Plan International
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Officer for Shiksha Project
Number of Vacant Position: 1
Functional Area: Programme Quality and Innovation (PQI)
Reports to : Project Specialist MERL Specialist (Dotted: Regional Office – East)
Location: Regional Office East Janakpur Dham, Dhanusha
Travel required : Project working district
Grade: C1
Type:(Fixed-Term until February 2026 based in Regional Office-East, Janakpur)
About Plan International
Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners in over 75 countries. Our programs are underpinned by a core of defined values, including transparency and accountability, team collaboration, inclusion and integration, as well as the overall ambition to empower girls and young women as legacy.
Plan International has been working in Nepal since 1978 and developed a strong reputation as a respected development and humanitarian actor helping marginalised children, their families and communities to access their rights to health, education, economic security and protection. Through the support of local partners, Plan International works in 24 districts in Nepal.
Plan International Nepal has a vision for 2030 as “an inclusive, just and safe society where all girls and young women enjoy their rights and live in freedom”. This is coupled with the ambition of taking action so that 100 million girls learn, lead, decide and thrive as “Girls and young women in all of their diversity reach their full potential as equal and active citizens” by 2023. The country strategy is put into action through the implementation of three interrelated program areas defined as follows:
LEARN: the “Education and Skills and Opportunities for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (SOYEE)” program aims to assist vulnerable and excluded girls and young women in adapting and thriving in a changing climate.
LEAD AND DECIDE: the “Youth as Active Drivers of Change and Sexual and Reproductive
Health Rights (SRHR)” program aims to empower girls and young women in leading change, having control over their bodies and making informed decisions.
THRIVE: the “Early Childhood Development (ECD), Child Protection and Child Poverty” program enhances vulnerable and excluded children, especially girls, to be valued and cared for without discrimination, fear and any forms of violence.
Plan international Nepal seeks candidates who practice feminist leadership, promote diversity, actively seek innovative solutions for problems, courageously and respectfully share their opinions and ideas, break down barriers and engender cross-department collaboration, practice active listening, maintain confidentiality, build trust and are passionate about children’s rights and equality for girls.
Role Purpose
Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) officer will support and lead to ensure an effective MERL system is in place for all Plan International Nepal programs and projects assigned to him/her by the organisation/line manager. This will include development and implementation of MERL systems of assigned project, regular collection of monitoring data and its analysis for management information purposes. The position holder will provide inputs to Project Specialist, MERL Specialist and Regional Manager in project design to ensure effective application of program learning, as well as to support in all baselines, mid-term and endlines evaluations and research with technical support from the Research, Evaluation and Knowledge Management Specialist. S/He will also develop capacity of field and partner organisation staff in all MERL related tasks, systems and processes.
Description
Dimensions of the Role
MERL Officer for Shiksha Project will closely work with Project Specialist, Regional MERL Coordinator, MERL Specialist, Regional Team and other program staffs and partners in close coordination with MERL unit. S/He will report to the MERL Manager and will work closely with the MERL peers including the ‘Research, Evaluation and Knowledge Management Specialist’ and other MERL Specialists.
As per need of organization and situation of field team, S/He will also be provided additional responsibility of other projects and tasks of regional office. S/He is also expected to work closely with partner program staff and build their capacity as required. S/He is expected to conduct frequently monitoring visit to project implementation sites and share findings to project team, regional team and MERL team with action plan.
Accountabilities
Contribute to project design and reporting
- Support the project team and regional office in planning for and conducting needs/contextual assessments through mobilizing internal team or third-party monitoring/evaluation entities or partners.
- Provide inputs in proposal writing, program development and facilitate planning activities including the logical framework.
- Participate in project design workshops through presenting lessons learned and best practices surrounding similar projects and ensuring those are reflected in upcoming project designs.
- Ensure the MERL component is incorporated in each steps of project implementation.
- Compile and provide required data for reporting to donors and Plan International Nepal’s requirements.
Establish effective project monitoring system
- Support in designing Monitoring and evaluation framework for assigned projects.
