MEL Advisor - Integrated School Feeding
Global Communities
- Silver Spring, MD
- $75,578 per year
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Develop and/or strengthen project-level MEL frameworks and plans, ensuring that systems and tools produce relevant, timely, quality data that are responsive to organizational and project-level learning priorities, accountable to program participants and stakeholders, and align with donor policy and requirements.
- Lead the design, implementation, and use of project- and portfolio-level learning agendas, special studies, and evaluations.
- Lead MEL plan and indicator adjustments if/when grant award amendments are necessary.
- Develop and implement approaches and processes to ensure quality programmatic data are regularly analyzed and utilized to assess and improve program quality and project performance. This will include the use of MERL Technology, like project- and portfolio-level dashboards, for data visualization and analysis.
- Develop and implement capacity strengthening activities of relevant internal and partner staff in data management, analysis, reporting and utilization of findings for data-driven decision making and knowledge management.
- Draft and/or strengthen technical documents, including donor reports, project or study briefs, or other dissemination products to ensure stakeholder accountability, promote learning, and enhance visibility efforts.
- Lead and/or facilitate stocktaking exercises such as pause and reflect sessions, results utilization activities, before action reviews, after action reviews, critical reflection workshops and others to give and receive stakeholder feedback and identify lessons learned.
- As part of the MGD-FFE proposal team, lead writing, developing, and/or reviewing of all technical and MEL-related components of proposals; this will include Evaluation Plans, Theory of Change, Results Frameworks, Performance Indicator Reference Sheets, Learning or Research Agendas, Knowledge Management Plans, and staffing and resource needs.
- Guide technical area specialists in determining indicator results during the activity design process.
- Lead MEL plan refinements during USDA’s new award negation process.
- As part of proposal teams, lead in the identification and/or formation of strategic partnerships to support rigorous performance monitoring, evaluation, research, and applied learning.
- Provide specialized support and thought leadership in key technical areas to strengthen Global Communities technical standards, tools, and approaches for existing and future USDA/MGD-FFE programming in the following ways:
- Develop and/or strengthen MEL-specific guidance, tools, and approaches for evidence-based design of new USDA/MGD-FFE programming for use throughout the program design and proposal development phase. programs, including ensuring theory of change in program design and management.
- Strengthen capacity of relevant internal and implementing partner staff in areas that include data management, analysis, reporting and utilization of findings for data driven decision making, knowledge management, and learning through one-on-one mentoring, virtual and in-person workshops/trainings, and/or the development of technical “how-to” guidance documents, tools, and templates.
- Support the identification and optimization of use of internal program and data and knowledge across existing USDA/MGD-FFE programs, with a focus on facilitating utilization of data and knowledge for technical learning, program improvement, and enhancing visibility of programs.
- Faciliate organizational strategic coordination and learning around MEL, including related knowledge sharing between teams, departments, projects and countries through peer-to-peer networks and knowledge exchange activities such as a technical community of practice
- Ability to travel, including to remote or resource-limited areas, within GC’s USDA/MGD-FFE portfolio (up to 30%).
- Supports MEL-related mentoring, professional development, and technical capacity strengthening of MGD-FFE project staff, implementing partners, MELI and FECS headquarter staff, and other staff members.
- Participate in Global Communities organizational initiatives.
- Promote and advance a culture of learning within the organization through advancing personal learning and subject matter expertise in relevant areas.
- Stay up to date on industry best practices and incorporate them in GC processes, guidance, and tools.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Knowledge of best practices and international standards in designing and implementing robust MEL systems.
- Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative MEL methods, including quasi-experimental evaluation design and special studies rigorous sampling methodologies.
- Demonstrated use of tools and approaches for facilitating data utilization, including data visualization and presentation, and facilitating learning and reflection activities.
- Strong writing skills to support proposal development, prepare and review reports and to contribute to publications and promotional materials.
- Ability to communicate effectively and work with a diverse set of technical and non-technical counterparts and stakeholders, including global headquarter staff, country stakeholders, host government, non-governmental organizations, and community representatives.
- Demonstrated skills to mentor staff with various levels of technical capacity and experience.
- Highly motivated, organized, and able to produce results in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.
- Familiarity with and sensitivity to diversity, equity, and inclusion and gender issues.
- Ability to use statistical analysis software, such as STATA, SPSS, and MERL Tech software, such as CommCare and PowerBI, a plus.
- Second language abilities in Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, etc. a plus; language abilities in French preferred.
- Undergraduate degree in a related discipline and a minimum of four years of related work experience or a minimum of eight years of related work experience.
- Minimum two years of demonstrated work experience leading technical support efforts to strengthen performance monitoring, evaluation, and applied learning to USG-funded programs with a technical focus in integrated school feeding, multi-sectoral agriculture programming, value chain development, and/or market systems approaches Experience with USDA/MGD-FFE or USDA/Food for Progress highly desired.
- Ability to support new program design and proposal development for USDA/MGD-FFE and/or USDA/Food for Progress highly desired.
- Demonstrated knowledge and proficiency of program and relevant MEL policies and requirements of USDA, USAID, and/or other USG donors.
- Professional proficiency in Spanish is required; professional proficiency in French highly desired.
- A passion for the mission and values of Global Communities.