TEAM/PROGRAMME: MEAL and Program Innovation 

LOCATION:  Addis Ababa

GRADE:  1A

POST TYPE: National 

Child Safeguarding: 

Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people. 

ROLE PURPOSE: 

The Senior Evidence, Learning and Innovation Advisor (ELIA) is responsible to assist the Director of MEAL  and Innovation in designing and implementing a system for gathering, interpreting and managing multiple forms of indicative information and resource documents necessary for learning along with managing the knowledge/ evidence base generated necessary for the successful design and implementation of Save the Children programmes. S/he is also responsible in developing and implementing minimum requirements that meet SCI standards related to learning, evidence and innovation as part of the overall MEAL strategy and systems, ensuring that such systems are institutionalized at appropriate levels including thematic sectors and geographic areas. Senior ELIA supports thematic sectors, new business development unit, and individual or groups of programs with research design and implementation with a focus on the baseline, midline and end-line evaluations as well as operations research and other assessments.

The Senior Evidence, Learning and Innovation Advisor will oversee the incubation and testing of new ideas and opportunities that have the potential for scalable impact for deprived children in Ethiopia. She/he will create an evidence base of field-tested interventions that can be used to differentiate SCI’s programming and increase levels of sustainable fundraising.

The Senior Evidence, Learning and Innovation Advisor works to improve the quality and standardization of evidence, learning and innovation framework and tools and supports the program implementation and program quality staff to ensure the integration of appropriate evidence, learning and innovation in each project. S/he also supports the Director of MEAL and Program Innovation  in coordinating evidence, learning and innovation systems and works closely with the Regional Office Evidence and Learning staff. S/he closely works with Senior MEAL Advisors/Managers of National programs, MEAL staff at FOs, and research fellows/consultants.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Director of MEAL and Program Innovation  

Dimensions: 

Staff directly reporting to this post: one

Budget responsibility: none 

Context: Development and/or Humanitarian 

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Leadership and Management

• Provide overall supervision and leadership on the evidence and learning (EL) functions and strategy in the Ethiopia country office.

• Provide leadership and supervision to subordinates on EL and research.

• Provide support and advise the Director of MEAL in leading, design, and implementation of comprehensive MEAL system in the CO.

• Directly supervise Addis-based Knowledge Management Specialist and manage the performance of staff by clearly setting objectives, assessing performance, and providing coaching, mentoring, and training that aligns with SCI’s Global evidence and learning Capacity Building Strategic Work plan.

• Provide supervision, mentorship, and professional development to staff on MEAL/EL system.

• Ensure MEAL evidence (IPTT, project performance/action trackers, output tracker, etc) are used for management decision making and continuous performance improvement.

• Synthesizes data and disseminates evidence for programme improvement, advocacy, and campaign purposes.

• Provide leadership on the EL system of the country office and MEAL evidences are used for programme improvement.

• Act as a point person for Ethiopia CO in the global Learning and Knowledge Management initiatives and engage as a member of the global learning team.

• Coordinate CO community of practices and/or other learning platforms for MEAL and other thematic based community of practices/learning platforms ensuring their functioning.

• Promote all aspects of evidence and learning through training and capacity building for multiple internal and external stakeholders including MEAL staff and PDQ Leadership to support the creation of an organizational culture that prioritizes learning leading to quality programming.

• Participate in relevant evidence and learning training opportunities and networks in the country, region, and globally.

• Leverage own network to secure high qualified staff/evaluators and strategic partnerships when relevant.

System Design and Roll-Out

• Working closely with the Director of MEAL in designing SCI’s approach to learning and evidence management, setting down the minimum requirements (following SCI MOS) and ensuring that it complements and forms an integral part of the overall MEAL system.

• Ensure that a learning culture is fostered within the organisation and EL is an integral element of programming and staff engagement/development.

• Working with the Knowledge Management Specialist to develop the associated tools required to implement the EL minimum requirements to ensure that roll-out is standardized in Addis and in other operational areas where relevant (e.g. databases, maps, action plans, etc…)

• Work closely with PDQI team members to promote understanding of the importance of EL to achieve quality programming.

