MEL Specialist

MEL Specialist for Tanzania Maji na Usafi wa Mazingira Activity

The USAID-funded Tanzania Maji na Usafi wa Mazingira Activity (MUM) activity in Tanzania, implemented by Tetra Tech International Development is currently accepting expressions of interest for a MEL Specialist. This position will be located in the main office in Iringa, Tanzania.

Position Description/Summary:

Working under the direction of the MEL Manager, the role of MEL Specialist will be: to assist in the design and implement a project monitoring, evaluation and learning strategy and ensure that data generated from activities and interventions are reliably and accurately collected in a timely manner to inform both reporting and adaptive management of project activities. MEL is an important component of the project, underpinning both the measurement of project results but also ensuring that the project regularly assesses activities and strategies and adapts accordingly to adjust to learning and experience for continual improvement. The MEL Specialist will provide on-site monitoring, oversight, and accountability of program activities and will provide mentoring and training assistance/services not only to program staff but to partners as well. The MEL Specialist will work directly with all technical and managing supervisors and other members of the technical team or their designees as directed.

Responsibilities:

Training, Mentoring and Support

• * Conduct MEL training needs assessment and identify performance gaps of the partners MEL systems (RUWASA, WSSA and Ministry of Health);
• *Write and develop materials and documentation to support the successful delivery of MEL Trainings;
• *Provide training to MUM technical staff, partners/grantees, and other relevant stakeholders on MEL issues including project theory of change, project indicators, data collection tools, data collection protocols, data verification and validation, roles of technical staff partners on data management, data quality standards and record keeping; and
• *Provide any technical support to MUM staff related to MEL.

Data Collection and Management

• *Support the MEL Manager in developing data collection tools and ensure that the validation rules are included during programming to reduce data entry errors;
• *Test data collection tools before data collection;
• *Ensure that MUM technical staff, grantees, partners, and sub­contractors are collecting data using appropriate data collection tools, guide them on data collection points, administer data collection forms and ensuring that copies of signed forms are kept as supporting documents for any data reported;
• *Ensure that submitted data accurately reflects activities implemented in the field and that these activities align with the approved work plan and project theory of change;
• *Ensure timely collection, submission, validation, and verification of data before it is stored into database for analysis and reporting;
• *Ensure that all data collected is entered Airtable Database accurately;
• *Support MEL Manager to review data collection tools and identify missing parameter/s as per the Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS);
• *Provide monthly feedback to technical staff (SO Leads) and partners on data submitted for Reconciliation;
• *Ensure that the Strategic Objective Team Leads report the correct numbers in their quarterly, mid-year and annual reports and this data is approved by MEL Manager; and
• *Coordinate with Government of Tanzania counterparts to:
  • Extract indicator data from government systems, verify and provide feedback to the project management team before reporting;
  • Provide guidance to technical team, on type of data required directly from our partners and period of collection; and
  • Prepare data verification methodologies for the information that will be submitted by technical staff or extracted from the government systems.

Database Management

• *Develop relational tables in the database for the project indicators, making sure that all tables contain all important information required as per PIRS;
• *Ensure that the database tables have validation rules that will minimize data entry error;
• *Provide technical support to technical staff, partners and grantees on use of SurveyCTO (linking tablets with SurveyCTO server, downloading forms from the server, collecting data, cleaning data before submitting to the server, and submitting data to the server);
• *Create different dashboards using Airtable database functionalities and Power BI for all indicators as per PIRS indicator disaggregation and additional dashboards for Standard Indicators that reflect the requirements of Development Information Solution (DIS);
• *Automate the summary indicator table to provide summarized data versus targets for quarterly, semi-annually, and annually reporting;
• *Develop additional tables that will store other project information including project activity location data, indicator targets, annual activity plans, project staff and partners, etc.;
• *Support MEL manager to develop data collection and database user manuals; and
• *Develop data analysis steps for all indicators.

Data Verification and Data Quality Management

• *Continuously clean, verify and validate data collected from the field or government systems before reporting to the Mission, including success stories in addition to MEL reporting;
• *Participate in scheduled spot checks (using Spot Check/Data Verification and Validation form) to ensure that data collected from the field have the required level of data quality and validity as per USAID 5 data quality standards before reporting to the Mission;
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• *Ensure that every technical staff has received and understood the MEL standard operating procedures;
• *Reconcile the quarterly, mid-year, and annually reported numbers with the component leads or responsible technical staff or partner before reporting to the donor;
• *Support MEL Manager in developing the data quality manual and standard operating procedure; and
• *Support the MEL manager in developing the internal data quality assessment methodology with support from MELS Manager and conduct FO DQA as per MEL plan.

Learning and Knowledge Management

• *Work with the MEL Manager, technical team, and partners to generate learnings from data reviews and develop appropriate tools for additional data capture;
• *Participate in quarterly MEL data reviews and analysis to identify potential learning questions / answers; and
• *Support MEL manager to conduct Pause and Reflect sessions to review progress and discuss adaptation, using data for indicators and qualitative data from interactions and discuss Learning Questions with partners and beneficiaries to inform work plans.

Reporting and Documentation

• *Ensure that the reports contain all indicator disaggregation as per reporting requirements;
• *Share the indicator achievements with technical staff for quarterly and annually reporting (Comply with the regular reporting requirement of MUM and prepare reports to indicate achievements, challenges [if any], and observations in the field and recommend how to address them);
• *Identify lessons and best practices from the field, document and share with MUM staff;
• *Support component leads in report writing by providing valid and verified numbers from the database for indicators;
• *Prepare Indicator Summary Table for quarterly, semiannual, and annual reports;
• *Ensure that any indicator number that will be reported must be extracted from the project database (Airtable);
• *Ensure that the indicator numbers that will be reported are clean, verified, and reconciled with technical team; and
• *Document major issues required to improve the government MEL systems.

Special Studies and Assessments

• *Provide support in designing study/assessment methodology and develop tool/s for data collection;
• *Provide support in training data collectors on data collection procedures, and data collection tools; and
• *Provide support in data analysis and reporting.

Other

• *Perform other tasks as assigned by the MEL Manager, DCOP or COP.

Qualifications:

• * Bachelor’s degree in public administration, Public Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation, or Development Planning and Management on any relevant field;
• * Minimum three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in monitoring, evaluation, program design, data collection, management and use, and strategic learning;
• * Experience working on monitoring and evaluation with bilateral or multilateral development agency projects and their implementing contractors;
• * Excellent interpersonal skills (verbal and written), including patience, diplomacy, willingness to listen and respect for colleagues. Must be capable of working both individually and as part of a team. Must also be able to create a supportive working relationship among all project teams;
• * Working knowledge of English, both written and spoken. Able to communicate fluently and effectively both verbally and in writing.
• * Tactfulness and enthusiasm for the job. Good Human Relation skills, integrity and ability to work under pressure;
• * Tanzanian citizen; and
• * Willingness to work/live in Iringa, Tanzania.