Save the Children Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning MEAL Specialist Job Vacancy in Rwanda

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Rwanda Country Programme, Kigali
Rwanda

BACKGROUND:

Save the Children is the world’s
leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We
work together, with partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world
treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. Save
the Children works in fourteen districts in Rwanda with a current staff
complement of approximately 120 staff. SC is looking forward to implement a
USAID-funded school community partnerships education project, which aims to
support the Rwandan Education Board to create and roll-out a school-community
partnership model to complement improved reading and writing instruction
delivered in schools.

SC Rwanda Country Office seeks to
hire qualified, committed and experienced nationals to fill the following position:

1.      
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Specialist

Tentative start date:                    
Immediately

Contract length:                             
4 years

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

Save the Children is seeking a
MEAL Specialist for a USAID-funded school community partnerships education
project, which aims to support the Rwandan Education Board to create and
roll-out a school-community partnership model to complement improved reading
and writing instruction delivered in schools. The MEAL Specialist will oversee
the design, establishment and implementation of the project learning agenda
that will include baseline assessment, internal midterm performance evaluation,
and coordination with external end line assessment team, and ensuring a culture
of adaptive learning across the project. Other key areas include a) Development
and implementation of the project Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and
Learning (MEAL) systems; b) assisting in the compilation and analysis of program
data and learning; c) providing of technical assistance in designing and
implementing studies, research, and surveys, d) set-up and implement
accountability to beneficiaries mechanisms, monitor programme quality, raise
red flags and support programme learning.

KEY AREAS OF
ACCOUNTABILITY:

Planning and Reporting

• Participate in programme development and planning
  activities, including budget planning with respect to MEAL activities
• Work with USAID’s Agreement Officer Representative to
  design an M&E plan that works with USAID’s AidTracker Plus
• Lead the MEAL roll out plan within the programme
• Compile and provide required data for reporting to
  donors and SCI requirements
• Ensure all projects meet SC MEAL essential standards
• With support from other programme staff, identify MEAL
  activities supply needs and coordinate with the logistics team to ensure
  materials arrive in good time.

Quality Monitoring

• Work closely with the programme team to develop
  Programme Quality Benchmarks
• Use process, output and outcome level quality Benchmarks
  as reference to undertake field monitoring visits, focusing on program
  quality aspects, discuss with relevant staff and share reports with
  relevant colleagues
• Work with the programme team to develop data collection
  tools
• Support and work with programme team to regularly
  collect data related to their indicators under the technical lead of the
  Senior MEAL Specialist, including the pilot of SMS data collection through
  SEOs, and if successful, its national rollout
• Perform regular field visits to ensure the quality of
  data collected by Program staff and to verify the accuracy of reported
  data

Management Information
System

• Manage the project’s MIS system and ensure quality data
  is collected
• Compile and analyze quantitative and qualitative program
  data and lead1 subsequent reporting at the program level;
• Ensure timely uploading of progress information into
  USAID’s AidTracker Plus system and USAID’s Development Experience
  Clearinghouse

Accountability

• Support the programme team to set up Complaint and
  Response Mechanism to respond to complaints/concerns/feedback from
  beneficiaries,
• Receive accountability data from field, analyse it and
  share with the Country office. Compile and analyze data on monthly basis
  and share it with program teams at various levels.
• Ensure children’s participation, reporting back to
  children, and child-led MEAL.
• Support the programme team to set up Complaint and
  Feedback Mechanism to respond to complaints/concerns/feedback from
  beneficiaries and maintain the database of responses.

