Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Director

Background:

Creative Associates International is a dynamic, fast-growing global development firm that specializes in education, economic growth, democratic institutions and stabilization. Based in Washington, D.C., Creative has a field presence in more than 25 countries with a strong client portfolio that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, among others. Since its founding in 1977, Creative has earned a solid reputation among its clients and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike. 

Project Summary:

The USAID West Africa mission intends to fund a five-year Strengthen Resilience and Learning to Countering Violent Extremism in Cote d’Ivoire Northern Border Areas program in August 2020. Specifically, the activity will:

• Reinforce resilience structures and factors as well as build in learning to better identify any pockets of radicalization and vulnerability with an emphasis on improving governance in ungoverned spaces in the border regions, enhancing trust between states and their citizens and reinforcing not only the authority but also the utility of the state in the peripheral zones.
• Address the negative spill-over relating to instability and violence in Burkina Faso and Mali by working to reduce marginalization and inequality particularly around natural resource management and lack of equitable and fair government services.
• Increase economic opportunities, particularly for youth (adolescents) and women as well as increase positive narratives to increase social cohesion in northern border areas.

Position Summary:

Creative is seeking a Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Director for an anticipated USAID-funded project in Côte d’Ivoire. The MEL Director will be responsible for establishing and implementing an effective system to monitor progress, measure outcomes and impacts and report on project performance and successes. The Director will also design, operationalize, and lead the implementation of the project’s Collaborating Learning and Adapting framework. S/he will be expected to develop and lead knowledge management and facilitate organizational learning.

Reporting & Supervision:

This position reports to the Chief of Party and supervises one Learning Manager and one Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead all M&E program components and make operational decisions accordingly;
• Lead all aspects of M&E data collection, analysis and reporting on performance indicators and contextual indicators;
• Oversee the design and implementation of baseline, midline and endline assessments and of governance system assessments and contribute to mid- and final project evaluations;
• Synthesize and analyze the results of assessments, M&E performance data, and learning activities to inform the project’s adaptive management framework;
• Conduct ongoing analysis of program impact with special attention to identifying possible adaptions necessary to take advantage of windows of opportunity;
• Contribute to writing quarterly technical reports to USAID and serve as point of contact on all USAID M&E requests, such as data quality assessments (DQAs);
• Design and deliver MEL trainings to program staff and partners, as needed;
• Design and manage the project’s Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) strategy, system and tools with a focus on promoting knowledge acquisition, management, and dissemination;
• Lead the formulation and implementation of a learning agenda that responds to key learning questions and manage the associated learning partnerships and processes;
• Organize and implement learning events and processes, including ‘pause and reflect’ events and resulting adaptive management analysis, decision-making, program/ approach adjustments;
• Contribute to the creation of a culture of openness, trust, and continuous improvement within the program team and with USAID, implementing partners, other donors, peer organizations, research and other institutions;
• Ensure consultative processes with communities, local government, civil society, other donor-funded projects, local researchers and academics; and
• Travel frequently to different locations in Côte d’Ivoire to oversee M&E activities, develop relationships and implement CLA activities.

Required Skills and Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in international development, social science, monitoring and evaluation, economics, public policy, or related field is required;
• At least nine (9) years of work experience with a bachelor’s degree or seven (7) years of experience with a Master’s degree in the management of field monitoring, evaluation design, empirical and statistical analysis, or research in international development projects is required;
• Strong experience in designing and operationalizing data collection tools for quantitative and qualitative M&E data collection for large/complex projects is required;
• Strong quantitative and qualitative data analysis skills and competency in statistical software such as SPSS, Stata, or R, are required;
• Demonstrated understanding of Collaborating, Learning & Adapting principles for complex development programs, required;
• Skills in analyzing, interpreting and communicating complex data and information to a wide range or stakeholders, including analytical reports, data visualizations, is highly desirable;
• Experience in designing and implementing MEL trainings is highly desirable;
• Solid understanding of USAID M&E systems and frameworks as well as prior experience with USAID or U.S. Government funded projects is highly desirable;
• Demonstrated understanding of Complexity-Aware Monitoring approaches, highly desirable;
• Proficiency in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management, knowledge-sharing networks is required;
• Excellent communication skills and a demonstrated track record of working effectively in a teamwork environment, highly desirable;
• Experience in M&E for democracy and governance programs and/or for local, state, and national institutional building, preferred;
• Written and spoken fluency in French is required; and in English, highly desirable; and
• Fluency in one or more of the national languages in Côte d’Ivoire, preferred.

Local candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Position contingent upon donor funding.