Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Specialist USAID Youth Empower Activity

The Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist is responsible for overall leadership coordination and technical supervision of monitoring evaluation and learning for the Activity including design and management of the projects monitoring and evaluation plan and system based on agreed upon quality and standards. The MEL Specialist will liaise with project partners at all levels.  This person will oversee rigorous data collection data quality data management analysis and evidence generation. The MEL Specialist is expected to inform program adaptation under USAIDs collaborating learning and adapting (CLA) approach and may take on additional learning and knowledge sharing coordination roles.

The MEL Specialist will work closely with other technical and M&E team members to ensure that data collection and data storage meets data quality standards liaising with the EDC Home Office M&E staff on all data quality analysis and reporting issues as needed. The MEL Specialist will support coordination and collaboration among project implementing partners youthled and youthserving organizations community actors and project stakeholders in order to promote the purposeful use of data to inform decisionmaking.

The MEL Specialist will report to the Technical Director.

Essential functions include (but are not limited to):

• Leading on the organizing and conducting of all monitoring and evaluation activities as well as learning activities to ensure compliance to common or core standards. Ensure that internal reflection and discussion of findings with field staff technical specialists partners and management happens on a regular basis at a minimum quarterly;
• Working with USbased M&E team to continue to develop and implement the Activitys Strategic M&E Framework M&E Plan and capacity development approach;
• Overseeing the development of all monitoring forms for data collection as well as written procedures for data collection and entry with appropriate input from other staff;
• Supervising the data storage process to ensure that appropriate support documentation is on file and easily located to back up project indicator data;
• Managing all data collection and M&E across the activity including coordinating roles responsibilities and performance. Liaise with technical leadership staff to oversee and support M&E activities at community and national levels;
• Conceptualizing operations research and other learning activities of the project in collaboration with COP Technical Advisors and other project leadership;
• Managing technical orientation and training activities to achieve M&E objectives and plans including in data collection data processing data analysis and other areas;
• Supporting outreach and communications by providing summary data and interpretation for inclusion in publications and reports tailoring for consumption by different audiences;
• Coordinating and facilitating regular M&E discussions for or among USAID stakeholders partners EDC teams and others to share findings and learning from monitoring and evaluation data and/or analyses;
• Overseeing the timely aggregation and compilation of M&E data (quantitative and qualitative) for monthly quarterly and annual reports events and presentations (per USAID/EDC data reporting);
• Understanding the terms of the USAID award specifically expected project results and products and ensure compliance with all monitoring and evaluation requirements;
• Participating in relevant technical or senior leadership meetings and take part in the decisionmaking process as needed;
• Demonstrating a high level of professionalism when dealing with sensitive and confidential documents and issues and with coworkers and EDC partners;
• Other duties as assigned.

In addition to meet the requirements of the Activitys alignment with USAIDs New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) the goal of which is to equip and empower new and underutilized development partners such as youthled and youthserving organizations in Jamaica the Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Specialist must

• Provide direct mentorship and support to partners and youthled and youthserving organizations in developing their capacity in monitoring and evaluation processes to improve data collection cleaning and validation procedures increase efficiency and use of data for improved implementation strengthen analysis and learning on the activity as part of collaboration learning and adaptation so that partners can demonstrate improved MEL and increase their eligibility for direct USAID and other donor funding.

Qualifications :

The candidate for the position of Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Specialist shall have at a minimum the following qualifications:

Education:

Bachelors degree in a relevant discipline or a comparable number of years of professional experience.  

Skills and Experience:

• Seven years of progressively responsible experience with M&E systems design and implementation data collection and report writing;
• Practical capacity development experience in the education and youth sectors desired.
• Experience monitoring and evaluating youth workforce development sector programs desired;
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods and tools such as SPSS QDA Miner etc. preferred;
• Expertise in data visualization preferred;
• Working knowledge of USAID reporting requirements;
• Ability to work handson independently and within team in difficult work environment; and
• Experience working on education and/or youth issues in Jamaica desired.

Language:

Fluency in English required.

Additional Information :

EDC is committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce and ensuring an equitable and highly inclusive work environment. EDC is a smokefree workplace and offers a supportive work environment competitive salary and excellent benefits. Women minorities and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Fulltime