• Work with the Director of MEAL and DCD PDQI to ensure that the EL strategy is implemented.

• At the Addis level, be a key link between the PDQI and Programme Operations teams, to ensure that EL is promoted as a key tool in programme management and strategy development through the Senior MEAL Advisors, support field offices to prioritise EL and identify entry points.

• Promote the utilization of learning and evidence for decision making and continuous improvement of program design and implementations.

•  Lead use of systems that safely and appropriately ensure accountability to children and communities with whom we work by building trusting and collaborative relationships through information sharing and two-way communication, participation, and feedback and reporting mechanisms.

• Champion knowledge management through the development and use of platforms that store and display evidence and learning that is made accessible and actively used between countries, regions, and the Centre,

• Explore innovative opportunities to pilot approaches that are new or could expand to further areas of programming.

• Clearly sets and implement standards for ethical, adaptive, and appropriate evidence and learning systems and provides strategic and technical guidance to address systemic weaknesses in the evidence and learning framework and system.

• Champions standards and principles to reduce the risk of bias and the principles of human and child rights, ethics, and gender equality in research, monitoring, and evaluation.

• Champions the use of accountability data and community participation analysis to influence strategic decision-making and advocacy.

System Management

• Play a leading role in planning and managing research, studies and evaluations of all the programs of the CO.

• Keep track of all project evaluations and, in coordination with technical / project managers, support the design of evaluation TORs, provide technical guidance on inception reports, provide briefings to consultants and provide logistical support to ensure evaluations happen smoothly.

• Ensure high quality and systematic synthetization, dissemination (internal and external), and maintenance of research, studies, and evaluation outcomes: evidence and lessons learned.

• Ensure that learning is accessed and used as an integral part of programme implementation including specifically assisting projects/programs with learning components.

• As required provide training to raise awareness on the importance of learning to internal and external key stakeholders.

• Determine long-term and short-term strategic plans to achieve the objectives of the organization in the area of EL.

• Guide subordinates to achieve goals in accordance with established knowledge management policies.

• Oversee Research Fellows/ Consultants (to be recruited) to lead the management and coordination of in-house studies as required.

Programme Development

• With the Director of MEAL and Senior MEAL Advisors, feed into programme and proposal design to ensure that new programme design is based on previous learning.

• Specifically, participating in the development of Operations Research strategies for programs that call for it.

• Make sure that technical advisors have easy access to learning documents for reference purpose.

• Ensure cost recovery for the CO Evidence and Learning team.

Communication and Reporting

• Coordinate, collaborate, and oversee best practices, success stories, lessons learned consolidation with all thematic sectors, ensure that the knowledgebase is configured appropriately for optimum accessibility and widely adopted use.

• Promote the use of technology and digital transformation to best utilize available evidence and learning for programme improvement and iterative course of actions as appropriate.

• Promote learning in the country office, particularly on issues of programme quality.

• Ensure effective storage of assessment, surveys and evaluations and/or organizational knowledge on the shared folders and/or other systems (such as the intranet or OneNet), and use this knowledge base to promote learning across the organisation.

• Produce case studies, best practices; success stories, lessons from failures, and lessons learned for internal and external use.

Other

• Be proactive in identifying and undertaking action research to test innovations, use of technologies, identifying better opportunities and approaches, and rolling out into Country Office programs.

• Uses the MEAL Automation and monitors appropriate lessons are incorporated regularly.

• Other duties as requested by the Director of MEAL and Program Innovation

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.

• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance, and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.

• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.

• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters

• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions

• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency

Job Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS 

Minimum BA/BSc.; preferably a Master’s degree in relevant areas of social development or equivalent.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Minimum of 12 years for BA/B. Sc. Holders or 6 years for MA holders of programming experience within the aid sector, working in program management, technical, and/or MEAL roles including in managerial/ leadership responsibilities, preferably linked to one of Save the Children’s priority technical sectors (Child Poverty, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Education, Health & Nutrition, Livelihoods/resilience, and WASH), and with the majority of that time focused on overseeing comprehensive MEAL systems that ensure programme effectiveness and quality.

