• Under the supervision of the Project Coordinator, the Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Officer will be responsible for all MEAL related project actions providing technical MEAL support for all sectors with specific attention to data quality and use.
• She/he will also ensure that quality data collected is entered into a data platform; data analysis is completed in line with Result – Based Management (RBM) principles and will play a key role in the process of reporting on the progress and impact of the GROW Together project to relevant stakeholders.
She/he will conduct frequent visits to the field and assess the quality of the project interventions, foster documentation of lesson learning process, ensure understanding and compliance with MEAL procedures and provide guidance and coaching to the project team to ensure that the MEAL systems meet the needs of projects.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• The MEAL Officer will be responsible for designing tools, protocols, procedures and implementing the same to ensure appropriate outcome measurement and performance management.
• She/he will provide technical leadership to develop project framework, plans and indicators to capture performance results and provide effective, accurate and timely monitoring, evaluation and reporting of all programme activities.
The MEAL Officer will have the primary responsibility of consolidating project reports on activity outputs and outcomes and ensuring that lessons learned are integrated into project implementation to continuously improve quality of interventions and outcomes.
• The MEAL Officer is responsible for documenting and disseminating project successes and challenges to STF partners and relevant stakeholders.
The MEAL Officer will also be responsible for designing and conducting operations research to track annual progress of the programme on key outcomes.
• Ensure quality and timely preparation of monitoring, evaluation and research reports and also timely dissemination internally and externally.
• Take lead in documentation and sharing of best practices across all STF partners and relevant stakeholders.
• Involve/include community structures in all aspects of planning and implementation monitoring and evaluation to promote and maintain sustainability.
• Liaise with district biostaticians to access HMIS records on a number of indicators as per the results framework.
• Responsible for the preparation of a Performance Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan, with appropriate indicators and an effective data collection system.
• Oversee data collection to ensure data quality standards are applied and procedures are in place, data analysis, reporting on actual achievements in light of set targets, highlighting emerging patterns and offering clear reports on findings and conclusions.
• Supervise the collection of quantitative and qualitative data, use scientific methods to ensure high quality of data, and design a reporting system that provides insights to decision makers on grant program performance and areas that need management’s attention.
• Ensures that all information required for submission to donor is collected and submitted in a valid, reliable and timely manner.
• Leads in the development of impact indicators and data collection which properly represents the impact of grants.
• Analyzes data collected and synthesizes research findings into succinct reporting for use by both the STF partners and the relevant stakeholders.
Work with data platforms, database, and select technologies to capture and organize data.

Donor Reporting;

• Maintain reporting schedules, communicate upcoming deadlines to all staff, partners (where applicable) and coordinate programme report preparation processes.
• Ensure donor compliance during reporting in terms of donor templates and deadlines.
• Review reports and ensure that high quality reports are submitted to the donor as per requirements of the fund summary and reporting deadlines.
• Perform regular field visits to ensure the quality of data is collected by project staff and to verify the accuracy of the data reported.
• Participate in key donor meetings where necessary to foster long term collaboration and engagement.

Donor Compliance;

• Lead on MEAL donor compliance reviews and training for all STF staff and Partners with donor support as necessary.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Staff Safety and Security

• Work with the relevant officers to ensure that the staff and assets under STF are safe and secure.
Advocacy:
• Ensuring that the STF programmes experience is represented and given recognition at all levels in meetings, workshops and in other forums.

SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS (our Values in Practice)

Excellence:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, proper planning and managing resources efficiently.
• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team implementing programming in their thematic area), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same.

Teamwork:

• 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 support to improve performance
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
• Honest, encourages openness and transparency.

Commitment:

• Seek to understand young people’s social, economic and health challenges,
• Commit to the development of sustainable solutions while working with young people to ensure that they enjoy the fullness of life.

Integrity:

• Undertakes obligations with transparency so as to effectively fulfill the purpose of STF,
• Inspire confidence and trust of others;
• Align with STF’s beliefs in accountability, transparency and honesty.

Resilience:

• Undertake work with resilience and perseverance,
• Recognize that ensuring the wellbeing of young people is challenging and yet a significant factor to STF’s productivity.
• Adaptability to the changing environment of young people in Uganda.

Occasional duties:

STRAIGHT TALK FOUNDATION ROLE PROFILE
The incumbent will take on occasional additional duties as assigned by his/her line manager as and when deemed necessary.
Judgment and Decision-Making:
• As a team member of the Research & Evaluation department, the incumbent is accountable for making collective decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling STF values. He/She will recommend actions on project implementation issues drawn from the entire STF Programming.
• 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

Academic background, experience and person specifications:

Academic Background and Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Demography, Economics, Quantitative Economics, Social Work and Social Administration, Social Sciences, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) or other relevant fields. A post graduate diploma in M&E, statistics will be of an added advantage.
• At least 3 years’ experience in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning and relevant experience in an NGO environment supporting MEAL activities and with proven success in implementing M&E systems.
• Strong planning, monitoring and learning skills.
• Knowledge and experience in a range of participatory and gender sensitive approaches and their application of MEAL processes.
• Strong skills and knowledge in data analysis, trend analysis, processes and interpretation linking to technical adjustments to improve program performance and quality.
• Computer literacy skills – MS office applications, word, excel, PowerPoint, spread sheets.
• Strong documentation, reporting, facilitation, analytical and presentation skills.
• Awareness of good practices in relation to child safeguarding and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

Contacts:

Internal contacts:
• Project Coordinator- Frequent
• Center Coordinator Moro to – Frequent Contact.
• Director of Programs – Occasional contact
• Human Resource – Occasional contacts
External contacts
• Project Beneficiaries – Occasional contacts
• Other NGOs, CBOs – regular contact.
• Program donors and partners – occasional contact.

• Other government officials and agencies – regular contact