Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager - USAID Responsive Local

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has over 30 years’ experience assisting governments, communities, and the private sector. As a not-for-profit, independent research institute based in North Carolina, USA, RTI has roughly 5,000 employees with global experience implementing international development projects. RTI's Sustainable Growth & Resilience (SG&R) technical unit within the International Development Group brings together RTI experts and capabilities across food security, agriculture, energy, environment, water, governance, and economic opportunity. SG&R will leverage RTI's experience designing and delivering multisectoral programming and technical solutions to respond to climate change, build resilience, and promote economic growth around the world.

The RTI Center for Governance promotes strong, stable societies by empowering people and strengthening institutions. Building on the RTI’s decades-long legacy of leading governance projects around the world, the Center works to increase transparency and accountability, mitigate corruption, and help government actors to better deliver on the needs of citizens. Boasting a global reach, the RTI Center for Governance includes partners, expertise, and learning from major initiatives spanning sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. The Center leverages RTI’s longstanding local partnerships to bring together governments, civil society, the private sector, and communities to define problems and jointly create sustainable solutions in countries around the world.

Project Description

The purpose of the USAID/Bangladesh Responsive Local Governance Activity (RLGA) is to support local elected government institutions to be more effective, responsive, inclusive and accountable institutions to address social issues and provide quality basic services to the most marginalized.

Position Description

RTI is seeking a Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MEL) Manager for the anticipated USAID Responsive Local Governance Activity in Bangladesh. The MEL Manager will be responsible for leading the MEL team and overseeing all monitoring, evaluation, collaboration, learning, and adapting activities. This position will lead efforts to collect and analyze data related to activity performance, conduct and/or organize performance evaluations, and organize and conduct assessments, studies and other analyses to better understand local context.

The MEL Manager will report to the Chief of Party (COP) and will be based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

This position is contingent upon award and funding.

Responsibilities

Develops the MEL plan, including indicators, baseline data, and results.

Produces timely, accurate, and complete results.

Develops data collection tools and trains staff and partners on MEL approaches.

Leads evaluations and reporting.

Leads the programs learning agenda and oversees the design and implementation of monitoring systems, databases, and tools.

Plays a coordinating role with other USAID projects, effectively sharing learning across the portfolio of USAID activities.

Responsible for overall management of CLA activities.

Leads the programs adaptive management approach and coordinates closely with the technical and regional teams to ensure information is continuously collected and shared.

Supports technical teams to integrate MEL, CLA, and best practices on data collection into all activities; engage with projects to share learning across USAID’s portfolio; develop and disseminate lessons learned; and integrate inclusive approaches that positively impact women and youth.

Implements innovative digital solutions to data collection.

Works with technical staff to oversee tools for data collection, storage, and analysis; trains staff and partners on MEL system operations, collection methods, and tools.

Contributes to project efforts to build the technical, systems, and operational capacities of local partner organizations and other relevant stakeholders.

Together with the COP and other members of the Strategic Management Team, supervises the implementation of workplan activities under the contract to ensure that performance schedules are observed, and outputs are completed according to schedule.

Works closely with the Communications and technical teams to create an inward- and outward-facing learning agenda.

Qualifications

A Bachelors Degree and 8 years of experience, a Master's degree and 6 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Minimum five (5) years of work experience as a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager, Senior Specialist or equivalent position.

Direct experience working on MEL for agriculture, food security, nutrition, and/or resilience programs is strongly preferred.

Direct experience in Bangladesh is strongly preferred.

Demonstrated ability to develop, manage and implement the activity’s M&E systems, including relevant performance indicators, baselines, and annual targets and ensure compliance to USAID requirements, specifically Feed the Future.

Demonstrated ability to supervise the collection and analysis of data and reporting on performance indicators by other team members and project counterparts, with key responsibilities to work with technical staff members to manage their reporting inputs and contributions.

Demonstrated ability to oversee project reporting, data collection and management, and indicator documentation in alignments with the activities approved Annual Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan.

Knowledge of reporting procedures, best practices, guidelines, methods, and approaches for MEL.

Experience with MEL that measures and promotes gender and social inclusion.

Experience in providing technical assistance to local partners, organizations, and grantees.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Demonstrated managerial skills.

Professionally proficient and fluent in written and spoken English.

Ability to work throughout Bangladesh.

Regular Full-Time