Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

Consilient (www.consilientresearch.org), is a research and monitoring and evaluation firm dedicated to delivering evidence-based insights to the aid and development community. We at Consilient believe the best work is done when full-time international and local researchers collaborate in-country to deliver informed products across topical sectors. As such, Consilient delivers its research products to the development, humanitarian, government, U.N., and donor clients with full-time, locally based research teams.

Today, with a team of more than 75, Consilient is engaged in research activities across a multitude of sectors, which include: Emergencies & Humanitarian Aid, Education, Food Security & Resilience, Gender Empowerment, Financial Inclusivity, Migration & Displacement, Livelihoods & Economic Growth, Social Protection, Health, Water & Sanitation, and Security, Stabilization, and Preventing Violent Extremism. Our largest research portfolio covers Somalia and Somaliland, with secondary geographic foci throughout the region, including in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan. Additional projects have been completed beyond the region, including in Mauritania, Niger, Yemen, and Timor-Leste.

Consilient is also responsible for delivering third-party monitoring and learning (TPML) services for a significant share of the UK FCDO’s portfolio of humanitarian and development programs spanning several sectoral areas, primarily through the Somalia Monitoring Programme III (SMP III) and the Humanitarian Resilience and Human Development – Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning in Somalia (HHMEL). Consilient is responsible for primary data collection and analysis to verify the delivery of program outputs, identify real-time trends in programs’ effects on beneficiaries, and flag areas for improvement. Through these efforts, Consilient plays a critical role in ensuring program accountability, both to donors and to local communities, throughout program life cycles.

Consilient is on the lookout for dedicated and ambitious staff who want to continue to learn while taking on new challenges and responsibilities within the team, and in turn gain broad exposure to various development and humanitarian sectors.

Job Description

The M&E Officer will be specifically tasked with supporting Consilient’s delivery of current TPML services contracts, as well as other TPML projects that may arise in the future. The M&E Officer may be assigned to other projects at the discretion of their line manager and the Senior Research Manager. Candidates seeking a more general research role – which would also cover more open-ended contextual research pieces and more in-depth impact evaluations of specific programs – should consider the Research Officer job posting.

The M&E Officer’s responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: designing the research methodology and data collection instruments; coordinating with external stakeholders and program implementation partners to plan verification activities; collaborating with Consilient’s local and international staff to oversee field-based data collection; analyzing quantitative and qualitative data; and supporting report writing and presentation of results to external stakeholders.

Our ideal candidate is a strong team player who is passionate about delivering informed research products, possesses strong project management skills, is well-organized, and thrives in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines. Successful M&E Officers will be able to work under pressure and to manage large projects with multiple moving parts.

This is a full-time position based in our Hargeisa, Somaliland office. The position may involve occasional travel to project locations. The M&E Officer reports to the Senior Research Manager.

Description of Main Duties

• Conceptualize and design methodologies to address key research questions;
• Draft quantitative and qualitative data collection tools;
• Liaise with external stakeholders and program implementation partners;
• Plan and implement field data collection activities, and implement data quality control protocols;
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data;
• Support/lead report writing;
• Communicate with clients on project implementation and timelines, as necessary.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field with prior social science research experience (Master’s preferred);
• Demonstrated history of successful project management, including collaborating with external partners and stakeholders;
• Understanding of and experience working with monitoring and evaluation systems;
• Experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis;
• Experience collecting primary quantitative or qualitative data will be considered an asset;
• Working knowledge of Stata or R;
• Experience collaborating with and managing diverse, multi-cultural teams preferred;
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision;
• Ability to produce high-quality work under tight deadlines;
• Prior experience living and working abroad, preferably in a developing country;
• Cultural sensitivity;
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Accommodation, Living Arrangements, and Travel

• Successful candidates will be provided with housing in the Consilient guesthouses in Hargeisa;
• Travel to the duty station at the start of the contract, and back to the home base at the end of the contract, will be covered by Consilient. An annual travel allowance will also provided for additional travel;
• A monthly stipend is provided on top of salary for in-country expenses;
• International staff at Consilient are provided with health insurance with international coverage;
• This is a non-family duty station.