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

Our client is a leading Africa-based, African-led, international research institution headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya and with a West Africa Regional Office (WARO) in Dakar, Senegal. They conduct policy-relevant research on population, health, education, urbanization, and related development issues in sub-Saharan Africa and are seeking a talented Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Specialist to be based in the West Africa Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Operationalization of the MERL function at WARO:

• Develop comprehensive MERL frameworks, tools, and plans aligned to APHRC's overall approach.
• Provide Technical Oversight during the implementation of the WARO’s MEL strategy across programs.
• Monitor the organization's strategic plan and project progress against targets and milestones, identify implementation challenges, and recommend corrective actions.
• Ensure relevant and timely MERL information is utilized for routine programs internal reflection on the effectiveness or need for adaptation to strategies.
• Update the MEL platform by working with the M&EL team at HQ

Impact tracking, M&E Reporting:

• Manage the synthesis of programmatic outcomes and pathways to impact and their translation into impact stories and case studies.
• Contribute to monthly, quarterly, and annual reports demonstrating WARO's impact and contributions to Center-wide goals, as well as project M&E reports.
• Regularly pitch impact and success story ideas, and flag opportunities to share new or emerging impact evidence.
• Assess project outcomes and impacts by synthesizing and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data
• Manage the translation of programmatic outcomes and pathways to impact into impact stories and case studies.

Promote and maintain a MERL culture within the staff at different levels:

• Lead efforts to foster a MERL-focused culture across all staff levels through training, and modeling best practices.
• Develop staff capabilities in MERL principles and skills via hands-on workshops, communities of practice, job aids, and technical mentoring.
• Provide ongoing support to integrate MERL into organizational processes including proposals, project implementation, data collection and analysis, reporting, and dissemination.
• Create regular opportunities for collective reflection and sense making of MERL data to support a learning culture.
• Encourage staff at all levels to actively contribute ideas and feedback to continuously improve MERL systems and culture.
• Develop and promote standards, guidelines, tools, and processes to effectively embed MERL within the organizational culture on a sustainable basis.

Learning and Knowledge Translation:

• Facilitate sharing of best practices among partners (coordinating cross-pollination and a Community of Practice).
• Contribute to the synthesis of MEL evidence with strategic information for evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) at WARO.
• In collaboration with the Knowledge Management and Learning Specialist at HQ to organize knowledge-sharing and learning events, pause and reflect sessions with staff or external key partners.
• Facilitate sharing of best practices among partners (coordinating cross-pollination and a Community of Practice).
• Create graphic design materials for MEL reports including quarterly performance reports, annual reports, Pause & Reflect reports, and impact evidence reports.

Qualifications, experience, and skills:

• Master's degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Statistics, Public Health, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of experience designing and implementing MERL for international development programs.
• Proficiency with statistical analysis software such as R, STATA, NVivo, Survey Monkey