Kenya: Chief M&E Officer

Chief Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

Status:Full-Time (24-month contract, renewable)

Location:Nairobi, Kenya

Start Date:November 2015 / December 2015

Compensation:Salary commensurate with qualifications

Department: Monitoring & Evaluation

Reporting Relationship:Reports directly to ZanaAfrica Foundation CEO (based in USA)

Job Summary and Key Priorities

ZanaAfrica Foundation (ZAF) seeks to grow its senior management team through the addition of a Chief Monitoring & Evaluation Officer. The CMEO will play a critical role in ensuring that ZanaAfrica Foundation’s programs, health education products, and advocacy initiatives are girl-led, first and foremost, through systematic data collection and evaluation. This person will additionally be the Project Lead for the preparation and implementation of ZAF’s programs as an intervention in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that will take place in 2017, led by the Population Council. We are looking for a proven leader with expertise in both project management and monitoring and evaluating programs for adolescent girls. Key priorities will include:

• Ensure that ZAF’s interventions are implemented to utmost quality and adherence to protocol in a randomized controlled trial in 2017

• Hire and manage team members, ensure compliance to objectives, and set key project milestones while maintaining a positive organizational culture

• Monitor program activities to ensure quality and accuracy of outputs, outcomes and impact vis-à-vis contractual and grant commitments

Responsibilities

Project Management

• Over the course of 2016, support the optimization and finalization of ZAF’s health messaging platforms by supporting data collection and evaluation methods to feed product development, while ensuring that all platforms adhere to their 1-year development timeline (will be ongoing through 2017 onwards)

• In year two and three, lead the logistics managements to ensure smooth launch of a 6-armed randomized cluster trial (RCT) by hiring necessary team to deliver sanitary pads and health education to 100 schools in Kisumu on a monthly basis

• Ensure effective continual project documentation for quality reporting to stakeholders including project funders and lead in reporting to the funder

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Act as lead Point of Contact (POC) representing ZanaAfrica Foundation and Group for organizations who are conducting rigorous evaluations of our model
• Work with Foundation CEO and Research Coordinator to set and implement an organizational M&E strategy to support program evaluation and health messaging product development
• Advise and manage staff on M&E integration in projects and programs across ZanaAfrica Foundation and ZanaAfrica Group (ZAG), including creating or verifying survey protocols and implementation plans for data collection
• Ensure compliance of data collection to international standards and child protection policies
• Design and lead focus group discussions where necessary and build staff capacity in these areas
• Build capacity of ZAF and ZAG staff to integrate increased M&E theory into their work

Knowledge, Dissemination, and Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with Senior Program Manager, CEOs, and evaluating partners to ensure grant deliverables are complete—such as achieving community and government stakeholder buy-in and ensuring completion of product development deliverables—in order to conduct a rigorous evaluation of our model in 2017
• Lead on the creation of several white papers, including but not limited to: landscaping current available sanitary pad products; landscaping MHM academic studies; evaluating service and knowledge gaps in MHM in Sub-Saharan Africa; the results of the RCT and associated policy and programming recommendations
• Prepare and where possible present findings of the RCT at local and national forums
• Coordinate efforts, led by the Chief Communications and Development Officer, to maintain active blogging on insights and findings on ZAF site and in mainstream and trade outlets
• Track and coordinate with Senior Program Manager the relevant activities in public health, girls’ education, human rights, and related fields that ZAF and ZAG could and should engage in at the National Level
• Participate in donor cultivation meetings and grant writing as necessary to help secure ongoing funds for the creation of health materials for girls and the ongoing collection of insights and data with girls and possibly other topics

Management

• Participate in long- and short-term program development and planning for both ZAF and ZAG
• Participate in strategic planning of program and project activities for both foundation and group
• Lead in navigating relationships with politicians and sectors of government as pertains to the RCT
• Actively participate in decision-making as a member of the Leadership Team for ZAF

Experience and Education Required

• Masters degree in business, international development, economics, project management, engineering or related field
• 5 to 7 years management experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa preferred, in international development, reproductive health, human rights, or related sector, with at least 4 years managing teams; experience with remote teams preferred
• Proven success in leading monitoring and evaluation projects including project design and implementation, with a preference for past experience leading RCTs
• A strong understanding of women and girls’ health, development and policy practices including from both field work and engaging with government stakeholders
• Experience in providing technical assistance and training to community leaders and project teams
• An impressive track record of managing contracts, grant reporting, budget development and programmatic activities
• Superior English written skills including: technical skills of proposal writing; persuasive writing for the general public; and, preferably for academic publications.
• Superior written and verbal Kiswahili skills
• Willingness to engage in continuous learning and move beyond your comfort zone
• Strong preference will be given to in-country applicants

Kindly include the position title in the subject line of the email and send your CV, Cover Letter, a writing sample, and referees, addressed to Caroline Gitau at careers@zanaafrica.org.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS NOT IN PDF FORMAT WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.

Only Shortlisted Candidates Will Be Contacted