Title: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor (Qualitative Evidence)

Salary: £41,000 to £56,000 per annum

Location: UK remote - with occasional travel to Haywards Heath, when required

Contract: 24-month Fixed-Term Contract

Hours: This is a full-time 35 hours per week

Responsibilities

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor to provide sound technical advice and guidance to ensure high quality qualitative outcome measurement tools and approaches in line with our increasing portfolio in disability and social inclusion in order to continuously improve Sightsavers’ evidence base.

As the MEL Advisor you will lead qualitative project baseline and endline data collection, coordination, reporting and learning to improve the quality of our programmes and Sightsavers impact. You will maintain and further develop Sightsavers’ qualitative outcome monitoring approach across our thematic areas and ensure high quality data collection, analysis and reporting.

Sightsavers has developed and introduced a MEL framework to measure the organisation’s strategic progress - Learning Accountability and Monitoring Progress (LAMP). The post holder will support its processes and make a significant contribution to understanding progress using qualitative evidence.

Responsibilities include:

Developing and strengthening practices

• Lead on the strengthening and design of innovative and participatory monitoring and evaluation methodologies and tools to assess outcomes and impact of programmes; support the integration of successful approaches in routine MEL practice.
• Lead on the piloting, implementation and revision of Sightsavers MEL approaches in existing and new projects including strong links with LAMP; support MEL team members to implement appropriate tools.
• Contribute to Country Office, Regional and Global capacity building plans and provide MEL-focused training and facilitation.

Technical Support and guidance

• Strengthen the use of Theories of Change (ToC) within projects through participating in their development and ensuring clear relationships between ToC and baselines and endlines.
• Provide technical support to logframe development during the project design process ensuring strong links with LAMP, particularly for social inclusion and inclusive education projects.
• Contribute to project MEL planning by ensuring continuity between baseline and endline data collection tools, and annual monitoring tools.
• Ensure the accurate design of evidence gathering elements, including clear and robust rationale, budgets and resourcing.
• Maintain open lines of communication among internal stakeholders about project progress and escalate risk when needed. A key focus is to assist institutional funding and senior management with communications on project progress and challenges.

Evidence generation and learning

• Lead Country and Global teams to conduct evidence generation activities to support strategic direction including, project baseline, annual and endline data collection, reporting and learning at project and portfolio (strategy) level
• Analyse, consolidate and disseminate indicator baseline and endline data, provide technical support to donor reporting when necessary
• Support the integration of needs and opinions expressed by people and communities we serve
• Collaborate with MEL team members to analyse performance data, write reports and provide recommendations
• Ensure that learning from project baselines contributes to project design, implementation and improvements in MEL practice
• Support the design, delivery and dissemination of learning, particularly around inclusion, within and between relevant thematic areas

The post holder is expected to travel up to eight weeks a year locally and internationally. The role offers flexible working from home and the office to be agreed upon with the line manager.

Skills and Experience

As the successful candidate you will possess a degree in a relevant field or subject (international development, public health, social sciences), or equivalent learning and experience. You will have a background in the comprehensive design and delivery of outcome focussed qualitative approaches/techniques including participatory MEL, tool development, data collection, analysis and reporting, and have experience of analysing rich qualitative data from multiple sources including the use of appropriate analysis methods and data analysis software tools.

Further required knowledge, skills and experience include:

Essential

• Experience in monitoring, evaluation and learning gained within the international development sector in programme countries.
• Excellent technical skills in monitoring, evaluation and learning: developing and using theories of change, designing MEL plans, designing logframes, managing oversight processes, sharing evidence and communicating learning, data quality assessment.
• Experience producing analytical reports and communication materials of good quality for a wide range of audiences, particularly using qualitative data.
• Excellent self-management and initiative with proven ability to independently manage large, complex pieces of work with multiple stakeholders in a high-pressure environment working to competing deadlines.
• Ability to build and manage strong, effective working relationships with internal and external audiences on complex international development projects (working with multiple countries and continents)
• Ability to balance attention to detail with understanding the big picture.
• Sound knowledge of Microsoft Office products and relevant use of artificial intelligence (AI) software

Desirable

• Fluency in other Sightsavers’ languages e.g. French, Portuguese, Bengali, Kiswahili.
• Experience in MEL for social inclusion and/or education programmes and inclusive data skills. Disability data skills are an asset.
• Skilled in efficient working practices within a geographically disbursed team.
• Experience of planning, monitoring and evaluating flexible adaptive programmes.
• Understanding of operational research methodologies and approaches

This is a highly varied and involved role, and the above is not an exhaustive list of duties or required professional skills. Please see the Job Description for full details.

Candidates are welcome to demonstrate their ability to match the person specification by expanding on how their experience, training and/or qualifications might have provided them with the knowledge or skills required for the role. Successful candidates will be appointed on merit.

Benefits

Sightsavers offers some fantastic benefits. Our comprehensive benefits package includes generous annual leave allowance, pension, season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme, discounted gym memberships and wellness discounts. If you choose to work in or are visiting our collaborative, modern office space, you will find it an easy 20-minute train journey from Brighton or 45 minutes from London.