CAMFED
About CAMFED:
CAMFED (the Campaign for Female Education) is internationally recognized as a leader in girls’ education, for its child protection policy and practice, and as a voice for girls’ education and women’s empowerment at the highest levels. Founded in 1993, CAMFED supports girls throughout their primary and secondary school years and supports women to transition to productive and fulfilling livelihoods and onto leadership, as role models, activists, and philanthropists. CAMFED operates in Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.
CAMFED began working in Malawi in 2009, and is currently operating in all the districts, working closely with the Ministry of Education.
We seek to recruit qualified and experienced candidates for the following positions:
Job Title: Head of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL)
Reports to: National Director
Hours: Full-time – 37.5hrs per week
Location: National Office, Blantyre
Principle Accountability
The Head of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) is responsible for supporting CAMFED accountability and compliance and contributing to evidence-based decision-making and shared learning.
The Head of MERL will lead and oversee the MERL team, enabling cohesive coordination with other departments within Malawi and with colleagues internationally including members of the global MERL team and the Chief Impact Officer. The Head of MERL will provide strategic programme management advice to the National Director and country management team in support of CAMFED’s vision to multiply educational opportunities for girls and other vulnerable children and young women’s successful transitions to secure livelihoods and leadership.
The Head of MERL will assure the quality of our evidence base including our program database and high-quality surveys and research. They will liaise with government and other partners for effective joint use of data and learning, providing technical assistance on sector-level MERL
supporting CAMFED’s contribution to systems transformation. They will ensure that stakeholders, including young women, have access to meaningful, actionable evidence. The Head of MERL serves as a member of the country management team and through their leadership for MERL strategy implementation, quality assurance and partner engagement
they will play a key role as CAMFED delivers on its 2030 strategic plan and steps-up its system transformation agenda.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Provide strategic leadership and effective management of the CAMFED Malawi MERL function including ensuring that the team delivers on MERL responsibilities.
- Represent the CAMFED Malawi MERL Team at the Global MERL Team level and with colleagues across functions and offices for effective coordination, learning and sharing best practice.
- Includes collaboration with the Chief Impact Officer and CAMFED International Head of MERL for joint planning, data assurance and analysis (including peer-peer collaborations) to produce high quality KPIs, evidence and research.
- Support CAMFED’s systems transformation agenda by working with government and other partners (within and outside CAMFED), providing technical support and thought leadership to adapt MERL systems to measure and monitor system level outcomes – including a focus on marginalised girls and women.
- Play a leadership role so that CAMFED’s evidence base enables learning, accountability, quality assurance and program adaptations where needed.
- Ensure that accountability to CAMFED clients – girls, women and rural communities – is at the heart of Malawi MERL operations and that CAMFED maximises opportunities for meaningful, inclusive youth engagement in all MERL functions.
Management, Planning and Quality Assurance
- Provide effective project management and oversight for MERL deliverables in Malawi.
- Assure the quality and completeness of CAMFED’s evidence base including the program database, survey delivery and research. This includes responsibility for the completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of data in CAMFED’s program database.
- Ensure compliance with CAMFED’s MERL policy and Child Protection Policy, maintain CAMFED’s high ethical standards and ensure safeguarding is embedded across all MERL work.
- Review, oversee and manage effective use of MERL budgets as part of annual planning and quarterly review, and proposal writing. Manage the MERL team budget. Support in the development and delivery of country strategic plans and annual work plans.
- Support the development of donor proposals and reports and contribute to ensure donor compliance during implementation.
Learning and Collaboration
- Stay abreast of contextual secondary data and liaise with CAMFED management team and relevant partners in government and elsewhere, to support programme learning and adaptation.
- Contribute to CAMFED’s learning culture, ensuring that meaningful opportunities to discuss, learn and act on our evidence base are available including for staff, CAMFED Association members and stakeholders.
- Represent CAMFED Malawi and build evidence, data-sharing and learning partnerships with other stakeholders in Malawi such as government statisticians.
- Collaborate with research partners to generate insights that are relevant for all system stakeholders, including government, and share learnings across countries.
- Contribute to thought leadership – working in collaboration with MERL and Program colleagues in Malawi and globally – and share findings and learnings with staff, partners and stakeholders.
- Support communication of CAMFED’s work and impact. Oversee the documentation of programme success stories and good practices.
Coaching and Skill Development
- Train and coach MERL team members, CAMFED Association Resource Persons and CAMFED champions consistent with programme requirements and the country’s personnel development
strategy. This includes planning and overseeing the delivery of technical support and training to districts in MERL and supporting stakeholders to play a meaningful role in interpreting and acting on our evidence base. - Other duties as required by the National Director and Executive Team
Required Experience and qualifications
- Master’s Degree in Statistics, Social Sciences, Monitoring and Evaluation or any other related fields
- At least eight years working experience in Monitoring and evaluation, with 5 years’ experience in a management role.
- Experience in successfully delivering on MERL strategies and strategies across national programs and of developing, customising, and integrating data collection tools into a centralised MERL system.
- Demonstrated strengths in statistics and data analysis.
- Experience in delivering MERL through a gender lens and in gender analysis.
- Ability to lead the team to assure data and evidence quality, including maintaining the program database for monitoring indicators across districts and ensuring all staff and partners are conversant with their roles and responsibilities.
- Experience of managing budgets and workplans effectively to deliver on organisational goals. Excellent project management skills and a track record of delivering on time.
- Experience with working collaboratively and strategically with government partners and other actors in the space of MERL.
- Demonstrated commitment to CAMFED’s values including safeguarding and equity and to achieving CAMFED’s mission.
- Ability to work effectively with colleagues from a range of functions and countries.
- Proactivity, efficiency and attention to detail.
Method Of Application
Please submit applications to [email protected] by 4pm Friday 28th June 2024, please include a copy of your most recent CV (indicating three traceable referees with valid email addresses) and covering letter, using the position you are applying for as the subject. Please ensure you fulfil most of the criteria before applying. Due to the volume of responses, only successful candidates will be contacted.
All official communication pertaining to job applications and interviews will be exclusively conducted through CAMFED’s official channels. These can be found on our website (http://www.camfed.org). CAMFED will never request applicants to pay a processing fee or to provide personal or financial
information for recruitment purposes.
CAMFED has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation, abuse, discrimination and harassment in all forms. All applicants will therefore, be subject to a comprehensive verification process, which includes background and reference checks, as well as verification of qualifications.
CAMFED is committed to providing equality of opportunity and valuing diversity for all current and prospective staff, volunteers and Board members.
We aim to ensure that this commitment, reinforced by our values, is embedded in our day-to-day working practices and our work together.