Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) Manager Tempo Inteiro

Programme Background

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967 by His Highness the Aga Khan. Its mission is to develop and promote creative solutions to problems that impede social development, primarily in Asia and Africa. Created as a private, non-profit foundation, AKF has branches and independent affiliates in 15 countries. AKF has been active in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province since 2001. AKF Mozambique employs a multi-input area development approach with interventions in economic development, civil society and local governance, education, health and habitat. AKF´s aim is to contribute to an improved quality of life for vulnerable households in select areas in northern Mozambique.

The programme activities of AKF Mozambique are complemented by a strong MERL function.  The MERL team has ultimate responsibility for supporting project/programme teams in the collection, verification, and reporting of monitoring data.  More substantively, the MERL function works to evaluate project and programme performance by carrying out periodic studies, both large and small scale and with the use of mixed methods.  It also supports programme design through contributions to proposal development – especially in the design of logical frameworks and performance measurement frameworks – and through formative research.  Applied research is also led by the MERL team to improve project and programme performance. Finally, the MERL team has responsibility for ensuring that the learning obtained from project or programme studies and evaluations is disseminated to key stakeholders.  This is done to ensure the active utilization of findings to improve organizational performance as well as to strengthen both upward and downward accountability.

The Position

AKF Mozambique is seeking a MERL Manager to lead the organization’s MERL activities. Working as a member of AKF Mozambique’s Senior Management Team, the MERL Manager will take a portfolio-wide perspective and ensure that all the organization’s MERL activities are planned and implemented to a high-quality standard and in accordance with donor rules. He/she will have a supervisory role over AKF Mozambique’s MERL staff and ensure that AKF Mozambique’s MERL budgets and systems are fit for purpose, aligned with the organization’s overall strategic plan, and aligned to the needs of individual donor-funded projects. The MERL Team will provide ongoing guidance to project/programme teams on optimal ways to ensure the collection and reporting of reliable monitoring data. They will have a particularly important role to play in leading the technical design and implementation of research studies and project/programme evaluations, ensuring that these are designed ethically and according to appropriate technical standards in terms of methodology and data collection/analysis methods. They will support project teams to analyse and reflect on data findings and use it to inform and adapt programming to enhance impact.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Lead the process of designing and implementation of a robust AKF Mozambique MERL function;
• Lead and coordinate the work of AKF Mozambique’s MERL staff across the whole project portfolio;
• Plan and coordinate regular reviews of programme performance and results;
• Contribute to the design of new projects/programmes, including providing input into new proposals, thinking around theories of change and logical frameworks.  The MERL Manager will ensure that an adequate MERL budget is allocated to each new proposal;
• Provide ongoing technical support to project/programme managers and their field staff on the collection of project monitoring data – includes designing monitoring tools, reviewing processes for the communication of data from field level to office and back, as well as undertaking spot checks to verify the integrity of collected monitoring data;
• Lead the design and rollout of project/programme studies and evaluations. This includes designing study protocols (including ethical review materials), ensuring the appropriate budgeting of these activities, leading the selection of appropriate study methodologies and determining relevant data collection methods (usually with reference to project/programme indicators). The MERL Manager will also take primary responsibility for supporting other ERL team members in overseeing the design and piloting of data collection tools, supervising the training of data collectors, and will play a leading or support role (depending on context) in the rollout of data collection activities at field level;
• Oversee the design, rollout and maintenance of different components of the organizational MERL system, including project/programme databases;
• Lead analytical work relating to the synthesis of research/evaluation findings, working with members of the MERL and project/programme teams to determine optimal approaches to data visualization and the dissemination of findings to donors, partners and beneficiaries;
• Participate as an active member of AKF’s global MERL community and support AKF Mozambique in meeting its commitments for particular AKF global reporting requirements; this includes a regular update of AKF´s Global Information System.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• A graduate degree in a field related to development, ideally with a focus on project evaluation and/or with training on qualitative and quantitative research methods;
• At least five years of experience in MERL of development projects, particularly in relation to rural economic development, community health, civil society and/or early childhood development; demonstrated field experience is essential;
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team; Experience in positions of organizational leadership and team management, with a track record of mentoring colleagues on the design and rollout of MERL systems;
• Experience in proposal design and the development of MERL-related components such as Performance Measurement Frameworks and SMART indicators;
• Demonstrated experience at all stages in the implementation of project/programme research studies and evaluations. Capacity to work with both qualitative and quantitative research methods would be an asset, as is demonstrated experience as a trainer in the use of these methods for field-based data collection;
• Previous work experience in Mozambique or similar context;
• Experience with different approaches to data visualization and their practical application for organizational communications and learning;
• Willingness to lead/participate in field activities and to travel to remote areas within Cabo Delgado province and other northern provinces on a regular basis;
• Fluency in English and Portuguese as well as the ability to write effectively in both languages.