VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT – Program Design, Quality, and Learning Advisor. (Re-advertised)
ALIGHT (formerly American Refugee Committee) works with its partners and constituencies to provide opportunities and expertise to refugees, displaced people, and host communities – to better survive conflicts and crisis, and to rebuild lives of dignity, health, security, and self-sufficiency. ALIGHT presently works in and with partners in seventeen countries globally. ALIGHT has consistently operated in Rwanda since the year 1994, and today has a strong and committed team of over eight hundred personnel who include full-time staff, community mobilizers, and incentive workers– implementing programs in Primary Health Care, Reproductive Health, HIV, and Nutrition; also Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Shelter and general Infrastructure, Livelihoods/Economic strengthening, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Prevention/ Protection. Our work in Rwanda currently covers all the refugee locations and their kind Rwandan-host communities. And we are always looking to expand and, jointly with our partners, offer lasting impact with and for the communities we serve! ALIGHT is looking for a qualified, self-driven, and committed individual to join its team as the Program Design, Quality and Learning Advisor (PDQL), to be located in Kigali, main country office.
PRIMARY PURPOSE:
The Program Design, Quality & Learning (PDQL) Advisor has primary responsibility for establishing and managing the monitoring and evaluation system responsive to Alight Rwanda Programme reporting and learning requirements. The PDQL Advisor will lead the development, implementation of the Alight Rwanda MEAL system, including developing and operationalizing indicators, setting targets, monitoring Alight Rwanda implementation progress, and ensuring timely data collection and reporting.
In conjunction with ALIGHT Rwanda senior program leadership, s/he ensures program effectiveness and efficiency, M&E system and processes to improve evidence-based programming, performance reporting, contributing to Country business development.
The incumbent will ensure that practices, lessons, and methodologies from design and implementation are documented, and that documented lessons are used to inform future programs.
S/he will ensure learning is institutionalized for program improvements. The position holder will ensure that all project activities are supported to ensure quality, effectiveness, and appropriateness. It will be important for the position holder to capture lessons learned and communicate this information in various capacities to improve on-going and future programming.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Technical design and learning
Provide specialist technical advice to facilitate the design, inception, and ongoing learning from Alight Rwanda programmes.
In collaboration with Thematic Advisers, facilitate staff and stakeholder engagement in the designs of new programmes and this will require the incumbent to:-
- Support communication and resource mobilization efforts for programme initiatives;
- Develop new guidance tools for workshops, learning events, and programming guide/policies to iteratively absorb the programming design approach into all potential opportunities across Alight Rwanda;
- Participate in programme designing process and ensure MEAL components are appropriately planned for and adequately budgeted in the programme design;
- Ensure the project has SMART objectives & indicators, MEAL plan and are inconsistency to each other;
- Ensure evaluations are undertaken as per the organization threshold and maintain up-to-date evaluation trackers to monitor delivery and action planning;
- Lead/participate in the project baseline, evaluations, researches, and assessment activities.
Fundraising
- Effectively manage the “Funding with Intent” funding mechanism, to support the incubation and scale-up of innovative activities, integrated programming and capacity development initiatives, and catalyze further resource mobilization for programming initiatives;
- Lead the design of the funding with intent funding windows, with an in initial focus on COVID response;
- Programs’ Development and Quality Assurance;
- Manage stakeholder engagement in funding with intent including technically supporting new program development, drafting required log frame or change models, M&E plans and systems, indicator tracking table, etc.
MEAL system development
- Develop dynamic MEAL system for the project in collaboration with the project team;
- Ensure that project staff understand the steps and tools of the MEAL system and its consistent use;
- Ensure the project is using Quality Standards as part of their day to day implementation and quality monitoring practices;
- Support on the design and roll-out of standardized monitoring tools and methodologies as required by the project team;
- Ensure that regular monitoring reports are received and communicated effectively to relevant bodies;
- Ensure periodic plans and reports are as per the standard quality, template, time frame and communicated accordingly;
- Work closely with the project team to ensure that MEAL becomes an integral element of project implementation leading to enhanced quality, accountability management and impact.
Technical Support and Capacity Building
- Undertake continuous staff capacity assessment and develop capacity building plans;
- Provide training and capacity building for field-level staff as required;
- Ensure relevant staff received proper orientations, inductions, training to help them deliver their MEAL responsibilities;
- Any other tasks requested by supervisor and country program leadership;
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- A minimum of Bachelor’s Degree in statistics, economics, project planning, and management. A Master’s degree would be desirable.
- At least three years of relevant progressive experience, and two years of NGO experience in a MEAL role in development contexts.
- Direct experience of rolling out and managing MEAL systems and of working on all aspects of MEAL;
- Demonstrated commitment to building staff capacity, skills in training and capacity building;
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience managing and analyzing data using Excel, SPSS, STATA, Epi-info and comfort with regular Microsoft Application packages;
- Conversant with ODK or any other mobile data collection platforms;
- Knowledge/experience in designing, leading, and developing high-quality reports from quantitative/qualitative studies, surveys or assessments;
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, advanced computing knowledge, application;
- Fluency in written and spoken English language; fluency in Kinyarwanda required.
KEY BEHAVIORS & ABILITIES:
- Highly motivated self-starter who takes direction well, but also works independently;
- Strong intercultural skills and high tolerance to uncertainty required;
- Diplomatic skills and strong ability to manage staff, to resolve conflicts, and build relations with diverse stakeholders;
- Capacity for effective planning and management, including risks and concern areas;
- Capacity to work independently in a fast-paced environment and deliver results within tight deadlines;
- Ability and willingness to live and work full-time in rural, low resource and isolated areas of Rwanda;
APPLICATION GUIDELINES: Interested and qualified candidates should submit a 1page Cover letter, an updated CV (maximum three pages) and names, title, and contacts of three professional referees, to include most recent or current employer/supervisor (all in/as one document) – via email only to: RWJobs@wearealight.org with the POSITION applied for clearly indicated in the subject line. The deadline for submission of applications is October 20th, 2020 at 16:00hrs. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
American Refugee Committee is an Equal Opportunity Employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status. American Refugee Committee complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.
