Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Associate

Background/NRGI Summary: The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) helps people to realize the benefits of their countries’ endowments of oil, gas and minerals. We do this through technical advice, advocacy, applied research, policy analysis, and capacity development. We work with innovative agents of change within government ministries, civil society, the media, legislatures, the private sector, and international institutions to promote accountable and effective governance in the extractive industries. For more information, please see www.resourcegovernance.org.

Funded by philanthropic organizations and national governments, we are headquartered in New York City and London with further offices in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Latin America, and the MENA region.

Job Overview/Summary: NRGI’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team is part of the organization’s Research and Data team. The MEL Associate will provide programmatic and administrative support to the MEL Program Officer in implementing NRGI’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning strategy. This will include a primary focus on maintaining NRGI’s internal MEL database, along with the regular collection of monitoring data and the on-going generation of analyses that inform a host of organizational reflection processes during the organization’s planning and implementation cycle. The position will report to the MEL Program Officer.

Major Responsibilities:

Data collection:
- Lead on gathering data for annual objectives, and eventually NRGI’s multi-year results framework, liaising with staff for a mid-year and end of year progress review of set targets. Work to build understanding of MEL processes with staff and escalate significant concerns to the MEL PO for action. Ensure data reported against annual objectives is verifiable and has been quality assured.
- Manage NRGI’s outcome harvesting process by soliciting program outcomes through an internal database.
- Monitor overall alignment between reported outcomes and annual objectives, ensuring relevant outcomes are mapped to annual objectives and vice-versa.
- Send out notices, and if needed chase inputs from staff, for quarterly reports. Escalate significant concerns to the MEL Program Officer (PO) for action.
Systems development and maintenance:
- Supervise vendors and lead on proactive maintenance of SOLAR, NRGI’s internal MEL platform, to oversee necessary systems evolutions, including but not limited to developments to monitoring forms, filtering functionalities, and guidance notes.
- Regularly gather and analyze feedback and conduct user experience research of staff interactions with SOLAR, in order to improve the platform. This involves developing an action plan to address issues and working with vendors to implement the required platform changes.
- Develop new online tools for the capture of MEL data, including the creation of new dashboards and online forms.
MEL capacity building
- After every quarterly reporting cycle (and biannually for organizational objectives), identify key gaps and errors in data entry by staff and provide feedback and guidance to relevant staff.
- Provide support to the development of capacity building activities/material as needed by the MEL team or other staff members.
Analysis:
- Undertake on-demand and regular cycle monitoring analyses that underpin reflection by staff, teams, leadership and the whole organization. This includes compiling quarterly monitoring reports, bi-annual analysis of progress against organizational objectives; annual analysis of progress against results framework; analysis of research and data metrics; as well as other analyses that will inform planning and budgeting processes or end of year reviews, as outlined in the MEL plan.
Learning:
- Provide inputs and contributions to learning papers and other products that capture lessons from NRGI’s work in order to inform the work of the natural resource governance and development fields.
- Support the provision of key outcomes stories to the communications team in order to produce relevant impact stories, which showcase insights and instances of success in NRGI’s work with donors and the field.
- Provide administrative support in scheduling and organizing brown bag seminars with staff and, where relevant external individuals, and other events as may be needed.
Evaluation:
- Provide support to externally led evaluations of NRGI’s work and other internal assessments as deemed necessary by the MEL PO.
Strategy:
- Provide responsive support to around refining and updating, as well as ensuring organizational alignment with, NRGI MEL strategy.
- Provide support in terms of conceptualizing NRGI’s activities and projects in relation to organizational strategy and the theory of change. This may also involve support in further refining NRGI’s theory of change by gathering feedback of internal and external partners.
Miscellaneous
- Assist the MEL PO in evolving and updating NRGI’s multi-year organizational results framework and annual organizational objectives, in particular as it pertains to integration with SOLAR.
- Provide other programmatic and administrative support as may be required from time to time by the MEL PO and Research and Data team.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: MEL Program Officer Position directly supervises: N/A

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: MEL PO, Research and Data Director, communications team among others

External: M&E vendors and consultants

Job Requirements:

Relevant Bachelor’s degree. A Graduate degree in social sciences is desirable.
At least 2 years of directly relevant work experience in monitoring, evaluation and learning in a development context. Exceptional candidates with fewer years of experience will be considered. Coursework or certificates in monitoring and evaluation may also be considered in lieu of direct experience.
Experience in overseeing and managing databases and maintaining data integrity.
Experience in analysing and presenting data effectively for a wide-range of audiences, with attention to detail and user profile.
Excellent written communication skills.
Ability to work well under pressure to meet multiple deadlines in a fast-paced work environment, as a team player.
Strong analytical skills. Statistical and data visualization skills are desirable.
Preference will be given to candidates with quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, including experience with any of the following software packages: R, Tableau, Stata, SPSS, NVivo and Atlas.ti.
Experience with web analytics such as Google Analytics is preferred.

Application: Please submit a covering letter and cv as application no later than Friday 7 August 2020. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis up to the end date.

Alignment with NRGI Culture and Mission:

All staff uphold the following organization-wide culture and values:

Commitment to furthering NRGI’s mission and core values of integrity, intellectual rigor, respect for evidence, innovation, strategic selectivity and independence.
Demonstrated ability to be a professional, productive member of a diverse community of people at work, working toward shared goals, with mutual respect and accountability in a fast-paced environment.
Personal qualities of capacity for learning, reflection and self-criticism, humility and sense of humor.

Working Environment: Standard office work environment, some travel may be required infrequently

NRGI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NRGI considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

**Location: The selected candidate must have the ability to legally work in their chosen location.

Deadline for Application: Friday, 7 August 2020 More Information and Application details.

Tags: Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)