The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Lead will work closely with MEL Adviser, Learning and Influencing Adviser, VFM Adviser and the Learning and Evaluation (L&E) provider to design and deliver the MEL strategy and contribute to development and monitoring of the Logframe. H/she will be responsible for the design, deployment and use of appropriate data/evidence collection, management, performance monitoring and reporting tools across the programme outcome areas and within government systems. H/she will manage the MEL team to use and strengthen existing data systems, build capacity of government to use data and evidence to improve accountability, citizens’ engagement, and governance. The MEL Lead will supervise and deliver on the Managing Agent’s role and contributions to the programme’s learning agenda, in partnership with the L&E Provider and the Learning and Influencing Adviser, including special studies, baseline and evaluation projects. The MEL Lead will also manage the programme’s database, data quality assurance and compilation of performance reports (including progress reports). H/she will also oversee generation of evidence to inform all learning within the programme.
The position requires being able to lead a team of MEL Officers and to train counterparts in analytic skills required for effective monitoring and evaluation systems. The position will also backstop colleagues to implement results-based monitoring and evaluation for the project. This will involve building understanding of pertinent theories of change, mapping out impact pathways and the corresponding hierarchies of objectives; specification of indicators of success along the impact pathways.
The MEL Lead will:
Core Technical Responsibilities:
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Lead the design and implementation of the monitoring, evaluation and learning system for the project.
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Lead in using monitoring and evaluation system as a tool for learning and managing for results
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Lead in the design and implementation of situational analyses, baseline/midline/endline surveys, sampling design, learning assessments, impact evaluation and/or policy related research.
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Backstop the senior management team (SMT) in facilitating learning processes and integrating insights from the learning process into decision-making processes.
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Lead capacity building processes for MEL within the Shule Bora Programme (including partners and GoT)
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Provide quality control for monitoring data and evaluation reports by colleagues and contractors
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Provide expertise and resources in the area of digitisation of GoT Education Management Information Systems, and support CE initiatives aimed at deploying digital platforms for routine monitoring across MM projects.
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Lead the development and maintenance of the SB database and dashboards to enable regular stock checks to track progress.
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Working closely with government counterparts, support an audit of all government data systems in the basic education sub sector and determine what adjustments or improvements are needed to meet the information requirements of the SB programme.
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Provide assistance to the preparation of the EPforR Annual Reports, the Government’s Annual Education Sector Performance Reports (AESPR) and PO-RALG’s publication: Basic Education Statistics Tanzania (BEST).
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Support the PforR sub-component of the project including data analysis and preparing the computation of annual claims.
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Work closely with the Learning and Evaluation (L&E) provider to design and deliver the programme MEL strategy.
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Spearhead the compilation of performance reports (including progress reports) and oversee generation of evidence to inform all learning and communications interventions within the programme.
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Lead the process of recruiting and supervising contractors on MEL.
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Line manage the MEL Officers while quality assuring the products by these experts.
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Work in line with the Shule Bora operating principles.
Candidate Specification:
Essential competencies and experience
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Deep understanding of the educational context in Tanzania
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Demonstrated monitoring and evaluation and data analysis experience, including ability to handle and process large datasets
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Previous experience of working within the constraints of government systems in Tanzania
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Ability to multi-task, prioritise and manage own time for maximum efficiency
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Excellent strategic thinking, planning and communication skills
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Excellent spoken and written English and Kiswahili
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Willingness to be pro-active, responsive and flexible to the changing requirements of the project
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Excellent IT skills and confidence in Outlook, MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, databases (e.g. Access), field data collection (e.g. Kobo or ODK), data visualisation (e.g. Power BI or Tableau) and statistical packages (e.g. R, SPSS or STATA)
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A team player with experience of working within team hierarchies and towards the common vision of a programme
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Strong ability to foster and build networks, and maintain diplomatic relations with different stakeholders
Desirable
Education
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At least a master’s degree in education, gender, international development or related subject
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Formal training in MEL or project management
Project Description:
The UK aid funded Shule Bora programme aims to improve the quality of pre-primary and primary schools in Tanzania. The programme's Impact Statement is: Shule Bora will deliver improved quality, inclusiveness, and safety of learning for boys and girls. There are four outcomes:
- Learning: All children* are learning in school.
- Teaching: UKAID supports the strengthening of Tanzania’s teaching workforce.
- Inclusion: All children are in schools that are safe, offer an environment conducive to learning and that this enables children to complete primary education and progress to secondary education.
- Systems building: UKAID supports government in strengthening the value for money** of education provision at school, local and national level.
* The term ‘all children’ infers particular attention to the most disadvantaged: girls, the disabled and those living deprived areas **Value for money is defined as a composite of economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity
The programme will:
- Work with Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) and the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) to test, adapt and implement at scale quality, gender-transformative, disability-inclusive and safe to learn education approaches in 9 regions, generating learning and evidence on how to achieve these outcomes affordably and at scale.
- Support GoT with the timely and effective implementation of the PforR mechanism through technical assistance and capacity building, with a strong focus on data verification, financial management and risk management. Support lesson learning processes from PforR so that these can be embedded into government processes and shared with development partners and other key stakeholders. Ensure that lessons and best practice from (1) are used to inform PfR mechanism.
- Manage and coordinate programme activities, with a strong focus on (i) ensuring a high-quality programme, financial and risk management oversight, (ii) working with an independent Learning and Evidence (L&E) provider on establishing regular, rigorous and community-driven monitoring and evaluation activities, and (iii) developing and implementing a strategy for effective communication of Shule Bora objectives, results, and lessons learned to a range of target audiences.
The Application clsoing date is 27th August 2024.
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