MEL and Communications Lead

Position: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and Communications Lead

Period of Performance: LTTA

Base of Operations: Amman, Jordan

Reports to: Chief of Party

Application Deadline: September 29, 2022*

1. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Municipal Support Program (MSP) is a five-year, USAID-funded program implemented by DAI. MSP aims to strengthen municipal-sector service delivery and promote local economic development in Jordan. MSP will strengthen municipal-sector service delivery by supporting improved governance and organizational culture through a focus on three interventions: key policy and service delivery reforms, municipal sector public financial management, and community engagement. Improved municipal service delivery will ensure that municipalities can respond effectively to citizens’ needs and create the conditions for investment and inclusive economic growth. MSP will also increase capital investment in the municipal sector. This investment is intended to catalyze local economic opportunities and further strengthen service delivery by supporting improved development planning, facilitating investor partnerships, increasing access to finance, and supporting renovation and construction of fixed assets including the provision of material resources. Across all interventions, MSP will increase the participation of marginalized groups, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities in municipal-sector decision-making. Participatory planning will improve marginalized groups’ access to public services and increase their economic opportunities. MSP will work across all of Jordan’s governates.

2. POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) and Communications Lead has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of the project’s M&E plan and data collection system to measure overall project performance against established goals and objectives. S/he ensures that project leadership has timely data on program progress that will help on management decision making and performance improvement. In addition, the MEL and Communications Lead oversees the preparation of regular project reports and deliverables for USAID and highlights best practices and approaches for all project counterparts and defines program indicators and sources of data; track delivery against program targets; use existing evidence and identify solutions to promote data-based decision making among program and technical staff; prepare project performance monitoring plans; and contribute to other project documents. S/he will supervise the MEL Specialist and the Communications Specialist, while reporting directly to the COP.

3. KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, develop, and institutionalize monitoring and evaluation systems and approaches that provide useful data for reporting, communications, and organizational learning.
• Oversee implementation of data quality assessment processes and procedures.
• Develop/adapt tools for data collection; designs and implements surveys and other data collection tasks, including overseeing implementation of the project’s baseline, mid and end-of-project surveys.
• Lead collaboration with USAID assigned external evaluators and provide documentation/verification of data as requested.
• Work closely with DCOP to design routine technical meetings as a platform for sharing ideas among team leads.
• Institutes regular use of performance monitoring data among component leads and technical staff.
• Identifies best practices and state-of-the art approaches to the program activities and evaluates them.
• Use data to systematically and consistently document achievements, success stories, and best practices.
• Provides technical assistance and training to the project’s teams and partner organizations as necessary.
• Inform technical teams about the project’s outcomes and impacts on a regular basis, providing necessary recommendations for meeting targets where needed.
• Tracks, measures, and records the targeted results that serve as measurable performance standards by which the project’s performance will be assessed and the indicators in the MEL plan to provide metrics to measure progress.
• Ensures that required gender, youth, and student related data are tracked, recorded and reported properly.
• Provide overall guidance and manage all the M&E related efforts, communicating and coordinating as needed with DAI home office headquarters staff.
• Designs/adapts project performance monitoring database to report national and global indicator and performance indicator data quarterly to technical team leads, COP, and DAI headquarters.
• Supervises, coaches, and mentors the M&E Specialists and Communication Specialists to ensure timely and high-quality reporting of M&E data including entry into USAID systems as applicable to ensure MEL tasks are completed in a timely and quality manner
• Train MSP technical teams on the use of the project’s management system (TAMIS) and work closely with them to ensure that TAMIS is regularly and accurately updated.
• Ensure coordination between MEL and Communications and technical teams.
• Develops and updates the project activity factsheet on a quarterly basis and report the updates to USAID Jordan and its designated M&E contractor.
• Collects, compiles, validates and provides input into the Annual Work Plan, MEL Plan, Baseline Report, Quarterly Performance Reports, Annual Reports and Final Report.
• Participates in and contributes to weekly senior staff meetings.
• Conduct data validation meetings with USAID’s M&E contractors.
• Identify key messages, develop, and disseminate knowledge and learning products through diverse communication channels.
• Document, and make available in useful form, evidence, and analytic results from MEL studies and evaluation reports, meeting notes, decisions made, and follow ups from learning engagements.
• Oversee the implementation of the branding and marking materials such as event planning, success stories, etc.
• Work closely with the program partners and grantee and make sure they are abiding with the USAID branding and marking regulations.
• Other duties as assigned by the COP

4. QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in organizational, communications, social sciences, or a related field. Master’s degree or higher in Statistics, International Development, or a related field, preferred, but not required.
• Minimum ten (10) years of experience managing performance monitoring plans, evaluation, collaboration and learning, preferably with knowledge of USAID’s approach.
• Prior experience leading, designing, managing, and/or commissioning performance evaluations and other types of research.
• Prior supervisory experience of MEL and Communication professionals working on USAID projects.
• Practical experience with applying USAID CLA Framework, tools, and approaches.
• Experience training / facilitating large groups.
• Demonstrated expertise and an in-depth understanding of qualitative and quantitative research design, data collection, and data analysis.
• Demonstrated team player.
• Ability to communicate findings to a range of external and internal stakeholders and apply MEL results and learning to planning.
• Proficiency in statistical software.
• Understanding of USAID regulations and policies, including but not limited to the Automated Directives System 201, Evaluation Policy, and the Journey to Self-Reliance.
• Strong track record of working on projects of similar scope, complexity, and size.
• Fluency in Arabic and English is required. Excellent English writing skills required. 

Application Link: https://fs23.formsite.com/OLJTgx/h8xhlmbyzk/index.html

*Application instructions:

Select the position in which you are interested in applying for, fill out the required information and upload CV. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Please note, due to the volume of applications that we receive and the urgency to fill-up positions only shortlisted applicants will receive notifications on next steps.

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