Senior MLE (Measurement, Learning & Evaluation) Associate

 

Position title: Senior MLE (Measurement, Learning & Evaluation) Associate

Reports to: Country Director

Location: Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan

Deadline: 30th September 2022

     

Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa is a high-profile initiative originally developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Indian Education NGO Pratham to promote evidence-informed education programming in Africa. TaRL Africa, now headquartered in Kenya, works to improve basic reading and arithmetic skills of children on the African continent through the TaRL approach.  We aim to reach 3 million children in the next five years. Key countries of operation include Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Zambia where we work on contextualizing the TaRL approach .

 

Summary of the Role: 

The Senior MLE (Measurement, Learning & Evaluation) is a specialist, an expert in design, monitoring, evaluation, research and learning and will be in charge to support the monitoring systems of the PEC on a large scale in Côte d’Ivoire and in French-speaking Africa in general. He will work in collaboration with TaRL Africa’s core team and the Ministries of Education of Francophone West Africa, to create an M&E strategy and/or to integrate it into existing government systems. He/she will also work with Côte d’Ivoire (MENA) officials to strengthen the government’s capacity in monitoring and evaluation as well as the analysis and use of data for better decision-making. This role provides a unique opportunity to improve the learning outcomes of primary school children in Côte d’Ivoire in particular and to be part of an international evidence-based initiative to improve learning in French-speaking West Africa in general. The position will be based in Abidjan with numerous trips to Côte d’Ivoire and potential international trips (to West Africa, particularly to Guinea).

 

Keys responsibilities

  1. Collaborate with governments and the TaRL Africa team to develop a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) strategy
  • Gain a solid understanding of existing government M&E systems.
  • Develop data monitoring and aggregation tools in collaboration with MENA officials.
  • Collaborate with partners to integrate M&E best practices and into overall program design.
  • Integrate M&E strategy into existing government systems where possible.
  • Line manages the country MLE associate(s) by clearly defining their roles and responsibilities. 
  • Regularly build their programmatic and technical capacity.
  • Support the central team to pilot the programs in new partnerships.
  1. Lead data collection, analysis, reporting and dissemination
  • Gather monitoring and research information, and write case studies to highlight the impact of the programme.
  • Build the capacity of the field team and associates to hold the workshops to disseminate data.
  • Actively participating in communicating with the government staff on data related issues, functions and usage.
  • Actively engages with governments during critical data collection periods to resolve issues, if necessary.
  1. Critically assess programme M&E systems
  • Lead brainstorming meetings and group discussions.
  • Pilot new monitoring tools and structures and conduct regular visits to assess their effectiveness.
  • Engage with other organizations to learn more about their M&E systems and the successes and challenges they face.
  1. Strengthening government capacity
  • Design capacity-building workshops on project monitoring and data use.
  • Work regularly with government officials on data use strategies.
  • Regularly visit schools in different localities, particularly those in Côte d’Ivoire to support government actors and discuss issues of monitoring and support in schools.
  • Trains partner staff and TaRL staff in procedures, standards and tools for monitoring outputs and evaluating outcomes.
  1. Coordination with international and national teams on research
  • Coordinate with TaRL Africa team members in Côte d’Ivoire on learning objectives and future research projects, including impact assessments.
  • Liaise with TaRL Africa team members internationally on research and learning priorities.
  • Develop an appropriate budget for research including terms of reference.
  • Leads the review and scoring of technical proposals for the selection of consultants and manages consultants during the evaluation and research phases.
  • Ensures timely and quality completion of research and submission of reports. Support research initiatives and provide essential feedback throughout the research process.
  • Leads the identification and establishment of appropriate academic and research partners at the national level.
  • Support the Country Director in the design, development and implementation of new monitoring, evaluation and learning initiatives in the country (including input into resource mobilization, regular reporting of challenges in writing and avenues for corrections).

 

Education & experiences

  • Have a Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Economics, or in a relevant field.
  • Have five (5+) years of full-time monitoring, evaluation and learning experience.

 

Qualifications

  • Experience working with data manipulation software, including data collection, analysis and visualization platforms (Required: Excel; Strongly preferred: STATA, Survey CTO, Tableau).
  • Strong data analysis skills including M&E frameworks and systems.
  • Fluent in written and spoken French.
  • Fluent in written and spoken English.

 

Preferred

  • Experience in the development or education sectors in West Africa.
  • Knowledge of national and regional learning assessment data (PASEC).
  • Knowledge of tools for assessing students’ reading and numeracy skills (EGRA, EGMA, etc.)
  • Knowledge of econometric and programme impact assessment techniques.
  • Strong preference for Ivorian citizens

 

Interactions

–   Internal: TaRL Africa Côte d’Ivoire, TaRL Africa Central team

–   External: CNPEC, Donors, GLPE, communities, West Africa governments officials.

 

 How to apply?

Please fill in APPLICATION by 30th September 2022. Only applications submitted through the form will be accepted. Please note that, due to the large volume of applications, we will only be able to respond to short-listed applicants.

 

TaRL Africa is an equal opportunity employer and committed to having a diverse workforce.