Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Advisor – Trócaire

Trócaire is one of Ireland’s leading agencies working for global justice and promoting human development. The International Division is responsible for Trócaire’s development and humanitarian work worldwide. The Central, West and Southern Africa Region is one of the four regions in the International Department. The other region in Africa is the East and Horn of Africa.

Trócaire has been working in Rwanda since 1994. Trócaire in Rwanda works with Partners to respond to various development initiatives as well as Humanitarian crises.

The MEL Advisor role is a key position within the programs team covering Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), support to partners in M&E, research, learning and documentation as well as innovation and the usage of digital data collection tools.

This position will work with the Programme team to ensure that Trócaire Rwanda has a clear and effective overall M&E framework across grants, data collection and analysis. The position will support partners in building their capacity in improving their monitoring and evaluation tools and facilitate the collection of data to inform reports and decisions. The MEL Advisor is responsible for ensuring that learning is captured, documented and shared. Research initiatives will be led and initiated by the MEL Advisor and innovation will be promoted throughout the organization. The MEL Advisor takes the lead in the development of innovative data collection and management methods and its roll out. The position is at the same level as the Thematic Programme Advisors and reports to the Programme Manager. The position will also have strong links with the Strategic Impact Unit at Head Office as well as with the Rwanda Business Development and Compliance Manager for specific grant proposal development and reporting requirements.

Key duties and responsibilities include:

1. Programme Support

· Support the development and refinement of M&E tools that can be used across programmes to effectively monitor and report on the country strategy.

• · Support programme and partner staff in the designing and implementation of all M&E activities throughout the programme cycle, providing hands-on technical assistance in the development and implementation of M&E systems and tools, logic models, results frameworks, proposal and report submissions, and in conducting evaluations. · Coordinate the development of M&E systems and tools for the programmes that incorporate aspects on the mainstreaming of gender, ensuring that the monitoring systems and tools meet Trócaire standards and institutional donor requirements. · Support Technical Advisors in making decisions on global and common indicators in line with Trócaire and donor indicator frameworks. · Support Technical Advisors in effective data collection including the use of technologies, entry into Salesforce and Donor templates, storage and analysis for regular programme monitoring and evaluation, and at country office level, ensure coherence across approaches and aggregate all data at a programme and country level. · Support the programmes in designing, conducting and reporting on the baselines and midterm evaluations including review of tools, proposed methodology and engagement of consultants, inceptions reports and final reports; · Support the programmes in the end of term evaluation processes including identification of qualified and experienced consultants and review of evaluation reports; · Capture learning as the programmes are implemented including developing partner capacity to do the same. · Initiate research and lead on research initiatives within the team. · Participate in the partner planning and review meetings; · Ensure that accountability to beneficiaries (downward accountability) and their involvement at every stage of the project cycle is the critical lens through which an M&E framework is designed; and · Support the implementation of the safeguarding programme participants’ policy, ensuring that the accountability mechanism is in place and works.

2. Integrated Programme Management· Contribute proactively to the successful implementation of integrated programming in collaboration with Trócaire colleagues in and outside of Rwanda;

• Actively collaborate and participate in programme design, shaping strategies and thinking in areas such as baseline development, monitoring, documentation, implementation, research, peer learning and evaluation;

· Engage actively in coordination meetings with partners (during proposal development stage, grant opening workshops, interim and annual meetings and technical exchange workshops) to aid in programme integration and learning; and· Identify any issues that emerge with programme integration and propose and implement solutions.

3. Program Development· Support the development of new projects and programs through contributing to the development of new project proposals including logframes and other M&E related sections of proposals;· Stay abreast of donor specific M&E requirements and indicators and provide guidance and hands on support accordingly.

4. Data Management and Analysis

• Analyse programme/project changes and progress in order to advise on strategies to increase programme performance in achieving results and impact;
• Lead on the implement of ways to facilitate data collection and flow of data between partners to inform planning, while prioritising digital solutions where feasible and
• Identify strengths and weaknesses in data collection and management systems and propose solutions.

5. Capacity building

• · Identify training needs and support capacity development in M&E skills, including mentoring as necessary for programme and partner staff; · Build capacity of staff and partners through training and support for effective implementation of the M&E systems, including baseline, information gathering, follow up and post implementation monitoring; · Perform regular field visits to monitor progress on indicators and validate the quality of data collected by partners; and · Follow up on recommendations from field visits with Partners and Thematic Programme Advisors to ensure timely resolution.

6. Stakeholder engagement and Representation: · As delegated, participate in coordination meetings in-country including JADF and other stakeholder meetings and provide timely feedback to Country Management Team on outputs and decisions reached in such meetings; and · As delegated, accompany visitors to project sites and carry out promotional or media work including stories of change and stories of need as required.

7. Accountability, learning and innovation· Engage closely with the project design/fund application process to ensure that the mandatory indicators are taken into account in specific donor project results frameworks;· Responsible for data entry and follow up of necessary reports to RGB, ministries and districts as required;· Support programme staff in reviewing donor reports and ensuring that high quality reports are submitted on time tracking process on indicators;· Embrace IT4D, pilot and scale up innovations in digital data collection, digitalisation of current programme processes, and use of IT4D in social accountability;· Review Beneficiary numbers on Salesforce and ensuring accuracy while preparing periodic and annual reports; · Ensure strong learning and knowledge management of Trócaire existing and emerging practices are included in integrated programming; and· Engage in peer learning, dissemination and profiling of Trócaire’s M&E approaches.

8. Teamwork & Collaboration

• Work collaboratively with colleagues in the country and HQ to contribute to the achievement of broader organisational goals;
• Participate in and contribute to the global thematic meetings; and
• Engage with Country and HQ working groups as assigned and ensure effective delivery of assigned mandate.

9. Other Tasks

• Ensure that gender and vulnerability issues are addressed in all aspects of M&E work, in relation to partners and in working with colleagues in Trócaire. In particular, champion monitoring and learning approaches which engage with issues of Gender, Vulnerability and Women’s Empowerment.
• Support the programme team in strategic targeting of beneficiaries in project design.
• Participate in wider organisational planning and review work, as and where appropriate.
• Any other reasonable duty as may be assigned by the line manager that is consistent with the nature of the job and its level of responsibility.