Measurement and Monitoring Associate

Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Duration: Fixed Term: May 2020 – May 2021, with the possibility of renewal
Reports to: TaRL Country Manager with support from the TaRL Africa Measurement and Monitoring Team
Apply by: March 27 

About the Role:

Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa seeks an MEL Associate to support the measurement and monitoring component of a large-scale education program in Côte d’Ivoire. The MEL Associate will work together with the TaRL Africa central team and Ministry of Education of Côte d’Ivoire (MENET-FP) to design a monitoring strategy to be integrated into existing government systems. The MEL associate will also collaborate with Ministry of Education officials to build capacity around the understanding and use of data. This role provides a unique opportunity to improve the learning outcomes of primary school children in Côte d’Ivoire and to be part of a leading evidence-based initiative tackling the learning crisis in Africa.

The role will be based in Abidjan with extensive travel within Côte d’Ivoire and potential for international travel.

About Teaching at the Right Level Africa:

TaRL Africa is a new international initiative formed between education NGO Pratham and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), who have been working together to develop cost-effective, scalable education programs for more than 15 years. These efforts have led to the development of an education program now called Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL).

TaRL is an educational approach developed by Pratham that aims to build foundational skills in math and reading for children before leaving primary school. When TaRL is implemented within government systems, TaRL teams help ensure that teachers receive strong academic support through mentors who are part of the government system. Ongoing, onsite monitoring and support, as well as reviews at different levels of the school system, all contribute to the effectiveness of the program.

Main responsibilities:

  1. Work with the government and TaRL Africa team to develop a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) strategy:
    • Develop a strong understanding of the government’s existing measurement and monitoring systems
    • Develop measurement and data aggregation tools in collaboration with MENET-FP officials
    • Collaborate with partners to incorporate monitoring and measurement best practices into the overall program design
    • Integrate the MEL strategy within existing government systems where feasible
  2. Data analysis and dissemination:
    • Collate monitoring information and research and write case studies to highlight project impact and learning
    • Promote the sharing of programme best practices through formal and informal workshops
    • Communicate and connect with monitoring and teacher support staff within the government regularly through phone calls and in-person meetings
    • Engage actively with the government during critical data collection periods to troubleshoot as necessary
  3. Critically assess MEL systems:
    • Coordinate reflection meetings and focus group discussions
    • Pilot new measurement ideas and conduct regular school visits to assess their effectiveness
    • Engage with other organizations to learn about their MEL systems and best practices
  4. Government capacity building:
    • Design and lead capacity building workshops on project monitoring and data use
    • Work with officials on data use strategies on a regular basis
    • Regularly visit schools in different localities across Côte d’Ivoire to support government actors and examine measurement challenges within schools
  5. Coordinate with international teams on research and learning efforts:
    • Coordinate with in-country team members on learning objectives and on future larger research projects, including impact evaluations
    • Liaise with team members at J-PAL and TaRL Africa on learning priorities

Education and Qualifications

  • Fluent in written and spoken French
  • A Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Economics, Education or a related field
  • Three to five (3-5) years of relevant, full-time work experience
  • Strong data analysis skills
  • Experience working with data manipulation software, including data collection, analysis and visualization platforms (Required: Excel; Strongly preferred: STATA, Survey CTO, Tableau)
  • Familiarity with M&E frameworks and systems

Preferred: 

  • Experience working in the development or education sectors in Francophone W Africa
  • Good command of written and spoken English
  • Familiarity with national and regional learning assessment data (e.g. PASSEC)
  • Familiarity with econometric and program evaluation techniques
  • Strong preference for Ivoirian Nationals

How to Apply

Please fill in this application form by 27 March 2020. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete an assessment, followed by two interviews. Due to the large volume of applications, we will only be able to respond to short-listed applicants.