MEL Specialist at DAI

Position Objectives:

• The MEL Specialist in the State Field Office (FO) will support the implementation of all MEL interventions in Kebbi and Sokoto States, including data collection and management, promoting learning, monitoring, and reporting as well as providing cross-cutting support as needed.

Responsibilities:

The MEL Specialist will:

• Oversee the execution of the M&E strategy at the two states, ensuring interventions are rooted in the local context and serve as learning platforms for future interventions.
• Work closely with Director Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (DMEL), Senior MEL Specialist, and other MEL Specialists to ensure the strategic and functional integration of all MEL interventions as well as active collaboration with donors, other implementers, and local counterparts.
• Oversee MEL interventions, provide technical direction, and support the design process, guide the direction of implementation, and ensure results for contract interventions are adequately captured, reported, and documented.
• Will undertake, with DMEL guidance, investigations of reform issues and possible solutions.
• Support State2State's Collaborative Learning and Adaptive (CLA) approach and facilitate reviews to determine whether initiatives are producing the expected results.
• Undertake, with DMEL guidance, investigations of reform (PFM reform, policy reform, among others) at state and LGA levels issues and possible solutions.
• Lead data collection and analysis of Activity’s results on governance indicators and assemble data required on a recurrent basis to track program performance on advocacy, policy reform, PFM (budget analysis, IGR, procurement audit etc.), and citizens engagement.
• Verify and conduct data audits and collection procedures.
• Support M&E training of staff and assist in cultivating a culture of learning.
• Collaborate with Program Specialists to produce qualitative data for both quarterly and annual reporting.
• Ensure office cooperation with internal/external data quality assessments as well as timely and appropriate sharing of activity information.
• Other reasonable responsibilities not explicitly included herein as assigned by the DMEL.

Reporting:

• The MEL Specialist technically reports to the DMEL in the Bauchi Main Office and, on a day to day basis, administratively reports to the State Program Manager, and coordinate with works with colleagues across units and teams.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in any of the following or related fields: social science, international development, evaluation research, statistics, and economics. Master’s degree preferred.
• At least 8 years of relevant experience designing, managing and implementing results-based MEL interventions. The ideal candidate possesses experience in including, governance, and public sector reforms., especially USAID-funded projects.
• Experience in tracking and submitting M&E data is required.
• Experience working with government (national, subnational, and local) and civil society organization (CSO) strengthening in Nigeria is highly desirable.
• Ability to work collaboratively, foster goodwill, and build coalitions with relevant sectoral agencies, groups, and organizations.
• Ability to analyze and contextualize data related to Public Finance Management (PFM), citizens engagement and conflict mitigation issues especially as it relates to Education, Health, and WASH sector.
• Technical skills in analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, with excellent organizational, oral, and written communications skills in English.
• Progressively responsible experience in monitoring and evaluation; preferably in democracy and governance programs and working with development agencies and organizations, government officials, CSOs leaders, community leaders, project beneficiaries, and project staff.
• Extensive knowledge of reporting procedures, best practices, guidelines, and tools for monitoring, evaluation, and learning, including impact evaluation.
• Ability to conduct research and documentation.
• Experience using USAID Monitors for quarterly and annual data reporting preferred.
• Supervisory skills, and ability to work well on a team.
• Proficient in Microsoft programs, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc., and the ability to use various commercially available statistical software programs.
• Willingness and ability to train and be trained.
• Strong attention to detail is required.