Job Description
Position: MEL Specialist
About us:
Registered as Research Methods International (RMI) is a research and consultancy, advisory and management services firm registered in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Rwanda. We believe that African problems needs African solutions, hence we have a database of over 1000 associates across Africa.
RMI’s expertise in regulatory research development and business solutions is applied primarily in emerging markets across Africa, Asia and Europe in the areas of social protection & human development; aid effectiveness; gender development; education development, WASH; agriculture and food security, health & nutrition, environmental conservation and sustainable energy efficiency; business facilitation, sustainability solutions; international trade and economy; and human capacities. This expertise is built on our strong grounding in project design and management; M&E, data analysis; research; stakeholder coordination; business; public, government relations; and is instrumental in steering high-profile public policy and private sector decision-making.
Opportunity
Our firm in partnership with a USA based firm SoCha, are preparing for a Technical advisory opportunity from the USAID/Zimbabwe Mission called ZimCycle Activity Project. The anticipated objectives of the activity will be to assist the mission with strategy and activity-level performance monitoring, evaluation, and learning, improve knowledge management, enhance the use of data and evidence in programmatic decision-making, and improve the Mission's and implementing partners' MEL capacity.
We have been tracking this project and they will publish the RFP end of this month. In trying to position ourselves for this interesting opportunity, we are looking for the following experts:

Duties and Responsibilities
1. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist
Scope of Work
The MEL Specialists will work to:
• Provide MEL support to USAID and its implementing partners.
• Optimize evaluation statements of work.
• Select evaluation methodologies.
• Oversee evaluations in any sector where USAID works.
• Provide dedicated capacity building assistance in MEL operations and quality assurance.
• Conduct MEL trainings.
• Lead data quality assessments.
• Support Mission portfolio reviews and other Mission learning events.
• Oversee the advancement of learning agendas and evidence that improves USAID's programs.
• Contribute data and insight from evaluations at learning events.
• Provide other MEL technical support as needed.
We are actively seeking MEL Specialists with experience in one (1) or more of the following areas:
• Performance Monitoring
o Developing performance monitoring plans.
o Designing and optimizing quantitative and qualitative indicators for international development projects.
• Evaluations
o Designing or conducting performance or impact evaluations.
o Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods.
o Applying evaluation results to inform future programming.
• Data Management
o Collecting and analyzing performance and financial data.
o Developing GIS maps.
o Data visualization.
• Capacity Building in MEL
o Training monitoring and evaluation (M&E) professionals.
o Coaching and mentoring local organizations in M&E methodologies.
o Working with country evaluation associations to professionalize MEL.
• Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA)
o Coordinating with stakeholders.
o Hosting learning events for international development partners.
o Building institutional capacity and memory.
o Incentivizing learning and sharing.
o Facilitating learning events.


Qualifications and Experience
Minimum Qualifications and Experience
• Experience working in international development or cross-cutting sectors (education, gender, health, youth, governance, etc.)
• For Senior-level: an advanced degree and more than seven (7+) years of experience in one or more of the areas outlined above (performance monitoring, evaluation, data management, capacity building, and/or learning).
• For mid-level: a university qualification in a related subject and between three to seven (3-7) years of MEL experience.
• Strong interpersonal and oral presentation skills.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English is required.
• Previous experience working for international donor projects in Zimbabwe strongly preferred.
• Previous experience working for USAID-funded projects preferred.
Location
Harare, Zimbabwe with travel in the country at times.