Senior MEL Specialist, Inspiring Good Nutrition Initiatives Through Enterprise (IGNITE) Program

Job Summary:

• Under the overall guidance of the Hub Country (Kenya) Senior Program Manager and Global MEL Manager, the MEL Specialist will plan and implement the proper systems and procedures that generate timely, high quality data and analysis that enables adaptive management within the IGNITE program across the 4 program geographies in Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania). They will perform the technical activities related to monitoring & evaluation and serve as the primary point of contact for data collection and aggregation that supports project reporting and will provide inputs to inform project decision-making.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Establish the MEL approach for the project, including:

• Develop and execute a work plan for data capture and reporting against project performance indicators and emergent project information needs.
• Identify and implement the appropriate information-gathering approach to inform emergent knowledge gaps that are relevant for project decision-making such as processor market share data, stakeholder engagement mapping, and tracking of Strategic Fortification Partner (SFP) collaboration objectives
• Manage the data collection and management process from primary data sources provided and validated by the country teams in the aforementioned 4 African countries under IGNITE for final reporting to ensure quality
• Design additional input forms, feedback surveys, and data gathering mechanism that may be required to enhance the centralized database- Relationship Management and Activity Tracking Tool (RMATT).
• Develop and manage regular data quality assessments, data cleaning and data analysis to produce data visualization sets for reporting and presentations
• Provide technical assistance and training to responsible staff on their role in performing data collection, analysis, review, and use.
• Working closely with the global MEL Manager and Advocacy, Knowledge Management, and Learning Manager to review, analyze, and present findings from monitoring reports and other collected data to identify insights that can inform project implementation strategy
• Contribute to the building and maintenance of dynamic country level dashboard of the project.

Contribute to the Adaptive Management Approach:

• Provide leadership to relevant program team members to ensure comprehensive understanding of the role of MEL in adaptive management.
• In collaboration with the Senior Program Manager, regularly review and revise the project’s logical framework, ensuring it’s updated in accordance with knowledge gained during implementation.
• Ensure information flows across the program country team through the sharing and analysis of new information.
• Actively engage with global leadership team on areas for course correction, serving as an embedded evaluator to source opportunities for improvement and lessons learned.
• Coordinate data collection and reporting on project learning agenda under the leadership of the Senior Program Manager and Global MEL Manager.

Required skill and experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as economics or other social science, business administration, agronomy or relevant field and a minimum of 5 years of experience in program management or implementing multidisciplinary and results-based M&E systems OR a master's degree and 3 years of similar experience
• Experience utilizing M&E methods and methodologies (including qualitative, quantitative, and participatory methods as well as the use of causal logic in designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating projects)
• Knowledge of and capacity to learn data collection and analytical software (e.g. Commcare, Excel, NVivo, SPSS, or others)
• Strong written and oral communication skills and experience producing clear and concise reports. Capacity to translate research, methodologies, and data into accessible formats for colleagues with non-technical backgrounds
• Expertise in data management, analysis, and interpretation, skilled at data visualization.
• Takes an inquisitive and creative approach to problem-solving.
• Management skills, such as project management, personnel management, work plan management, and/or financial management
• Willingness and availability to undertake field visits