Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Officer

Title: Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Officer

Project:E-Biz Kwa Vijana

Contract Type: 1 year. Renewable based on project performance.

Location: Nairobi

General Summary and Background

BrighterMonday Kenya is Kenya’s leading online job-matching platform and career services company established with the aim of digitizing Human Resource services and transforming job matching in Kenya.  We use a bespoke mix of human and automated solutions to match employers with the best candidates, so they can hire the right fit faster. Currently, the firm has a database of over 1,200,000 professionals and 29,000 employers, successfully using the platform to get access to the right opportunities.

BrighterMonday Kenya has built capacity in development partnerships and successful implementation of impact projects. The company aims to apply seasoned expertise in the job market and skills development to deliver projects focusing on extensive and sustainable socio-economic impact especially amongst the youth and women. 

Our Vision

Africa’s solution to bridging the talent gap.

Role Summary

The MERL Officer will oversee all aspects of monitoring, evaluation, research and learning of the projects including development of M&E frameworks for impact projects, formulating appropriate theories of change, coordinating projects data management, running research as needed and communicating the outcomes to stakeholders at multiple levels. Additionally, they will be in charge of capacity development of project teams in data collection, collation, analysis and coordination of all data-related activities.

 Reporting to

Partnership Lead

Direct reports

●        None

What You'll be doing

·       Design, develop and implement an M&E system that will form foundation for M&E plans and framework development including design of key project performance indicators for all projects to effectively capture project performance and continuously monitor progress.

·       Lead and ensure the integration and quality of all M&E activities and knowledge management components of the projects to track project progress toward set goals and objectives

·       Oversee the collecting, reporting, analysis and visualization of data/information on project activities as well as project database management and use the data to advise on areas of improvement for better project performance

·       Ensure timely and accurate reporting to relevant stakeholders in accordance with approved reporting format and standard

·       Assist the Partnerships Lead in the preparation of work plans and selection of performance indicators, and annual implementation plans while following M&E set objectives.

·       Improve on existing project monitoring tools and train project team members and implementing departments on the use of the same. Further, provide technical support to projects with data management and development tools and processes.

·       Coordinate the preparation of all inception reports, weekly, monthly and quarterly progress reports, ad-hoc technical reports, and provide report data for success stories in line with the required format.

·       Adapt and implement tools and techniques to improve the quality and use of data for decision-making through data quality assessments (DQA) conducted periodically in project monitoring activities and provide feedback with remedial action recommended.

·       Represent BrighterMonday Kenya and/or the project in appropriate technical meetings and conferences for knowledge dissemination.

·       Provide support as required to the administration of all project work and any other duties as might be assigned by the line manager

Research and Learning

·       Develop and deploy research tools and prepare subsequent research documents including research proposals, concept notes, relevant project reports, topical papers, and any other related research products.

·       In consultation with the Partnerships Lead and Management, collaborate with relevant teams and external stakeholders to oversee the design of research activities, lead efforts to identify key research questions and design studies that provide evidence on best practices and lessons learnt, provide evidence to make decisions and/or adaptations and contribute to  evidence-supported thought leadership related to employment outcomes.

·       Experience in conducting literature reviews of existing research output/documents to generate data and analyze it for purposes of knowledge sharing and informing decision-makers. Conducting desk-based needs assessments to inform new proposal development.

·       Support in the research and identification of research opportunities and development trends, prospects, and growth opportunities and provision of data for new business development opportunities.

·       Develop dissemination approaches for research findings in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications Team (e.g. data visualisation/infographics, powerpoint slides, event planning, online dissemination)

·       Ensure institutional learning and knowledge management through archiving and maintenance of program files and management information systems in a user-friendly manner.

·       Contribute to internal capacity and knowledge of M&E processes through on-the-job learning, and scheduled occasional trainings as needed.

Experience

·       Bachelor's degree in quantitative research, statistics, development studies, project management, or any other field related to impact analysis; Masters in Monitoring and Evaluation, an MBA or related Master’s degree will be a plus

·       At least 3 years of relevant working experience as a MERL specialist for impact projects, 2 years managing MERL activities in projects funded by international development agencies such as USAID, UK-AID, EU, etc

·       Experience developing theories of change, M&E systems or plans and conducting data quality assessments, data validation and data audits for youth empowerment projects highly preferred

·       Demonstrated research experience and skills with understanding of qualitative and quantitative research design, complemented by experience in research information product development, exceptional verbal and written communication skills for impressive presentations and effective report writing for various partners.

·       Proven expertise in data collection methodologies, in-depth knowledge of sampling and use of interviews, focus groups and interactive tools to generate qualitative information and analysis with ability to communicate results clearly using graphs, charts, and other visuals.

·       Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods, statistical analysis, and data analysis software (Advanced Excel, ODK tool, KoBo Collect, google forms, power BI, SPSS, etc.)

·       Extensive knowledge in MEL, collaboration, learning and adapting concepts for impact projects required, with a strong understanding of and/or prior experience working in projects with a focus on youth empowerment is highly desirable.

·       Strong team work and effective cross-cultural interpersonal skills with ability to work across various teams, willingness to listen, respect for diversity, demonstrated ability to build consensus and navigate complex operating environments

·       Good time management skills, ability to handle multiple tasks at once and deliver high time constraints/deadlines