Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager

Pact seeks an experienced Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager for the of an anticipated donor-funded project. The project seeks to address labor abuses, child labor and forced labor within the minerals sector. The project would focus on improving policy frameworks and systems for monitoring and identifying child labor and forced labor and supporting relevant enforcement and remedial actions in mineral supply chains in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This position is contingent upon award.

The MEL Manager will set the vision for and manage the project’s MEL plan and related MEL procedures and tools. They will ensures the strategic and functional integration of MEL into project activities, overseeing data collection, collation, storage, analysis, and reporting. They will apply learning and enable project adaptation based on data, and help manage a learning agenda for project staff and stakeholders. They will provide capacity development to increase the MEL capacity of project partners through tailored training and coaching.

Specific duties to be carried out by the successful candidate will include:

• Designed, implementing, and operating project MEL systems from project initiation to closeout stages, ensuring full alignment with donor and Pact requirements and quality standards.
• Lead on indicator design, target setting, reporting, database management, and developing MEL and/performance monitoring plans.
• Planning, managing, and overseeing research and evaluation activities such as performance evaluations, labor force surveys, baseline/midterm/endline studies, stakeholder mapping, and case studies conducted by external partners, enumerators, or led by Pact.
• Design data collection tools and conduct data collection, collation, storage, analysis, and reporting, ensuring that data is of high quality and audit worthy.  Ensure data quality through conducting data quality assessments and implementing other relevant data quality SOPs.
• Support the overall adaptive management approach of the project through actions such as monitoring and reporting on context indicators and preparing data analysis and visualizations for project learning reviews and related activities. Lead the team in routine reviews and interpretation of data for applied learning.
• Design and manage the project’s Sustainability Strategy including managing a Stakeholder Register and Risk Management Plan that includes metrics and planned analytical processes for forecasting the expected sustainability of approaches before and during implementation.
• Provide ongoing training to MEL staff within local partner organization(s).
• For any or all of the above, collaborate with Pact’s Learning, Evidence and Impact (LEAP) team for support.

• Masters degree in a relevant field, such as international development, social science, economics, statistics, demographics, or public policy.
• 5+ years of relevant experience, including leading and/or supporting the MEL functions of complex donor funded international development projects
• Proven success in designing, implementing and operating project MEL systems from project initiation to close out stages.
• Experience in leading or participating in strategic planning and performance measurement processes.
• Experience overseeing and providing training and coaching to local project partners engaged in MEL activities.
• Demonstrated experience with methods and approaches such as Complexity-Aware MEL, adaptive management, and/or systems thinking and complexity science.
• Fluency/proficiency in French, English, and Swahili

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the critical minerals sector and/or child and forced labor issues in the DRC
• Experience supporting supply chain analysis, ideally in the minerals sector