Regional MEL advisor

Position description

LOCATION:

Kampala, Uganda with flexibility within our hybrid working arrangements).

CONTRACT TYPE:

Fixed term contract with possibility for extension. Depending on Oxfam CO policies

Travel

Will involve travel within the region – 12 to 14 weeks/ year

Hours of work:

40 hours per week including one hour lunch break. This is a full-time role; however, Oxfam offers various flexible arrangements which candidates can discuss with the Recruiting Manager at interview stage.

INTERNAL JOB GRADE:

SALARY C1

HOURS (FTE)

Full time [as per Oxfam CO policy]

FLEXIBLE WORKING

This role is a full-time position with possibilities of working remotely as per Oxfam CO and Oxfam Denmark policies.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization.

PROGRAMME PURPOSE: The Education Out Loud (EOL) Funding mechanism was approved for establishment by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in December 2017 and Oxfam Denmark was appointed grant agent in 2019 when implementation began. In 2022 the programme was approved for an extension phase running from 2024-2027. The goal of the EOL mechanism is to Contribute to promotion of inclusive, gender responsive and equitable national education policies and systems through enhanced civil society capacities and participation in social accountability and policy advocacy processes. As such it aims to support both education networks (including national education coalitions) as well as other civil society organisations working in areas such as tax justice, citizens engagement in social accountability and fiscal transparency and community mobilisation for improved education system.

Oxfam Denmark Grant Agent role will be implemented primarily through a Global Management Unit (GMU) based in Copenhagen, and four Regional Management Units (RMUs) in Africa (2), Asia (1) and Latin America (1). Each RMU is led by a Regional Programme Manager providing oversight of day-to-day operations across countries in the region, including management of staff, provision of technical advice, and quality assurance of reporting across the entire region.

TEAM PURPOSE: The Regional Management Unit teams based in [Dakar, Senegal, / Kathmandu, Nepal / Kampala, Uganda / Mexico City, Mexico] aim to provide effective oversight in the implementation of the EOL funding mechanism in the region.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Regional MEL Adviser is an integral part of the HESA Regional Management Unit with responsibility for managing the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning function. The incumbent provides technical support on monitoring, evaluation and learning to EOL grantees allocated to the Regional Management Unit responsible for the Horn, East and Southern Africa region. The post holder will lead relationships with regional and global learning partners and will play a key role in promoting a learning agenda e.g., by collecting, distilling, documenting, and sharing experiences and lessons learnt. Additionally, the incumbent will ensure systematic documentation of results (quantitatively and qualitatively) in collaboration with a team of MEL colleagues across EOL offices and ensure high quality inputs to the annual reporting.

ROLE REPORTS TO

Regional Programme Manager – Horn, East and Southern Africa.

Matrix reporting relationship to the Global MEL Advisor.

ROLES REPORTING TO THIS POST

No direct reports.

BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY

No Budget responsibility

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (Technical, Leadership, People and Resource management)

Technical lead in monitoring and evaluation

• Acting as MEL-focal point for EOL-supported National Education Coalitions, Civil Society Organizations, and transnational civil society alliances in the region.
• Planning of monitoring and evaluation activities of the regional component of the EOL programme, in accordance with approved guidelines.
• Collection of base-line information from all Grantees in the region in accordance with guidelines.
• Provision of technical assistance to Grantees and others for their elaboration of results- and monitoring frameworks, formulation of indicators, collection and storage of verification materials and reporting
• Review and advise on Grantee Results and Monitoring frameworks for improvement.
• Assess performance of grantees towards achievement of results through regular grantees visit.
• Actively participate in the assessment and selection of grant proposals within the Regional Management Unit
• Update and maintain an archive (PCMS) containing key documentation such as Grantees´ results-frameworks; Grantee´s progress reports; Grantee´s and other verification materials; questionnaires completed by Grantees; etc.
• Quarterly follow up and reminder on submission of grantee reporting as per pre-set timelines.
• Follow up on the quality, completeness and timely submission of the report and verification of supporting documents as evidence.
• Draft input to the annual donor report in English, in accordance with reporting guidelines
• Analyse information received through indicator monitoring reports to assess project implementation progress and challenges and share update to regional management team.
• Collect, distil, document, and analyse lessons learnt.
• Promote a learning culture among Grantees.
• Participate in and contribute to the virtual meetings and activities of the EOL MEL team.
• Coordinate and facilitate selected training- and knowledge-sharing workshops on monitoring, evaluation, and learnings.

