Pact seeks a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Advisor for the anticipated USAID-funded Gir’ljambo (Have a Say) Activity, an Associate Award under the Civil Society and Media-Strengthened Together and Advancing in New Directions (CSM-STAND) Africa & Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Leader with Associates (LWA) Cooperative Agreement. This five-year activity will focus on strengthening civil society organizations’ (CSOs) institutional capacity and sustainability, issue small grants to select CSOs to carry out advocacy work, and support the formation and bolster existing CSO networks. The activity will focus on four separate priorities and will target youth and women CSOs engaged in human rights, individual freedoms, governance, justice, and reconciliation: (1) support capacity strengthening and issue sub-grants to local organizations engaged in civic education and advocacy for positive political engagement; (2) strengthen CSOs dedicated to promoting accountable, transparent, and responsive governance; (3) respond to trafficking in persons (TIP) and other human rights issues; and (4) support livelihood opportunities for women and youth members of select CSOs.

This position will be based in Bujumbura, Burundi, and report to the Chief of Party. This is a Burundi-based local position open to Burundian nationals and individuals with legal authorization to work in Burundi without employer sponsorship only. This position is contingent upon award.

Key Responsibilities

The MEL Advisor provides strategic guidance, vision, and management for successful monitoring and evaluation of the program. This individual also supervises MEL staff and ensures the strategic and functional integration of all MEL activities as well as active collaboration with sub-awardees and USAID/Burundi – Gir’Ijambo (Have a Say) Activity. The Strategic Learning Advisor oversees all MEL activities, provides technical direction and support, ensures the accurate reporting of results for program activities, and ensures the program aligns with Pact’s quality standards for MEL in close coordination with Pact’s Learning, Evidence, and Impact (LEAP) team.

The specific duties to be carried out by the successful candidate are:

• Oversee the design and implementation of the project’s MEL system in coordination with Pact’s LEAP Team to develop key performance indicators, targets, tools, and appropriate MEL responsibilities across the project.
• Manage baseline assessments and support the implementation of formative assessment such as baseline market and needs assessments, identifying facilitators and barriers to human rights, individual freedoms governance, justice and gender-sensitive assessments with Pact’s HQ LEAP Team.
• Coordinate any external evaluation processes, including drafting evaluation ToR and selection of firm, in alignment with award.
• Develop and disseminate relevant M&E tools, formats and lead the provision of M&E specific technical training
• Oversee data collection, collation, storage, analysis, and reporting, ensuring that data is of high quality and audit worthy.
• Supervise M&E staff and oversee consortium partners’ compliance with MEL system.
• Ensure appropriate training and supportive supervision of all partners in monitoring and evaluation procedures, data collection tools, and data management practices in alignment with the MELP.
• Work closely with partners to establish their internal MERL systems, M&E plans, and data quality management, oversee partners’ compliance with MEL system, and design and conduct trainings to support capacity for MEL among partners.
• Strengthen staff and partners’ capacity in qualitative and quantitative monitoring and evaluation techniques through comprehensive staff training, mentoring, and/or coaching.
• Conduct and manage Routine Data Quality Assessments (RDQA); ensuring implementation of corrective actions to improve data quality and accountability of staff and partners,
• Oversee the development and maintenance of a comprehensive project database, ensure accurate and timely storage of electronic files.
• Responsible for calculation and reporting of Pact’s Global Indicators through imPact, Pact’s instance of DHIS2, and calculation and reporting of relevant project data into impact.
• Responsible for the data analysis, writing, and review of the results and learning sections of program reports in collaboration with program staff, before submission to donor and ensure consortium partners’ compliance with internal data quality requirements and timely submissions for reporting.
• Commitment to applied learning and adaptation based on data: Lead the program team on routine reviews and interpretation of data for learning and adaptation; package and disseminate timely findings in a meaningful way, and make suggestions for adaptive management in line with Pact’s principles and USAID’s CLA approaches.
• Create a learning agenda and implement a system designed to identify lessons learned and disseminate timely information.
• Produce learning products and thought leadership pieces relevant to the project intervention; present in local conferences or on webinars regarding project’s MEL successes .

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 7+ years relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience, including 3 years of management experience.
• A Master’s degree (preferably in social science, international development, governance, evaluation, statistics, or economics) plus 5 years of experience may be substituted for a Bachelor’s degree.
• 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience in designing, managing, and implementing results-based MEL activities.
• Demonstrated relevant technical skills in analyzing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data, and packaging the findings.
• Progressively responsible experience in monitoring and evaluation of governance, gender, and livelihoods, program beneficiaries, and program staff.
• Experience in utilizing gender and social inclusion sensitive indicators and measures.
• Extensive knowledge of reporting procedures, including USAID, best practices, guidelines, and tools for monitoring, evaluation and learning, including impact evaluation.
• Ability to work well on team and with various partner organizations.
• Extensive expertise in research ethics and Do No Harm requirements in sensitive research environments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, i.e., Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc., and the ability to use various commercially available statistical software programs.
• Professional working proficiency in English and French. Fluency in Kirundi is required.
• Ability to travel within Burundi and potentially internationally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with DHIS2 platform and mobile data collection software.
• Experience in utilizing gender and social inclusion sensitive indicators and analysis .

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