Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist

Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist

Solidarity Center

Washington, DC, United States

Summary

Solidarity Center seeks a Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist to join its growing MEL function in its Program Quality, Learning, and Compliance (PQLC) department to: serve as the HQ-based MEL lead for a portfolio of SC programs, collaborate with program and MEL field staff on the design and monitoring of labor rights programs, review and monitor performance, conduct trend analysis, coordinate research and evaluations, build staff capacity, develop resources and/or provide technical guidance and training, contribute to the development of a MEL toolkit, promote a MEL culture, and advance evidence-based learning. International travel is anticipated for this position.

Responsibilities

Organizational Lead

• Serve as headquarters expert on MEL requirements and their operationalization for an assigned portfolio
• Champion and support program teams in implementing leading MEL practices and using performance data for adaptive management and learning
• Collaborate with in-country MEL staff to build a body of evidence across the portfolio of programs
• Conduct trend analysis and collaborate with other MEL staff working on other portfolios to identify impact and contribute to SC’s organizational evidence-based learning and external messaging for target audiences

Project Design and Performance Monitoring

• Provide technical assistance to program staff on development and adaptation of projects, ensuring program logic is clear and the MEL plan is designed to measure progress, promote learning and inform adaptive project management
• Contribute to the development of proposals and design of projects for competitive funding opportunities, co-facilitating design sessions, ensuring alignment with organizational theory of change, articulating the development of logic models/results frameworks, designing M&E frameworks, performance indicators, drafting M&E narratives, developing sustainability strategies, determining appropriate methodologies and tools to collect data and to measure progress and impact, and ensuring compliance with funder requirements and SC needs, as well as consistency with technical approach in proposal
• Participate in interview process for in-country MEL key personnel, as needed
• Contribute to the development and/or refinement of post-award project documents and MEL tools
• Coordinate with and support in-country MEL staff throughout program life cycle on monitoring efforts, supporting the establishment and enhancement of performance monitoring systems in the field that allow for cross-program data analysis and promoting learning and cross-fertilization of best practices and tools across portfolio
• Review and provide feedback on technical progress reports (e.g., performance indicator tracking tables) prior to submission to funder, with an organizational-level view for distilling trends, results and impact

Research and Evaluation

• Participate in the design and conduct of project evaluation, as needed (includes the entire cycle from determining appropriate methodologies, drafting scope of work to conducting research to performing qualitative and quantitative data analysis and report writing), collaborating closely with program teams and PQLC management
• Review and provide feedback on terms of reference for evaluations, and internal and external evaluation reports for USG-funded programs, as needed

MEL Resources and Organizational Learning

• Advise program teams on using evidence for learning and adaptive management, and conduct training on funder-specific MEL requirements
• In conjunction with MEL colleagues and under the direction of PQLC management, contribute to development of toolkit of MEL resources – creating/refining e.g., standard procedures, templates, quantitative and qualitative data collection tools and quality standards, training manuals and guides – for use throughout project life cycle
• Support adoption of innovations and ensure approaches and tools are up to date, including data analysis, storage and collection tools
• Collaborate with program and MEL colleagues to document and share best practices, lessons learned and success stories across programs to capture impact and promote evidence-based learning
• Collaborate and contribute to creation of standard indicators across programs
• Foster organizational learning through participation in SC’s MEL Community of Practice, the design and co-facilitation of learning events and development of learning products

Community Engagement

• Represent SC and participate in MEL working groups, community discussions and such venues as the American Evaluation Association
• Under the direction of PQLC management, engage with counterparts at funders and peer organizations, particularly with democracy, rights and governance groups
• Other duties as assigned, including potential reassignment to other donors and projects based on departmental needs.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience preferred in designing M&E results frameworks and plans for USG funders, developing MEL resources, providing training and guidance throughout program life cycle, and fostering organizational learning
• Familiarity with funder specific requirements aligned with the assigned portfolio
• Experience working in an international organization and/or in monitoring and evaluating labor/social justice/human rights/civil society programs; familiarity with programs related to worker rights, equality and inclusion, labor migration, safety and health, trade union strengthening and/or informal economy strongly preferred
• Master’s degree in social science, social justice, human rights, international relations or related field preferred
• Fluency in English (verbal and written), with proficiency in a second language preferred; (verbal and written); excellent writing skills in English to effectively create clear and concise documents, and strong oral communication skills to effectively present information, respond to inquiries and conduct training
• Working knowledge of mixed methods ex post and ex ante research designs, including quasi-experimental designs, research bias and mitigation strategies
• Experience applying principles of complexity aware monitoring and evaluation (CAM-E) and leading evidence-based collaborative learning processes within an organizational setting
• Demonstrated experience in creating qualitative and quantitative methods and instruments (surveys, semi-structured questionnaires, focus group protocols, key informant interviews, etc.), particularly for monitoring and evaluating programs in challenging contexts
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative data management, analysis, triangulation and visualization methods, and ability to promote and guide program staff in using evidence-based data and findings to inform program management
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion, including practical use of gender sensitive M&E tools and assessments
• Overseas experience, including working with vulnerable/historically marginalized populations, preferred
• Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire and motivate staff in the use of new concepts, tools and processes
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact and collaborate with host country-based, HQ and funder staff, including demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing priorities and contexts
• Excellent judgment, problem-solving, critical thinking and analysis skills, and ability to draw evidence-based conclusions
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize and work on multiple tasks under tight deadlines
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment, and to perform detailed work with a high level of accuracy
• Experience and presence necessary to represent the SC effectively in public fora and in private meetings with funders, partner organizations, and national and international organizations
• Willingness and ability to travel overseas to conduct training or assessments, or participate in program monitoring and evaluation efforts.

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