Country Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Manager at Sightsavers

Job Summary

• We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager to provide MEL technical support at a country level for a transformative economic empowerment programme across Africa.
• Sightsavers and Mastercard Foundation have partnered to deliver Digital Futures, a bold initiative under the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy and Sightsavers’ mission to promote inclusive development.
• The programme is focused on improving access to dignified and fulfilling work for young people with disabilities across Africa, with a strong emphasis on young women.
• Digital Futures will contribute to Mastercard Foundation’s target of enabling 30 million young Africans, particularly women and people with disabilities, to access dignified and fulfilling work.
• Over five years the program will enrol 12,200 young people with disabilities, with at least 70% being women, and more than 14,700 people benefiting indirectly through community engagement.
• Through market-relevant digital, IT, and entrepreneurship training, seed funding for disadvantaged youth with disabilities, and systemic engagement with employers, policymakers, and representative organisations, Digital Futures addresses the barriers that have historically excluded persons with disabilities from the digital economy.
• This initiative will strengthen inclusive ecosystems, influence policy, and prepare employers to embrace inclusive workforce practices.
• As the MEL Manager you will be responsible for implementing the MEL framework, ensuring adherence to the design and alignment with donor and organisational standards.
• Working as part of the country office team, you will coordinate MEL activities with programme staff and implementing partners, ensuring that data collection, analysis, and reporting are conducted to the highest standards of quality, ethics, and inclusivity, and supporting high-quality project delivery.
• The role also involves capturing and synthesising learning, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement, and actively contributing to cross-country knowledge sharing.
• As the MEL Manager you will ensure that MEL is conducted in an inclusive and participatory manner, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• The postholder is expected to travel within the country and occasionally to other programme countries, up to eight weeks per year.

Responsibilities
MEL framework design and implementation:

• Support the design of the MEL framework (including MEL plan, data collection plan, data management plan, quality assurance protocols, results framework).
• Work collaboratively with the country office team to ensure the project is delivered to the highest quality.
• Ensure full and consistent implementation of the MEL framework, tools and processes.
• Proactively identify opportunities to strengthen MEL processes, tools and data quality and raise with the MEL Manager (PMU).
• Monitor use of the country MEL budget and ensure efficient use of resources

Programme monitoring and adaptive management:

• Support the design and rollout of data collection tools and surveys, paying special attention to accessibility for youths and young women with disabilities.
• Conduct monitoring visits and gather feedback from participants and partners
• Lead in the analysis and presentation of country level data.
• Ensure the highest standards of data quality, including accuracy, completeness and timeliness.

Learning and knowledge sharing:

• Lead the implementation of the Action Learning Groups in country, ensuring learnings inform programme adaptations.
• Actively facilitate and undertake learning activities in country.
• Capture and document learnings from the project.
• Develop country level learning products (e.g. case studies, newsletter contributions) for internal and external audiences.

Reporting and evaluation:

• Support the design and lead country implementation of baseline, annual, and endline data collection and analysis as directed by the PMU
• Manage reporting against the country results framework and contribute to donor and organisational reporting
• Contribute to mid-term and final evaluations, supporting the collection of data and ensuring alignment with the evaluation framework

Requirements

• As the successful candidate you will be educated to Masters level in a relevant field or subject (e.g. international development, social inclusion, social sciences) or hold equivalent experience in these areas.
• You will have a background in MEL within international development programmes, preferably in economic empowerment programmes, and have experience implementing MEL frameworks including data collection, analysis and reporting.

Further requirements include:
Essential:

• Experience implementing an adaptive management approach.
• Experience with collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data.
• Understanding of data privacy, ethics and safeguarding in MEL.
• Strong technical MEL skills including developing indicators, designing tools and managing data quality processes.
• Ability to implement MEL frameworks with fidelity while adapting to local context.
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to synthesise learning into actionable insights.

Desirable:

• Formal training in MEL methodologies, data analysis or project evaluation.
• Project management qualification.
• Experience working in a multi-country programme.
• Experience of working in gender and disability inclusive programmes with a commitment to promoting equality of opportunity for marginalised groups including people with disabilities.
• Experience working in a matrix-managed environment, demonstrating the ability to effectively collaborate with multiple managers and cross-functional teams.
• Familiarity with DHIS2 for data collection and reporting