Associate Director – Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Systems (MELS)

Description

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

Passing Gifts Private Limited (PGPL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Heifer International USA and it provide services in educating, consulting, training, advising, and providing professional and technical services to individuals, associations, and entities in India and abroad, particularly those who support or are working in the areas of social advancement and sustainable development. This position may also require service agreements, secondment agreements, between entities, etc.

PGPL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.FUNCTION:The Associate Director - MELS will lead Design, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning function to enhance program learning, quality, and effectiveness. S/he will be responsible for providing leadership, capacity building, systems strengthening, and guidance to program staff to support quality MELS processes, and learning initiatives to capture results, build evidence of impacts and encourage institutional learning across programs. S/he will lead the overall management of systems, processes, and practices across the program to impact beneficiaries, institutions, donors, and key stakeholders. S/he will promote and ensure evidence-based program designing and decision-making, adaptive learning, reflective practices, and accountability. S/he will work closely with the Global MELS team, Resource Mobilization team, Communications and Knowledge Management team, and other program management teams for providing monitoring, outcome, and impact-level data for an effective decision-making process.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES: (including approximate percentage effort)Strengthen monitoring and evaluation system (35%)• Lead the development, implementation, and maintenance of quality project/program MELS system, frameworks, methodologies, tools, analysis, and reporting in line with donor requirements and country and global priorities.• Ensure integration of Heifer’s global indicators (key change areas) into key MELS outputs, including MELS plan package, evaluations, and annual impact monitoring (AIM) surveys.• Ensure a robust and practical MELS system is in place to contribute and sharpen learning, and design, and for monitoring organizational performance against program strategies and business plans.• Coordinate management and reporting of data about programs (their progress and impacts) for sharing with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., HQ MELS, Area Program, Donors, and Government respectively).• Coordinate with relevant program teams and implementing partners to conduct routine data quality assessment and management.

Project management (30%)• Carry out project setup, and knowledge transfer-related activities in coordination with the Area Program and finance teams.• Prepare LOAs, revisions, re-forecasting of program related activities, annual detail implementation plan of projects, and track project progress in line with planned budget, scope and time.• Prepare and regularly update project management guidelines and ensure the extent of fulfillment of compliance set by organizations and project documents.• Establish and maintain standard operating procedures and mechanisms for identifying best practices and evidence of impacts and ensure their consistent application.• Support project and program teams to assess/plan M&E and data management-related processes, address training needs of project partners’ staff, and prepare progress reports in line with MELS process and systems.

Documentation and dissemination of evaluation results (25%)• Ensure quality evaluations/studies/research, including drafting ToRs where necessary, provide technical support in program level baselines, AIM survey, mid-term reviews, and end-line evaluations (including procurement and managing external contractors when necessary), and provide supervision to consultants and research partners.• Contribute to the evaluation and research designs including applied research and program impact frameworks and theories of change. Contribute to data management, analysis, and inferencing findings.• Support evaluation and evaluation design program with innovation and scaling approaches including cost-benefit analysis of different models.• Periodically assess, analyze and disseminate the outcome and impact of program at the local and national levels.

Technical support for resource mobilization for new projects (5%)• Actively work with the RM team for proposal design of new projects.• Prepare results framework, project indicators, and MELS implementation procedures of grant proposals.• Prepare economic analytics and business cases of grant proposals.Management and capacity building of the MELS team (5%)• Ensure the transfer of MELS knowledge and skill to all concerned departments including external implementing partners to ensure consistency throughout the organization and its partners.• Develop and manage the MELS capacity strengthening program for the MELS team, program staff, and partners.• Participate in the recruitment, training and supervision of external parties that are contracted to implement special surveys and studies required for evaluating project effects and impacts.• Help partner staff to maintain consistency in their numerical reporting.• Provide MELS onboarding and systems orientation for new staff as per the organizational standard.• Supervise and coach country MELS staff.May perform other job-related duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:• Bachelor’s degree in development studies, Management, Economics, and any other social science or equivalent plus seven (7) years of related experience with at least Four years in a supervisory role, OR• Master’s degree in development studies, Management, Economics, and any other social science plus five (5) years of related experience with at least three years in a supervisory role, OR• Candidates having higher qualifications/Ph.D. Degree, more than eight (8) years of relevant experience in a MEAL management role in an international development programming context with demonstrated experience in both quantitative and qualitative methods, ideally with a strong focus on program MELS of sustainable development projects will be preferred• Very strong conceptual thinking and analytical skills• Experience with quantitative and qualitative data management, analysis, and reporting• Sound knowledge and skills on project management, MELS Plan, Result framework, development of PIRS, IPTT, evaluation framework• Experience in the design and usage of digital data collection tools like Survey CTO and Key Survey• Lead study team and synthesize study reports• Excellent management, communication, and interpersonal skills• A good knowledge and skills to manage project database management system• Excellent computer knowledge with command of MS Office, SQL, CS Pro, SPSS, STATA, Power BI, PowerPoint and Outlook• Innovative and always open to learning

ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES:• Demonstrate a high degree of honesty and integrity• Willingness to work flexibly outside normal working hours• Ability to foster and maintain a spirit of unity, teamwork and cooperation• Constant face-to-face, telephone and electronic communication with colleagues, potential donors, and the general public• Constant sitting, standing and walking, with occasional bending and lifting; may work at a computer for extended periods of time• Motivated to work responsibly with little supervision• Ability to meet and deal with others in a courteous and tactful manner• Ability to work with sensitive information and to maintain confidentiality at all times• Sensitivity in working with multiple cultures and beliefs, and to gender equity