M&E Director at FHI 360

Project Description

• Lagos Outcomes Fund for Education (2026–2029) is a pioneering outcomes-based financing initiative led by the Lagos State Government and the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF).
• The programme will support out-of-school children (OOSC) and vulnerable learners—including migrant children, street-connected youth, and children with disabilities—to access quality education, stay in school, and improve foundational learning outcomes.
• The programme will strengthen teaching and school leadership, improve learning environments, and deliver targeted support to reduce dropout and improve literacy and numeracy outcomes.
• It will also generate evidence to inform future scale-up and embed results-based practices within public education systems.
• The programme aims to reach up to 200,000 children across Lagos State, including 68,000 OOSC and 132,000 in-school learners.

Position Description

• The MEL Director will lead the design, implementation, and oversight of the programme’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.
• This includes managing rigorous performance metrics tied to outcomes based financing, overseeing learning assessments and digital data systems, and ensuring alignment with national EMIS and evaluation frameworks.
• The MEL Director will work closely with a third-party evaluator. As this is an outcomes-based award, the MEL Director will play a critical role in ensuring that M&E targets are met.
• Achievement of these targets directly influences payment disbursement and programme success.
• The MEL Director will therefore be expected to lead with precision, integrity, and a commitment to data-driven delivery.
• The MEL Director will be responsible for developing robust monitoring systems that are reviewed with the programme team on an ongoing basis, supporting a culture of adaptive management and continuous improvement. A key focus will be the use of data dashboards to enable real-time decision-making, track progress against targets, and facilitate learning across implementing partners and government stakeholders.
• These dashboards will support transparent performance management and help identify areas for course correction.
• The ideal candidate will have a strong track record of playing a leadership role (M&E Director or equivalent) on other large scale education programmes in Nigeria. 

Job Summary / Responsibilities

• Lead the development and refinement of the MEL strategy, ensuring alignment with the programme’s theory of change, logframe, and payment metrics.
• Collaborate with the third-party evaluator to design rigorous, context-sensitive evaluation protocols, including pre-post testing and benchmarking approaches.
• Design and oversee monitoring systems for placement, retention, and learning outcomes across both out-of-school and in-school components.
• Operationalise digital data platforms and dashboards to support real-time tracking, adaptive management, and transparent reporting.
• Ensure monitoring systems are participatorily reviewed with the programme team and implementing partners on an ongoing basis.
• Manage relationships with the independent evaluator, ensuring timely and accurate verification of results.
• Oversee spot checks, data audits, and triangulation processes to maintain data quality and credibility.
• Facilitate regular learning and reflection sessions using MEL data to inform programme refinement and course correction.
• Promote a culture of evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement across the consortium and government stakeholders.
• Lead the production of MEL reports and contribute to donor reporting, including quarterly and annual submissions.
• Ensure data is accessible and actionable for programme staff, government counterparts, and other stakeholders.
• Build MEL capacity across the programme team, implementing partners, and LASUBEB counterparts.
• Support alignment with national EMIS and assessment frameworks, contributing to system-level strengthening and sustainability.

Required Qualifications 

• Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in education, evaluation, statistics, economics, international development, or a related field.
• Minimum of 12+ years of progressively responsible experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning for large-scale education programmes in low- and middle-income countries, preferably in Nigeria or West Africa.
• Demonstrated experience in outcomes-based financing, payment-by-results, or performance-based contracting, with a strong understanding of how MEL systems drive programme success.
• Proven expertise in quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, including pre-post testing, benchmarking, and use of tools such as EGRA, EGMA, and NALA.
• Experience designing and managing digital data systems and dashboards for real-time performance tracking and adaptive management.
• Strong track record of working with third-party evaluators, managing verification processes, and ensuring data integrity and compliance with ethical standards.
• Familiarity with Nigeria’s education data systems, EMIS frameworks, and national learning assessment policies.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with experience working collaboratively with government agencies, donors, and implementing partners.
• Ability to lead MEL capacity strengthening initiatives across diverse teams and partners.
• Oral and written fluency in English required.