Qualifications

PERSON SPECIFICATION
Most importantly, every individual at the RMU needs to be able to:

• Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, COURAGE, SOLIDARITY and EQUALITY (read more about these here)
• Ensure you commit to our ORGANIZATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct).
• Be committed to our feminist principles, and to applying them in your day-to-day behaviour and your work. Be ready to keep learning, with accountability to those who experience oppression as a result of their identities, such as their gender, race/ethnicity, disability, class, or LGBTQIA identity.”
• Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible.
• Experience and knowledge
SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

The candidate will need to demonstrate the following essential skills, and it would be advantageous to demonstrate some or all of the desirable skills.

Essential

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (Statistics; International Development; Development Economics, Sociology, Project Management; Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, etc.).
• A minimum of five years experience in monitoring, evaluation and learning of programmes in the development and or humaniterian sectors.
• Ability to coordinate complex monitoring and evaluation functions with regionally-dispersed partners in complex programmes
• Strong verbal and written communications skills including experience in writing reports in English.
• Proven ability to analyse and synthesise complex issues.
• Experience with qualititive and quantitative data collection and analysis.
• Strong interpersonal skills, excellent coordination and guiding skills.
• Ability to think critically and strategically
• Demonstrated ability, tact, and sensitivity in working across institutional boundaries, business units, and teams in an effective and productive way
• Experience in operationalizinga human rights based approach and integrating a gender perspective in project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience and Knowledge of Grants management processes
Desirable

• Post graduate training in project planning and management, monitoring and evaluation or relevant field.
• Knowledge and work experience from more than one country in the region.
• Demonstrable experience working with an adaptive management approach, and an understanding of the challenges and opportunities.
• Ability to understand, speak, read and write in Arabic will be an advantage
Key Attributes

• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.
Organisational Values

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions.
• Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen.
• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.
• Note to Candidates: Shortlisted Candidate will be assessed on our organisational values and attributes at the interview stage. The successful candidate(s) will be expected to adhere to our code of conduct. We encourage candidates to read and understand our code of conduct here.

OXFAM LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK

Competencies

Decisiveness

We are comfortable to make transparent decisions and to adapt decision making modes to the context and needs.

Influencing

We have the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organization We spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities, we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.

Humility

We put ‘we’ before ‘me’ and place an emphasis on the power of the collective, nurture the team and play to the strengths of each individual. We are not concerned with hierarchical power, and we engage with, trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organization.

Relationship Building

We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organization.

Listening

We are good listeners who can see where deeper levels of thoughts and tacit assumptions differ. Our messages to others are clear, and consider different preferences.

Mutual Accountability

We can explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our organizational values. We are ready to be held to account for what we do and how we behave, as we are also holding others to account in a consistent manner.

Agility, Complexity, and Ambiguity

We scan the environment, anticipate changes, are comfortable with lack of clarity and deal with a large number of elements interacting in diverse and unpredictable ways.

Systems Thinking

We view problems as parts of an overall system and in their relation to the whole system, rather than reacting to a specific part, outcome or event in isolation. We focus on cyclical rather than linear cause and effect. By consistently practicing systems thinking we are aware of and manage well unintended consequences of organizational decisions and actions.

Strategic Thinking and Judgment

We use judgment, weighing risk against the imperative to act. We make decisions consistent with organizational strategies and values.

Vision Setting

We have the ability to identify and lead visionary initiatives that are beneficial for our organization and we set high-level direction through a visioning process that engages the organization and diverse external stakeholders.

Self-Awareness

We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.

Enabling

We all work to effectively empower and enable others to deliver the organizations goals through creating conditions of success. We passionately invest in others by developing their careers, not only their skills for the job. We provide freedom; demonstrate belief and trust provide appropriate support. We give more freedom and demonstrate belief and trust, underpinned with appropriate support.
 

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on tendersglobal.net