- Improve the existing MERL system, in coordination with the regional program teams, project team and MERL unit to ensure quality deliver in time.
- Ensure all MERL activities are conducted timely as per project calendar.
- Develop project monitoring checklist based on quality benchmark and project implementation guideline
- Conduct regular project monitoring visit for quality enhancement, sharing lesson learnt and good practices.
- Perform regular field visits to ensure the quality of data collected by program and partner staff and to verify the accuracy of reported data.
- Support project team by findings improvement areas and contribute in quality activities delivering.
- Ensure monitoring data is collected, consolidated and analyzed according to the MERL Standard.
- Prepare, disseminate and follow up MERL report as part of Plan International’s information management system.
Facilitate accountability and stakeholder feedback mechanisms
- Lead to enhance accountability mechanism in the community level and project implementation sites.
- In coordination with project specialist and regional team, design and carry out review and reflection with partner organisations and communities.
- In coordination with implementation partner, design, plan and carry out social audit.
- Develop and follow up plan of action based on recommendations from review/reflection and social audit events of the project.
- Support the program team to establish complaints and feedback mechanism for assigned programmes/projects to respond to the complaints/feedbacks/concern from community and beneficiaries, including analysis of data with management actions identified.
- Ensure that a system for collecting and managing complaints at the level of beneficiary communities is effective and make any improvements in Plan International’s accountability to its beneficiaries.
Evaluations, research and learning generation
- In collaboration with the Research, Evaluation and Knowledge Management Specialist, Project team and regional team, support in all evaluations and research activities of assigned project.
- Participate in the development of data collection tools and the design of evaluations and research.
- Perform quantitative and qualitative data analyses using appropriate software.
- Work with program teams to utilise data for quality improvements in project implementation.
- Document good practices, lessons learned and feedback to influence and guide the design and implementation of our programs.
- Organize learning events and workshops for to document lessons learnt, good practices and areas of improvement.
Develop capacity of Plan International Nepal and partner staff
- Identify the capacity gaps and work with MERL team, project team, regional team, to build the capacity of the monitoring staff of partners to ensure smooth. implementation of MERL system, participatory monitoring and evaluation and improved for capacity.
- Support the MERL Manager in providing capacity building training and mentoring in MERL to relevant staff in the country office, field offices and partner organisations.
Technical Expertise,skills and knowledge
This section details the skills, knowledge and expertise the post holder will be required to demonstrate in doing the job well.
This should include clear levels of technical expertise and skills that support our work at national, international, and global level.
Essential
- Bachelor’s degree in Rural Development, Social Work, Sociology, Public Health and other social sciences with 2-3 years of experience in the relevant sector of working in monitoring, evaluation, research, and accountability in development sector.
- Spoken and written communication skills in English, Nepali and Maithili.
- Proven experience with quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
- Experience conducting interviews with young people, children and communities.
- Strong capacity and creativity in leading and facilitating participatory methodologies to meaningfully engage beneficiaries, including children, and receiving their feedback through approaches such as social audit.
- Experience in capacity development of staff or partners in project monitoring, evaluation or research.
- Ability to facilitate workshop, review and reflection meeting, lesson learning session and MERL training.
- Excellent knowledge and skills in Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and data analysis tools and software.
- Experience in program data management, use of data management electronic devices such as tablets is highly desirable.
Desirable
- Experienced in rights-based approach to development.
- Facilitating child led monitoring, evaluation or research.
Plan International values in Practice
We are open and accountable
- Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
- Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
- Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
- Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
- Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people.
We strive for lasting impact
- Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
- Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
- Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
- Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.
We work well together
- Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate. Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
- Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
- Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.
We are inclusive and empowering
- We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential.
- We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge equality in our programs and our workplace
- We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives.
Physical Environment
Typical office environment with regular field travel outside Kathmandu.
Level Of Contact with Children
Mid contact: Frequently interaction with children.
Say Yes ! To Keeping Children and Young people safe and Protected
Application Deadline: Tuesday, 14th March 2023
Source: Kantipur Dainik, 1 March, 2023