Evaluations and Research

• In collaboration with the URCE research team, other
  project members, and consultants, design and coordinate evaluations and
  research activities and ensure effective and ethical data collection.
• Supervise the development of data collection tools
  proposed for evaluations activities
• Perform all types of quantitative analyses (descriptive
  and inferential analyses) using appropriate software (SPSS and/or STATA)
  as necessary for project research and evaluations

Learning

• Work with programme teams to utilise data from trackers
  for quality improvement;
• Document good practices, lessons learned and feedback
  captured from programme participants (adults and children) to influence
  and guide the design and implementation of our programmes – (action
  research);
• Organize learning events and workshops for program units
  to document lessons learnt, good practices and areas of improvement;

Capacity Building

• Identify capacity gaps and work with the Chief of Party
  to build the capacity of the program staff, especially the MEAL Officer,
  and partners to ensure smooth implementation of quality MEAL systems,
  effective participatory evaluations, and for improved partner capacity
  over time;
• Provide orientation/training to MEAL/program field staff
  from time to time. Identify learning and training opportunities for MEAL
  and other staff and work as a mentor and role model for staff.

Child Safeguarding

• Understand the provisions of the Child Safeguarding
  Policy, Code of Conduct and Local/Country Procedures and conduct oneself
  in accordance with the rules of the Child Safeguarding Policy, in personal
  and professional lives – which includes reporting suspicions of child abuse.
• Ensure that all project activities carried out are
  considered in relation to prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse and
  handling of serious complaints in line with the child safeguarding policy.
• Promote the message of child safeguarding to colleagues
  in other organizations and government ministries, children in their own
  and beneficiary families, and community members in general and be vigilant
  about observing possible child abuse/harm in their personal and
  professional lives.
• Support the process of ensuring that child safeguarding
  and child protection mainstreaming are integrated into all M&E
  frameworks through measurable output and outcome indicators; and support
  the process of piloting and scaling up local level beneficiary complaints’
  mechanisms in relation to staff conduct, with an emphasis on the Child
  Safeguarding Policy and measure to prevent sexual exploitation of women
  and children.

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with
  respect to code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and
  other relevant policies and procedures.  

Perform other duties, as assigned
by Chief of Party. 

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS
(our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

–         
Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently,
achieving and role modelling Save the Children values

–         
Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities –
giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the
necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate
consequences when results are not achieved

–         
Creates a managerial environment to lead, enable and maintain our culture
of child safeguarding

Ambition:

–         
Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes
responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to
do the same

–         
Widely shares personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates
others

–         
Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Collaboration:

–         
Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective
relationships with colleagues, members and external partners and supporters

–         
Values diversity and different people’s perspectives, able to work
cross-culturally.

Creativity:

–         
Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions

–         
Cuts away bureaucracy and encourages an entrepreneurial approach

Integrity:

–         
Honest, encourages openness and transparency, builds trust and confidence

–         
Displays consistent excellent judgement

Acts in the best interests of
children

QUALIFICATIONS AND
EXPERIENCE

Essential

• University degree (Master’s degree preferred) in
  Statistics, Development Studies or any social sciences discipline oriented
  to monitoring and evaluation methods;
• 3-5 years of experience working in planning, monitoring,
  evaluation, research, and accountability in an NGO or research setting;
• Demonstrated strong monitoring and evaluation skills,
  including planning/participating in evaluations;
• Experience in programme data management, use of data
  management electronic devices such as Tablets or Personal Data Assistants
  (PDAs) is highly desirable;
• Proven experience in a technical capacity involving
  conducting evaluations/research or leading evaluation/research teams and
  drafting technical reports;
• Proven experience with robust quantitative and
  qualitative data collection and analysis;
• Experience conducting interviews and focus group
  discussions with young people, children, and the communities;
• Strong capacity and creativity in leading and
  facilitating participatory methodologies to meaningfully engage
  beneficiaries and receiving their feedback, including children;
• Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach staff;
• Ability to work both in an advisory and a hands on
  implementation capacity;
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in
  English and Kinyarwanda;
• Commitment to the aims and principles of SC. In
  particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an
  ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support.
• Specific experience of designing and managing USAID or
  other US Government projects is desirable
• Previous experience of managing a team and managing
  M&E is desirable