CARE Ghana seeks a governance expert to serve as Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Specialist on the anticipated USAID-funded Ghana Performance Accountability Activity (GPAA). This project aims to strengthen civil society oversight of and feedback on local government performance in public service delivery and to support the government, especially at the local level, and public service providers to be more responsive to citizen demand in delivering quality essential services.

The MEAL Specialist will be responsible for directing and overseeing the MEAL systems of the GPAA. MEAL Specialist will design the MEAL framework, manage information flows, and report to the COP. H/she will supervise MEAL reporting functions to systematically generate, share, synthesize and apply data to learning, and effective and adaptive management.

This activity will be a five-year, $17.5M program.

This position is pending donor approval and funding. Ghanaian candidates are encouraged to apply.

Location: Accra, Ghana

Specific duties and responsibilities:

• Develop the overall framework for the project’s M&E systems, including requirements, reporting, baseline, and evaluation surveys. Develop and monitor the project’s PMP to systematically document project performance for project technical leads and the project leadership team.
• Ensure the alignment of M&E and Learning activities with program goals and contribute to the development of annual work plans to identify project targets and ensure inclusion of M&E and Learning activities.
• Monitor project activities and track these activities against the results framework.
• Conduct field visits for data validation, to monitor the quality and completeness of data sets. Coordinate data collection at project sites to monitor program development and ensure timely compilation and reporting of data. Capture and document lessons learned, and champion the scaling up best practices.
• Generate monthly indicator reports and track progress against key indicators.
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of project activities to donors, including progress against targets set in the award agreement and annual work plan, quarterly, and annual reports.
• Provide technical leadership and support to project and partner staff in planning and implementing M&E systems and activities, data-based program decision-making, and results reporting.  Supervise, mentor, and build the capacity of project M&E staff.
• Develop and implement effective monitoring tools and approaches to demonstrate the effectiveness of project interventions.
• Support the Chief of Party in coordinating the mid-term and final project evaluations.

• Ensure implementation of the feedback and complaint mechanism and training; put in place a communication loop with the community on their perception of the project and how they could influence it.

• Develop and lead knowledge management programs, facilitate communities of practice and social networking, as well as facilitate organizational learning, change, and advancing foreign aid effectiveness.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain partnerships and productive working relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field preferred; additional years of experience in lieu of a master’s is acceptable.
• Minimum of 8 years of M&E and Learning experience, with experience in technical areas relevant to the solicitation.
• Previous experience managing M&E on USG-funded programs of a similar size and scope.
• Knowledge of ICT for MEAL and data visualization skills is a plus.
• Demonstrated track record in strategic, systems, and holistic thinking, managing resistance to change, and understanding of organizational culture, learning, and change management.
• Proven leadership experience in organizational and peer-to-peer learning, capacity strengthening, and collaborative learning and adaptation. Familiarity with Participatory Learning and Action and other qualitative and quantitative research approaches.
• Ability to translate complex ideas into easily accessible and understandable concepts and/or messages for diverse, non-technical audiences; knowledge of tools for communicating program learning.
• Experience leading Developmental Evaluation (DE) approaches.
• Demonstrated presentation skills that can influence decision makers and foster organizational change strategies, and experience implementing them within a complex organizational setting.
• Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated interpersonal skills.
• Track record of a strong commitment to sharing knowledge, documenting experiences, supporting creative initiatives, and sharing credit.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written) is required.