Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Advisor

Burundi

Job Title: MEL Advisor - Itongo Ryanje, Itunga Ryanje, Burundi

Job Location: Ngozi, Burundi

Job Type: Regular, Full Time

Reports to: Chief of Party. You will also line manage program staff and work closely with the Programmes Director (PD), Country Finance Controller (CFC), Systems Director (SD), Desk Officer (DO) and Advisors, and consortium members.

About the role: This is a 60-month, new role with unaccompanied terms based in Ngozi, Burundi with a salary of Grade 4 €45,457 - €50,509.

*This position is contingent upon successful agreement award and USAID approval. 

Founded in 1968, Concern Worldwide (Concern) is an international humanitarian aid organization dedicated to reducing extreme poverty and alleviating suffering through emergency relief and long-term development programs spanning livelihoods, education, nutrition, health, and WASH. Concern currently operates in 26 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, and works in partnership with communities, public and private service providers, local government, academic institutions, and other local and international organizations to ensure sustainable delivery of effective services. Concern Worldwide has operated in Burundi since 1997, successfully implementing programs in health, nutrition, social protection, food security, livelihoods, and youth empowerment throughout the country.  

Your purpose:

Concern Worldwide seeks a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Advisor (MEL Advisor) for an anticipated “Itongo Ryanje, Itunga Ryanje” activity in Burundi. This activity will help Burundian women secure access and rights to land, promote climate-smart agriculture, and strengthen economic empowerment. The activity will partner with local actors, including the private sector, to strengthen women farmers’ participation in market-driven enterprises and build their entrepreneurial, leadership and management skills to achieve greater economic independence.

The MEL Advisor will be responsible for the overall monitoring, evaluation, learning and accountability program cycle management. Learning will be critical to the program's success, and leadership skills are required to ensure the program team is accountable for its successful management and delivering results. The MEL Advisor will adhere to Concern’s program quality standards and ensure compliance with Concern and donor MEAL requirements. S/he will maintain positive and productive relationships with the donor as well as local and international partner organizations throughout the co-creation process and program lifecycle. The successful candidate should possess substantial experience in managing MEAL on complex, multi-year USAID or other international donor-funded programs. A priority for the MEL Advisor role extends to capacity building and knowledge transfer to high performing Burundi team members with a view to empowering their success during the life of the project.

The MEL Lead’s responsibilities will be to:

• Lead the activity’s MEAL team to ensure tasks, deliverables, and responsibilities are met. Oversee quality control for MEAL deliverables, ensuring compliance with USAID policies and regulations as well as Concern Worldwide reporting requirements, including the production of timely and accurate reports.
• Lead and prepare MEAL annual work plans, learning products, and other MEAL-related communication and reporting.  Review program activities and ensuring CLA is integrated in Concern’s approaches.
• Provide technical expertise and leadership to generate and analyze quality evidence and data through monitoring, assessments, and evaluations.

• Provide leadership and oversee MEAL staff management including hiring, supervising, and mentoring program staff to achieve program goals. As needed, work with consortium partners to strengthen MEAL capacity.

• Manage MEAL deliverables from all consortium partners and ensuring partners’ MEAL activities adhere to the agreed workplan and budget.
• Represent the activity in all MEAL technical, policy, and programmatic fora at all levels (regional, national, and international).
• Oversee use of data and analytics to evaluate program outreach and engagement with wider audiences.

• Use an adaptive management approach, track performance-monitoring analysis and apply course correction in collaboration with the COP and DCOP. Provide support to ensure the activity employs data-driven decision-making.

• Oversee production of communications products, including learning notes, reports, articles, videos, etc. Ensuring products are well packaged for intended audiences.
• Work with Concern’s communications team, oversee proactive outreach through social media channels and ensure the Activity utilizes the most effective methods to reach intended audiences

• Support regular communication and nurture collaborative relationships with all program partners and Concern head offices. Ensuring a high level of coordination and maintaining productive working relationships with all key stakeholders (partner organizations, local government, civil society, program participants, etc.) on MEAL.
• Work with implementation teams, identifying possibilities for cross-program partnerships and collaboration throughout the sector.
• Lead the MEAL team to work collaboratively with the wider program team, including advocacy, partners, and others, to ensure cross learning and input into new program design based and delivery of the Country Strategic Plan.

Accountability 

• Promote and ensure compliance with the CHS commitments and quality criteria.
• Ensure that all staff are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern's FCRM and lead on ensuring that information about Concern's commitments on accountability and safeguarding are disseminated among program participants and communities
• Ensure that the FCRM is functional, effectively implemented and accessible in all program locations, enabling safe reporting of both programmatic and sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns
• Ensure that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner; ensuring that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are handled with utmost confidentiality and that the safety of the complainants and those affected is prioritized at all stages.

Your skills and experience will include:

Basic Qualifications:

• A Master’s degree (or equivalent) or higher in a relevant field (such as data sciences, statistics, economics, agricultural/development economics, international development, or other relevant subject) with significant training in quantitative methods.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible work experience managing MEAL functions on a USAID-funded activity,  preferably a similar agriculture or resilience program, with at least 3 years management or advisory experience.
• Demonstrated experience utilizing Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation elements in a complex, multifaceted environment.
• Must be knowledgeable on TOCs, logic models indicators, MEL plans, data quality assurance, data utilization, CLA, and gender and youth integration into M&E. Demonstrated experience building or strengthening monitoring systems, quantitative and qualitative analysis, survey and sample design, and effectively promoting evidence-based program management.
• Demonstrated experience with collecting information from primary and secondary market actor beneficiaries.
• Demonstrated experience managing third party collection contractors.
• Demonstrated experience developing and operationalizing a comprehensive MEL plan.
• Demonstrated experience managing staff and leading multi-disciplinary teams in an environment conducive to learning and development. Experience building staff knowledge and capacity in M&E systems.
• Strong communication skills, including both written and oral presentation skills; proven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse public and private partners.
• Professional level fluency in written and spoken English and French. Fluency in Kirundi is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Good sense of humor.
• Empathy with Concern’s goals and a commitment to capacity building, protection and participation.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience of team building and working in a participatory manner.
• Flexible and adaptable approach to working in a changing environment.

Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 20%. The position will be located in Ngozi.

To Apply:

All applications should be submitted through our website by the 7^th of October 2024. CVs should be no more than 4 pages in length. 

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries. 

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date. 

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance - for example if you have a visual impairment or are neurodivergent - please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. 

Concern has an organizational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy accessible here. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behavior expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Concern is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking. 

Your Personal Data 

During this job application, you will provide Concern with your personal data. Concern takes its responsibilities towards this personal data very seriously and is committed to complying with all relevant data protection legislation. 

For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office. 

You have certain rights under data protection legislation. For more information on how to exercise those rights please visit www.concern.net/about/privacy 

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.