Senior Consultant, MEL Framework Development [Re-advertisement]

About SEforALL 

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization working with leaders in government, the private sector and civil society to drive further, faster action toward achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which calls for universal access to sustainable energy by 2030, and the Paris Agreement, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate warming to well below 2° Celsius (and striving for 1.5° Celsius).    

Achieving these goals will require a radical rethink of the way we produce, distribute and consume energy. SEforALL is at the heart of this foundational shift to ensure no one is left behind. Drawing on data and evidence, we identify a critical path to success in achieving SDG7.  

The 8th UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 20121. Now an independent organization, we maintain close links with the UN, including through a relationship agreement, partnerships with UN agencies and with SEforALL's CEO acting as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative (SRSG) for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy. These roles include advising the UN Secretary General and his staff on issues relating to sustainable energy and the implementation of SDG7 and supporting the coordination of sustainable energy issues in the United Nations system.   

The ambitions of SDG7 are extraordinary. Aiming to achieve them in the context of the Paris Agreement on climate change involves transformation at a scale never undertaken before. Swift action must be taken by leaders in governments, private sector companies, institutions, financiers, development banks, unions, communities, entrepreneurs and civil society. As we enter the final decade to achieve SDG7, SEforALL has strategically chosen to strengthen global agenda-setting while expanding its activities to an engagement model that prioritizes data-driven decision-making, partnerships with high-impact countries and implementation on the ground. SEforALL's current three-year business plan outlines “results offers” that scope out our planned interventions and demonstrate to our funding partners the impact of their support. 

Context / Objectives of the MEL Department 

As an agile, dynamic learning organization, SEforALL’s MEL Department activities aim to promote and support accountability, learning and knowledge sharing, and MEL-focused capacity development. The MEL Department has five main objectives: 

• Provide strategy and programmatic advice and support to management and programme leads.  

• Provide an effective means of collecting, analyzing, and using monitoring data / key performance indicators to inform and improve programme performance over time. 

• Commission and conduct evaluations and [rapid] reviews using OECD-DAC principles and criteria, ensuring relevant stakeholder engagement, and using innovative methods for communication and uptake both internally and across the sector. 

• Enhance SEforALL's performance, delivery, and impact through learning support, global evidence synthesis, and capacity building.  

• Provide high-quality databases and data analyses to support all the MEL functions in its rigorous, evidence-based MEL activities. 

As SEforALL moves forward with the development of its next three-year business plan (2024-2026), we are seeking a suitably qualified senior consultant to develop a new MEL Framework to support the organization's strategy, emerging information needs and adaptive management. The consultant will lead the development of MEL policy and practice guidelines by documenting and innovating on existing practices across five workstreams (i.e., programme advisory, result-based monitoring, evaluation and review, learning uptake and knowledge management and finally on data and research). 
 

Objectives of the Assignment 

This assignment involves leading a process of reviewing and updating SEforALL's institutional MEL Framework. The consultant will provide MEL expertise to document and assess current systems and processes and lead a consultative process that includes internal and external stakeholders, to produce an updated MEL Framework and set of guidelines that aligns with SEforALL's mission and goals. The new MEL Framework will be fit for purpose and provide information and evidence to support accountability, learning and improvement to support SEforALL’s impact.  

Reporting to the Head of MEL, the Senior Consultant for MEL Framework Development (STC) will focus on the following objectives:  

• Develop a comprehensive MEL framework disaggregated into five independent modules across the five MEL workstreams (i.e., programme advisory, result-based monitoring, evaluation and review, learning uptake and knowledge management and finally on data and research), based on an updated TOC, and a related set of practice guidelines, that align with SEforALL's mission and goals. 

• Identify gaps or areas for further strengthening and innovating MEL approaches and methods, including the development of key performance indicators and data collection and analysis methods for monitoring SEforALL’s progress towards achieving SDG7 by 2030. 

• Provide recommendations for using MEL information to inform programme design and grant reporting as well as informing effective decision-making related to strategy adjustments and resource reallocation. 

• Support a robust quality review of our processes in line with identified good practices from peer NGOs and relevant international organizations. 

• Consult with external partners and stakeholders to ensure the new MEL framework is aligned and coherent with broader efforts to achieve SDG7. 

• Support and coordinate SEforALL's staff to implement the MEL framework and provide specialist coaching and training as needed to support MEL capacity development. 

 
Duties and Accountabilities  

The main duties of the role include, but are not limited to: 

• Reviewing and documenting current MEL system, activities, processes and tools, including assessment of coherence, quality, and utility. 

• Developing a MEL policy, strategic framework and guidelines disaggregated into five independent modules across the five MEL workstreams, in partnership with the MEL team and engaging with SEforALL staff across the organization. 

• Conducting stakeholder consultation to inform MEL Framework development and ensure its quality and broader ownership 

• Benchmarking SEforALL's MEL function to similar institutions to inform the development of the new MEL strategic framework 

• Identifying needs, gaps and areas for MEL innovation and development in terms of new approaches and methods, processes, and tools, including emerging new practices related to systems change and complexity (e.g. climate change). 

• Contributing to the implementation of the new MEL framework and ongoing business planning for 2024-2026 

Key Deliverables  

Specific Competencies for the Role 

• Advanced and specialist knowledge and ability to design and implement a range of MEL approaches and methods. 

• A Master’s degree or equivalent postgraduate qualification in a relevant technical area (e.g. social sciences, economics, international development, geography, ecology, public policy, engineering, or other relevant fields); and a minimum of 12 years of demonstrated experience leading the design and implementation of MEL Strategies and Frameworks across international organizations and development programmes 

• Strong up-to-date knowledge of current global MEL good practices relevant to complex and systemic international development settings 

• Substantial demonstrated experience advising Leadership and Management Teams, at organizational and programmatic levels 

• A strong track record in providing advisory services for international organizations and NGOs on the development and implementation of MEL policies, frameworks and activities 

• Demonstrable expertise in all aspects of monitoring, evaluation and learning, including cross-cutting issues (e.g. gender, environment), ethics and quality standards 

• Experience in facilitating evidence uptake and use of MEL for management decisions 

• Knowledge of the energy sector is desirable and considered a strong asset 

• Excellent project management skills and the ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks simultaneously 

• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills 

Our Values - please refer to our core values as defined here: https://www.seforall.org/who-we-are/staff/our-values. 
 

Salary information: The successful candidate will be offered an all-in daily rate determined depending on qualifications and experience, and applying the principle of internal equity. 
 

Additional Considerations  

• SEforALL offers exciting high-impact assignments, a collegial and creative work environment, and the opportunity for committed professionals to thrive and grow within flat hierarchies and in the pursuit of an inspiring mission.  

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.  

• Only short-listed candidates for interviews will be notified.   

• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.   

• SEforALL reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post.  

 
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 Your data will not be passed on to third parties outside SEforALL. We will only use your data to the extent necessary for the purposes of selecting personnel in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations. We will only disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by a court´s or administrative authority´s decision. In such a case, we will inform you as soon as possible of such an order so that you can take legal action against it if necessary. Please email to careers@seforall.org if you require updates to your information in accordance with Art. 5 lit. d of the GDPR