Overview
Creative Associates seeks a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Director for the USAID-funded Bangladeshi Youth Activity (BYA). The MEL Director is responsible for all monitoring, evaluation and learning activities. The Director must ensure that all activities are in line with USAID policy. The Director will also be responsible for designing, developing and implementing an effective system to monitor progress, impacts and successes of project activities and performance at all levels. S/he gathers, analyzes, and processes complex information related to all aspects of project activity implementation. S/he will conduct impact assessments, baseline studies, surveys and need assessments to identify necessary changes and future project opportunities. The MEL directors will ensure that the project complies with USAID performance reporting requirements. The Director will also lead Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) activities and Complexity-Aware Monitoring (CAM) efforts and provide expert guidance to the Project’s Chief of Party (COP) and Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) to inform decision-making processes and adaptive management.
Project Summary:
The purpose of USAID’s Bangladeshi Youth Activity (BYA) is to bolster youth’s income; increase resilience to violent extremism/ and anti-democratic values; and to provide youth the skills and abilities to advocate for good governance and to improve Bangladesh’s self-reliance. BYA will build skills and empower in- and out-of-school youth to increase their employability, civic engagement and contribution to the economic growth of Bangladesh.
Reporting and Supervision
The MEL Director reports to the COP and work closely with the Director of Design, Monitoring and Evaluation based in the Washington, D.C. office.
Responsibilities
- Develop and update the Project MEL Plan, including review of its theory of change, results framework, identify indicators, relevant and applicable baseline data collection strategies and methodologies, and the financial and human resources needed to successfully implement the MEL strategy;
- Design and lead CLA and CAM efforts;
- Develop tools for data collection and protocols for performance monitoring as well as baseline, midline and endline and other assessments as needed;
- Ensure data collected, stored and analyzed in the Creative web-based platform, MEDAL;
- Analyze ongoing quantitative / qualitative data at different points in the program leading to the specific program / contract results;
- Conduct field visits, as necessary, to develop monitoring / performance management plans with and train technical teams;
- Regularly review work plans to ensure the timely achievement of results related to USAID MEL;
- Elaborate annual plans related to the MEL component as well as budgets for relevant activities;
- Ensure regular communication of MEL activities to all key stakeholders and contribute to the quarterly, annual report and project reporting to USAID;
- Collaborate with the technical team to monitor the progress of the program in terms of the compliance requirements of USAID results and indicators;
- Work closely with technical staff and institutional partners to explain MEL processes and understand how these processes relate to the project’s technical work, and to promote MEL-related training as needed;
- Manage MEL resources and ensure that Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) information and resources are up-to-date, available to staff and widely disseminated; and
- Perform other related duties as assigned. Qualifications
- Master’s degree in international development, education, statistics, social sciences, or other related field required;
- Minimum of ten years’ experience of Monitoring and Evaluation international development program, including seven years implementing M&E systems for U.S. Government-funded projects in youth programming, civic engagement, preventing/countering violent extremism, workforce development, and/or inclusion;
- Strong quantitative skills and demonstrated capacity and experience in data analysis, data collection; statistical analysis; and reporting; including experience with computer-based statistical packages and databases (Epi Info, ACCESS, SPSS, etc.) required;
- Familiarity with USAID’s Positive Youth Development Measurement Toolkit;
- Experience designing and implementing M&E training / capacity building programs for international organizations required;
- Experience with CAM methodologies, CLA preferred;
- Experience working with international donors, as well as counterparts and beneficiaries (e.g., international and local NGOs and government representatives);
- Knowledge of M&E approach of other non-U.S. donors or Agencies;
- Experience conducting field research required; including using qualitative and quantitative techniques;
- Experience with USAID’s rules and regulations required, including recent MEL guidance, strongly preferred;
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail;
- Ability to establish priorities and meet deadlines and to initiate and implement activities with minimal oversight and supervision, required;
- Excellent interpersonal skills and teamwork. Effective communication skills, able to make formal and informal presentations both orally and in writing and produce professional and analytical reports and program documents;
- Experience working with an international development organization and knowledge of reporting procedures, best practices, guidelines and tools for monitoring and evaluation, especially impact evaluation and a strong knowledge of USAID reporting requirements is an advantage; and
- Proficiency in written and spoken English required.
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