and processes are understood and used, providing training to relevant staff members as appropriate

· Review data collection processes on a regular basis, incorporating field visits and data quality assessments, and adjust/update processes as needed

IV. *Reporting and Communications

· Collaborate with MEL Officer and the Director of Development to compile and assist in producing MEL reports and other communications to be used for fundraising, proposal development, or capacity building

· Support the process of developing and presenting quarterly project progress reports to USAID

· Provide regular updates on projects progress towards key metrics to the Head of Project for inclusion in donor reports, work planning and learning events

· Organize regular collaboration, learning and adaption events both internally and externally

Travel

The MEL Manager will be in Bangassou, Central African Republic. This position will be at Invisible Children field offices and P2P project sites. The exact timing and length of that travel is intended to be outcome-driven and should be structured to support the roles and responsibilities outlined above and the successful implementation of IC’s global programs and projects.

Qualifications

· Graduate Degree in international development or other relevant social science

· Experience with data collection software such as Formyoula, Ona, Kobo or Magpai; experience with mobile data collection

· Experience with complex projects in Central Africa or similar environments required

· Proven experience coordinating with humanitarian actors in emergency contexts is a plus

· Strong working knowledge of English and French (spoken and written); candidates unable to demonstrate a strong working knowledge of both French and English will not be considered

· Minimum two (2) years of management experience, including report writing, and four (4) year of experience managing a humanitarian M&E system

· Experience designing and implementing MEL systems for US-government funded development projects (USAID, State Department); strongly recommended.

· Proficiency using SPSS, STATA, and/or EPI-INFO software

· Problem solving ability, excellent communicator, good numerical and report writing skills

· Excellent quantitative and qualitative research, analysis, and evaluation skills

· Able to develop and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders

· Good inter-personal, coaching, training, and conflict resolution skills