Project Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Manager – BRIDGE project (Re-advertisement)

Context: War Child Canada implements an integrated education, livelihoods, and access to justice program in Uganda. War Child Canada’s Education program aims to increase demand for education through a strong community engagement and strengthen education supply by strengthening the capacity of Alternative Education Program (AEP) host schools and BTVETs on gender and age sensitivity education at Lower Secondary AEP, Business, Technical, Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) and university level. War Child Canada’s protection/access to justice program in Uganda is aimed at contributing towards improving the protection of refugee and host community women and children against violence, through the provision of direct free legal aid services and psychosocial support. Our opportunities/livelihood program component aims at strengthening the economic empowerment of vulnerable refugee and host community women, girls and youth through vocational skills and entrepreneurship development, and income generation and employment opportunities. Our current districts of operation are: Adjumani, Terego Madi okolo, Obongi, Yumbe, Isingiro, Lamwo, Kikuube, Koboko and Kamwenge districts.

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda, with 70% regular field travel

Contract Terms: 2 years renewable

Reporting to: Country Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager

Management Responsibility: Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officers

Position summary: The Project MEAL Manager is a project-based role that reports and works closely with the Country MEAL Manager; to lead the development, management, and maintenance of a comprehensive and functional MEAL system to successfully measure the progress and impact of the BRIDGE project.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Lead M&E capacity building, by deepening the understanding and use of Theory of change and result frameworks among project leadership, implementing teams, young people, and other stakeholders to support result-based mobilization, implementation, and evidence-based reporting.
• Lead in the development, adaptation, and utilization of appropriate MEAL tools, including mobile data collection, and databases management for effective performance indicator monitoring and feedback provision to staff and stakeholders.
• Lead the development of integrated annual monitoring plans in consultation with program staff and ensure regular monitoring of activities and outputs takes place in all locations of the project, with regular data quality verification and validation.
• Spearhead the planning and execution of data collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of the project’s assessments and evaluations. Joint reviews with participating young people and internal staff are a key component of this, for ownership and responsiveness.
• Generate updates on key performance indicators in the indicator tracking sheet and coordinate the implementation of quality assurance and control systems to ensure data accuracy, validity, and integrity.
• Support the project team and partners on conducting evaluative youth space engagements for lessons learned and impact story capture and ensuring, along with the project director, that lessons learned are integrated into project design and implementation and budgets on a going concern basis.
• Together with the Project Director, review all project write ups (including concepts) and partners’ progress reports to ensure compliance to results framework and donor reporting requirements.

Requirements:

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, Education, International Development, Quantitative Economics, or Statistics, or other related courses. Post-graduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation or Project Planning and Management is an added advantage.
• Minimum of five (5) years progressive work experience in monitoring and evaluation and/or direct implementation of development programs with NGOs in at least one of War Child Canada’s programming sectors (education, livelihoods, justice), including youth entrepreneurship.
• Good knowledge and demonstrated experience in use of Theory of change and Result Frameworks as tools and approaches to guiding project implementation and reporting.
• Good understanding and demonstrated experience in using and promoting on-line or mobile data collection systems among users, including data analysis software.
• Demonstrated experience of working with education or entrepreneurship programs for young people or Small and Medium Enterprises’ support in rural or urban areas

Skills and Abilities:

• Programmatic and strategic thinker, with passion for young people, their inclusion and business growth
• People management or relationship skills i.e., thrives in diversity
• Excellent report writing and communication skills
• Problem solver in complex environments and works with minimal supervision.
• Extremely flexible and accommodating in a difficult and sometimes insecure working environment.
• Personal Attributes:
• Affinity with War Child Canada’s mandate.
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience and diplomacy.
• Creative, energetic, adaptable, and flexible.
• Stress-resilient to be able to cope with deadlines and complex problems.
• Flexible and accommodating in a difficult and sometimes insecure working environment.
• Strong team-oriented personality & previous experience working in a team environment
• Willingness and ability to travel outside Kampala