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SENIOR M&E ASSOCIATE, ZAMBIA |
IPA |
Advert
Posted 2018-09-13 04:43:10
Innovations for Poverty Action
seeks a qualified Senior M&E Associate to provide Monitoring, Evaluation,
and Learning (MEL) advisory and technical support to the Ministry of General
Education in Zambia.
Innovations for Poverty Action
(IPA) is an international research and policy nonprofit that discovers and
promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems.
IPA’s Right-Fit Evidence Unit helps
organizations build strong and tailored Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
(MEL) systems, which balance the need for information on impact with the need
for operational data to support management decisions. The unit helps
implementers, donors, and governments figure out what data and evidence to
gather, how to do it in a cost-effective way, and ultimately how to turn the
promise of data-informed program and policy decisions into reality.
IPA has been engaging with
Zambia’s Ministry of General Education (MoGE) for almost 10 years and has
conducted multiple policy-relevant education research projects in close
collaboration with them. Responding to MoGE demand for support beyond impact
evaluations, IPA has decided to strengthen its ability to be responsive and
offer more comprehensive MEL support to the education sector, putting a strong
focus on long-term empowerment and capacity strengthening. This position will
support these activities, reporting to the Right Fit Evidence Engagement
Manager with mentorship from IPA Zambia’s Sr. Policy Associate.
Responsibilities
A primary goal for the
associate will be to collaborate with the MoGE and the Sr. Policy Associate to
lay the groundwork for an embedded Evidence Unit within the MoGE. The mandate of the unit will be to assist the MoGE in
improving the reliability, timeliness, integration, and usability of these
datasets to drive greater use of evidence within the Ministry. For example, the
associate may conduct activities like:
§
Mapping the data needs of various
directorates within the Ministry against the existing data available,
complemented with an assessment of its quality
§
Producing “policy briefs†on key
policy questions that can be answered by analyzing or linking the Ministry’s
own data
§
Supporting MoGE directorates to
draft theories of change for project activities, by reviewing program documents
and relevant literature
§
Assist the MoGE to identify MEL
questions to test the assumptions in their theories of change, and provide
advice on the strength of key assumptions
§
Advising MoGE directorates on
developing and maintaining MEL plans
§
Train MoGE team members in how to
analyze and summarize MEL data
§
Provide guidance to MoGE
directorates’ ongoing monitoring activities, including by recommending
implementation quality indicators and data sources
§
Assist MoGE and IPA to prepare
materials, organize logistics, and document outcomes for MEL workshops and
meetings
§
Take an active role in the
development and performance of new engagements for the Unit
In a closely related work
stream, the associate will spend roughly 20% of his or her time supporting next
steps on an IPA and International Growth Center (IGC) project on teacher
allocation (further details on the project findings to date are available here). In response to the MoGE’s desire to improve
teacher allocation, the Sr. M&E Associate will work with the project’s
Principal Investigator to help design a data collection tool to collect
information from the districts on current teacher locations and compensation.
The associate will also assist in the cleaning, analysis, and use of this
information to inform senior policymaker decisions.
Qualifications
Required qualifications
§
Bachelor’s degree in
international public policy, education, social science, or related fields.
§
2-5 years of relevant work
experience
§
Hands-on experience supporting
data systems or Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning systems. Familiarity with
the challenges surrounding causal attribution
§
Experience in quantitative and
qualitative data collection, management and analysis
§
Experience working in the
education sector of a developing country, ideally in close interaction with
government stakeholders
§
Demonstrated ability to coach and
train others in MEL methodologies
§
Superior analytical,
quantitative, and conceptual thinking skills
§
Strong client-facing and
presentation skills
§
Cultural sensitivity and
demonstrated ability to work successfully with diverse constituencies
§
Ability to present information in
a structured and insightful way, both in writing and orally
§
Self-starter, entrepreneurial
mindset, versatility, and strong multi-tasking skills
§
Passion for making data-driven
decision a reality in the development sector
§
High level of proficiency with
Stata, Microsoft Access/SQL and Microsoft Excel
Preferred additional
qualifications
§
Master’s degree in economics,
public policy, social science, or a related field
§
Experience in management
consulting or other professional services
§
Demonstrated ability to coach and
train others in statistics, data analysis or MEL methodologies
§
Experience working with
large-scale data systems such as government databases
§
Familiarity with the concepts
surrounding the Theory of Change and the core tools of MEL (both quantitative
and qualitative research methods)
§
Proficiency with R, Python and
ARCGIS or QGIS
§
Familiarity with Surveyor, Open
Data Kit or similar survey software, SMS or Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
technology
Application
Instructions
Complete
the J-PAL/IPA common
application. After completing a brief registration, choose the
Research job category, then select “Senior M&E Associate, Zambiaâ€.
Most applications for research positions require you to include at
minimum two letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose (cover letter),
CV, and transcripts.
Note that you are able to submit
your application before your references complete their recommendation letters;
however, you must include their contact information before submitting your
application.
Given the volume of applications
received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.
About IPA
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and
policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global
poverty problems. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to
design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications,
ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s
poor. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs
designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence on which programs succeed
is rare, and when evidence does exist, decision-makers often do not know about
it. IPA exists to bring together leading researchers and these decision-makers
to ensure that the evidence we create leads to tangible impact on the world.
Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 575 leading academics
to conduct over 650 evaluations in 51 countries. This research has informed
hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals
worldwide.
To apply for this job please visit www.poverty-action.org.