• Understanding of both emergency/humanitarian and development contexts, with a preference for experience in both contexts.

• Demonstrated commitment to creating a learning culture.

• Solid and relevant experience adhering to international quality standards (Red Cross Code of Conduct, Sphere, CHS) or equivalent.

• Ability and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies or proposal development.

• Experience and knowledge of evidence generation and learning on what works (and doesn’t work) for children, including designing/commissioning, implementing and applying: needs assessments, baseline studies, evaluations and research, learning workshops, and learning agendas.

• Direct experience of working with communities in participatory activities. Experience and knowledge of systems for accountability to children and communities, including information sharing, the participation of adults and children, and feedback and reporting mechanisms. Ability to prepare and facilitate technical evidence and learning  training and workshops across countries in the region (including remotely). Direct experience working with communities in participatory activities.

• Proven success in building and managing a team and dedication to developing staff capacity through training, supervising, coaching, and mentoring.

• Experience in participating in/leading organizational improvement processes.

• Skilled at communicating and influencing across relevant teams and offices.

• Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets.

• Demonstrable analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Experience in solving complex issues through analysis, defining, and planning a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in.

• Ability to present complex information clearly and concisely.

• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

• Proficiency in relevant data collection and analysis software; including both qualitative and quantitative data analysis software.

• Ability to work independently and as part of teams/groups.

• Willingness to travel to field sites.

• Proficient in speaking and writing English.

• Commitment to Save the Children values.

Desirable

• Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant region/context.

• Experience in promoting quality and impact through at least one cross-cutting area: gender equality and inclusion, adaptive and safer programming; child rights; disability; migration, and displacement.

• Experience and knowledge of Save the Children’s structure, mandate, and child focus.

KEY COMPETENCIES

Technical competencies:

• Ensures linkages across portfolio ensuring quality and coherence of evidence, learning and innovation systems 

• Manages resources and capacities to develop and maintain quality evidence and learning systems

• Facilitates strategic alignment of data to global priorities

Generic Competencies

• Child Rights: Promotes an enabling environment for participation, and accountability to children

• Be the Innovator: Promotes innovation to find new and better approaches to driving progress for children

• Deliver Results at Scale: Promotes a clear focus on impact in a project and programme design, management, and oversight

SC Values:

SC Values are Accountability, Ambition, Collaboration, Creativity, and Integrity. To meet the value system, the post holder is expected to demonstrate the following Competencies on an ongoing basis:

Leading (align with Ambition, Integrity collaboration, and creativity)

Leading and Inspiring Others: Demonstrate leadership in all our work, role models our values, and articulates a compiling vision to inspire to achieve our goals for children

Delivering result: Takes personal responsibility and holds others to account to deliver our ambitious goals for children, continually improving own performance or that of the team/ organisation.

Developing Self and Others: Invest time and energy to actively develop self and others to help realize their full potential and to build the organization’s capability for further.

Thinking (align with Ambition, creativity, Collaboration, and Creativity)

Problem-solving and decision making Takes effective, considered, and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organisation and making appropriate judgments.

Innovating and Adapting: Develop and implement innovative solutions to adapt and succeed in an ever-changing uncertain work and global environment.

Applying technical and professional expertise: Applies the required technical and professional expertise to the highest standards; promotes and shares best practices within and outside the organisation.

Engaging (align with Collaboration, Creativity)

Working effectively with others Works collaboratively to achieve shared goals and thrives on the diversity of people and perspectives; knows when to lead and when to follow and how to ensure effective cross-boundary working.

Communicating with Impact: Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and influence; promotes dialogue and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence, and trust with others.

How to Apply

Application Information:

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application, and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. 

Use the below link to apply :   CLICK HERE

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.