Monitoring and Evaluation Manager at Slum2School Africa

• The individual is charged with ensuring global best practices in embedding a strong culture of evidence, accountability, and learning across the organization, working closely with program teams, volunteers, and partners to deliver on Slum2School’s results-based management approach.
• The ideal candidate is a high-energy, proactive go-getter who loves the challenge and is comfortable working in a multi-cultural corporate environment and leading complex data, learning, and evidence processes across distributed program teams.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

• As the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager, you’ll design, implement, and manage the systems that track program performance and impact, providing adequate support for the overall success and continual improvement of Slum2School’s initiatives, to advance the organization’s mission of transforming the lives of underserved children through education.
• Lead comprehensive needs assessments, including PESTLE, SWOT, Gap, and Stakeholder Analyses, to inform program design and refine MEL frameworks, results chains, indicators, baselines, and multi-year targets aligned with diverse program goals.
• Ensure 100% of active programs have approved M&E frameworks, indicators, and tools in place.
• Develop and manage robust data collection tools and databases (e.g., KoboToolbox, ODK) to ensure efficient and accurate data capture across all program components and diverse development projects.
• Ensure data collection tools are reviewed and updated quarterly to reflect program changes.
• Conduct mixed-method analysis of program data, including risk analysis, to assess performance against KPIs, identify trends, and generate insights into impact and effectiveness.
• Lead the preparation of high-quality MEL reports for donors and stakeholders, ensuring all submissions meet high standards of evidence and clarity.
• Ensure monthly program performance reports are submitted by agreed timelines (100% on-time delivery) and quarterly dashboards are produced and shared with management and program leads.
• Implement rigorous Data Quality Assessment (DQA) processes, ensuring at least 95% data completeness and accuracy across monthly program datasets and adherence to consent criteria for all beneficiary records.
• Facilitate quarterly and periodic project reviews, presenting evidence-based insights to leadership for adaptive management and course correction.
• Ensure zero critical data protection or safeguarding breaches and maintain organized, secure, and audit-ready M&E documentation and records.
• Document program adaptations, best practices, and lessons learned to institutionalize a culture of continuous improvement.
• Facilitate at least one structured learning or reflection session per quarter.
• Conduct internal training sessions for program staff and key volunteers on data collection protocols, safeguarding-compliant identification, RBM principles, and analytical tools.
• Ensure 100% of education-facing staff and key volunteers are trained on basic M&E tools and reporting expectations.
• Ensure baseline and endline assessments are completed for 100% of time-bound programs.
• Generate clear outcome or learning insights documented for each major program cycle.
• Provide verified data for donor reports, proposals, and impact storytelling.
• Stay up-to-date with MEL methodologies and sector standards, ensuring practices comply with donor requirements and organizational policies.

TEAM LEADERSHIP

• Managing the day-to-day activities of the MEL team.
• Develop annual MEL plans and procedures, as well as plan, organize, and coordinate MEL unit activities.
• Lead and mentor the MEL team, field data officers, and enumerators, fostering an evidence-focused and performance-driven culture.
• Developing and implementing a timeline to achieve MEL targets and deliverables.
• Delegating tasks to team members and measuring and reporting performance.
• Conducting training for team members to maximize their data collection and analytical potential.
• Identifying and empowering team members with skills to improve their confidence, technical knowledge, and communication skills.
• Conducting quarterly performance reviews.
• Maximize team value and ensure efficient utilization of MEL resources.
• Creating a collaborative working environment that inspires the team and program partners.
• Ensure the growth of the team as well as the efficient and timely onboarding and offboarding of team members.

Qualification And Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Education, Project Management, or a related field is required. A Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Statistics, International Development, or a related field is an added advantage.
• A minimum of 3-5 years’ experience coordinating programs or projects in a nonprofit, development, or social impact setting, with exposure to a variety of development projects.
• Proven experience in designing M&E frameworks, theories of change, and results frameworks. Demonstrated ability to lead systematic needs assessments, including PESTLE, SWOT, Gap Analysis, Stakeholder Analysis, and Risk Analysis. Familiarity with basic M&E frameworks, indicators, and reporting requirements.
• Strong ability to create surveys, questionnaires, and digital data collection tools. Experience in managing program databases and ensuring data quality.
• Direct experience managing MEL requirements for donor-funded projects, with a track record of high-quality reporting and compliance. Experience supporting donor-funded or community-based programs is an advantage.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets is mandatory. Candidates should be comfortable performing complex data manipulation, visualization, and statistical analysis. Familiarity with statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R, Stata) and data visualization platforms such as Power BI or Tableau is a plus.
• Familiarity with the NGO landscape in Nigeria, including coordination with government agencies, community structures, and multi-sectoral partners.
• Experience in child protection or education-focused programming in the Nigerian context is an added advantage.
• Commitment to Slum2School Africa’s mission and values.

SKILL AND COMPETENCE

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• High attention to detail and data accuracy.
• Ability to translate data into clear insights and stories.
• Strong documentation and report-writing skills.
• Good facilitation and communication skills.
• Integrity, discretion, and respect for ethical data practices.
• Alignment with Slum2School’s mission and values.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to mentor junior staff, volunteers, and field teams.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, handle multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines.
• High degree of independence, objectivity, and assertiveness. Able to take ownership and work with minimal supervision.
• Strong time management skills and the ability to manage teams and projects simultaneously.
• Professionalism and the ability to work as part of a team and interact with a diverse array of people from all walks of life.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR

• Percentage of active programs with approved M&E frameworks, indicators, and tools in place, targeting 100%.
• Percentage of data collection tools reviewed and updated quarterly to reflect program changes.
• Percentage of monthly program performance reports submitted by agreed timelines, targeting 100% on-time delivery.
• Percentage completion of quarterly program dashboards produced and shared with management and program leads.
• Percentage data completeness and accuracy across monthly program datasets, targeting at least 95%.
• Percentage of beneficiary records meeting consent criteria, targeting 100%.
• Number of critical data protection or safeguarding breaches, targeting zero.
• Number of structured learning or reflection sessions facilitated per quarter, targeting at least one.
• Percentage of education-facing staff and key volunteers trained on basic M&E tools and reporting expectations, targeting 100%.
• Percentage of time-bound programs with completed baseline and endline assessments, targeting 100%.
• Percentage of major program cycles with documented outcome or learning insights.
• Percentage maintenance of audit-ready M&E documentation and records, tracked through periodic reviews.