MEL Associate for Results, Data, and Impact (Maternity Cover)

We are searching for an experienced MEL Associate for Results, Data, and Impact (Maternity Cover) at our Netherlands facility.

Project Overview:

The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) is a 7-year and €134 million programme funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that aims to create a prosperous future for 230,000 young women and men in the Middle East, North Africa, Sahel & West Africa, and Horn of Africa regions. The Fund supports initiatives in 11 countries that offer youth, in particular young women, opportunities for work that is demand-driven and productive, offering a stable income and safe working conditions, and that is contributing to their personal development and social protection.

Private sector, civil society and knowledge institutions submitted proposals through Challenge Calls geared to scalable solutions for creating more and better jobs and income generating opportunities for youth. Solutions focus on an integrated approach that addresses the shortcomings on the demand side (jobs) and supply side (skills) and bridging the mismatch between these two in the labour market.

Role Overview­­­:

The RDI MEL Associate will be responsible for monitoring a set of CFYE Implementing Projects, leading onboarding, training and quality assurance activities to ensure consistent understanding and implementation of the CFYE MEL system across countries, and working closely with the Results, Data and Impact Manager (RDI) and Team to capture, review, record and report on results at portfolio level. The RDI & Fund Level Learning Associate will furthermore play a role in making the link between programme data and learning, collaborating with the Technical Assistance unit and Fund Management to support the development and implementation of the Learning Agenda and management of the fund.

The RDI MEL Associate will work in the RDI team and will report to the RDI Manager.

 Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

1.Technical MEL backstopping for several CFYE Countries:

  a. Provide guidance and support for country teams (MEL Advisors and Country Leads or Deputy Country Leads) during inception to develop CFYE-aligned Results Chains and Results Frameworks at project level and carry out MEL System Assessment.

  b. Review and approve MEL templates for all projects in the assigned portfolio, in line with CFYE standards and requirements.

  c. Ensure CFYE’s data quality assurance approach is understood and routinely followed by the country team (includes conducting periodic reviews of project data).

  d. Participate in project progress review meetings (annually, or more often if needed) and support country teams to prepare for and deliver portfolio review sessions (quarterly).

  e. Prepare for and lead Theory of Change review sessions with a selection of projects undergoing closeout phase, ensuring learning points are well documented.

  f. As needed, support country teams to design and carry out learning events/activities linked to the CFYE learning agenda.

  g. Review, respond to, and take action related to IP change requests.

2. Responsible for developing and updating training materials and guidance documents related to the MEL system, and ensuring that CFYE Team members are adequately trained on relevant aspects of the MEL strategy, tools and processes

3. As needed, develop new tools to support implementation of the MEL Strategy (e.g. job quality survey)

4. Support the RDI Manager to develop and deliver Technical Deliverables, by:

  a. Collecting, reviewing, aggregating and analyzing results across the portfolio.

  b. Outlining, drafting content, and coordinating inputs (with the wider CFYE team) into reports (e.g. Annual Report, Palladium reporting). Note that the CFYE Annual Report may become a significant part of the level of effort in the beginning of the new calendar year.

5. Support the RDI Manager and MIS System Administrator to ensure MEL information is captured appropriately, and any changes within the MEL system are reflected in the MIS:

  a. At portfolio level, ensure project indicators and disaggregation categories (in Salesforce) are correctly aligned to the CFYE MEL Framework

  b. Develop and implement tags relevant to the portfolio, and ensure consistent application of tags by other members of the CFYE team.

6. Onboard and mentor new colleagues in the MEL Team and country teams on the CFYE MEL system and tools.

7. Work closely with MEL team on updating the MEL Framework for the CFYE.

8. Work closely with MEL team to prepare for evaluation.

9. Conduct analysis of portfolio data in line with reporting needs, and learning questions, and promote capture and use of data and lessons learned within decision-making across the wider CFYE team.

 Level of Effort /Duration:

The position will follow the below schedule:  

– Beginning as soon as possible, The Level of Effort (LOE) will be at 80% – 100%, or a full-time position.
– The initial contract period will be 6 months from the start date, with a possibility of extension based on performance and need.

Required Qualifications:

– Master’s degree in a relevant field of study preferred.
– Applicants must have demonstrated skills and experience in Monitoring and Evaluations preferably designing and conducting research/data collection and analysing quantitative and qualitative information within international development projects.
– Excellent analytics and logical thinking skills are required.
– A strong working knowledge of MS Excel and MS Office. Candidates with Salesforce or similar CRMs/data management platforms experience will be strongly considered.
– Familiarity with youth employment, entrepreneurship or empowerment interventions.
– Proactive and self-driven, yet collaborative approach to work.
– Excellent writing and verbal communication skills in English, which is the working language of the CFYE.
– Strong interpersonal skills and proven ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships across multi-cultural teams and organisations while working across multiple countries.
– Attention to detail and ability to perform multiple tasks, balancing competing priorities effectively and efficiently often within a required period.
– Fluency in English required; French and/or Arabic a plus.

Operational Arrangements:

The position will report to the RDI Team Lead and collaborate closely across the CFYE team, including with country teams in 11 countries, and members of the Technical Assistance Unit and the Fund Management Team. This position is preferably based in the Netherlands or can be performed remotely with occasional travel to CFYE’s office in Utrecht, Netherlands.