Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist

Higher Education Program - Lebanon

World Learning is a leading international non-profit organization advancing education, systems strengthening, and inclusive development through programming around the world. We are seeking an experienced Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist for an anticipated USAID-funded Higher Education program in Lebanon focused on providing technical assistance and institutional capacity building to local higher education institutions and to key official higher education entities in areas such as strategic planning, administrative and financial management, and collaboration with other stakeholders, to improve their effectiveness at the system level and to develop linkages with the private productive sector, with international HEIs, and among local HEIs, not excluding the public/private alliances.

The M&E Specialist will be responsible for designing and overseeing the implementation of the project's Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) system and Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) processes in close coordination with technical and programmatic staff. As part of the program's senior leadership team, the M&E Specialist will lead the overall learning agenda of the program, working closely with partners and other internal and external stakeholders. In addition, the MEL Specialist will be responsible for gathering, analyzing and reporting on data.

Recruitment is contingent upon successful award of the project. Base of designation is expected to be Beirut, Lebanon.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of the program's MEL Plan and information systems to track delivery against program targets, outcomes, and impacts, including clearly defined objectives, indicators, learning mechanisms, and the implementation of appropriate M&E procedures;
• Prepare and ensure timely submission of project performance monitoring plans, including developing and defining program indicators and sources of data, and contribute to annual work plans, quarterly and annual reports, and other project documents;
• Lead design and implementation of robust CLA approaches and processes; ensure use of existing evidence to promote improvements, collaboration, learning, and adaption, and identify solutions to promote data-based decision making among program and technical staff;
• Ensure compliance to MEL Plan as approved by USAID;
• Ensure high-quality MEL activities and data collection of partners; facilitate partner capacity building as needed;
• Provide training on MEL subjects including on-the-job training, mentoring and coaching to selected higher education institutions' staff to build their M&E capacity and skills and to improve their overall knowledge and ability to leverage M&E data for decision-making;
• Develop and oversee research components related to the project as needed;
• Supervise assigned MEL staff;
• Other responsibilities as assigned
  
  

Requirements

• Advanced degree in statistics, education, public policy, or relevant field;
• A minimum of 6 years of experience designing and implementing MEL and CLA systems for USAID-funded projects related to capacity development, higher education, and/or systems strengthening; preferably in the Lebanon or the region;
• Prior experience with standard educational measurement approaches and other measurement approaches in technical, soft, and leadership skills development, as well as measurement of organizational development and change is highly desirable;
• Proven experience in designing and maintaining tools for program reporting, monitoring, and evaluation and learning;
• Demonstrated knowledge and application of relevant USAID policies and strategies, including USAID's Education Policy; Private Sector Engagement Policy; Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy; Positive Youth Development; Youth Policy; and Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting Framework;
• Significant experience in working with databases and various data management and data analysis software;
• Demonstrated expertise in qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, and management methods;
• Prior experience leading, designing, managing, and/or commissioning performance and outcome evaluations;
• Strong communication skills, ability to work across various teams with excellent interpersonal skills to maintain strong relationships, with demonstrated ability to build consensus and navigate complex operating environments;
• Strong analytical and writing skills as demonstrated by the ability to produce high quality reports;
• Professional level of verbal and written fluency in English and Arabic; Lebanese nationals preferred;
• Commitment to inclusive development programming that brings to bear the talents of women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ persons.
  
  

Vaccination is strongly recommended for all employees in our U.S. offices except for those receiving medical or religious exemptions. If boosters are subsequently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then employees and faculty will be recommended to receive the booster within thirty (30) days of their eligibility.

Benefits

World Learning provides a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes: medical, dental, vision, FSA/HRA, Life/AD&D, Short Term/Long Term Disability, EAP, Parking and Transit, 403 (b) retirement plan (when applicable) for full-time and eligible part-time employees.

The World Learning Inc. Family

For more than 90 years, World Learning Inc. is a thriving global organization made up of The Experiment in International Living, the nation's most experienced provider of international education through exchanges for high school students; School for International Training, offering accredited undergraduate study abroad programs through SIT Study Abroad and internationally focused master's degrees through SIT Graduate Institute; and World Learning, a global development and exchange nonprofit organization.

World Learning | worldlearning.org

World Learning has worked to create a more sustainable, peaceful, and just world. World Learning's education, development, and exchange programs help people find their voices, connect with their communities, strengthen the institutions that form the backbone of a democratic society, and build relationships across cultures. With World Learning's support, these emerging leaders tackle critical global issues like poverty, conflict, and inequality.

The Experiment in International Living | experiment.org

The Experiment in International Living is the nation's most experienced provider of international education through exchanges for high school students. For more than 90 years, The Experiment has empowered young people to step off the beaten path, experience the world as a classroom, immerse themselves fully in another culture, and build the knowledge and skills needed to confront critical global issues.

SIT | sit.edu

School for International Training (SIT) was founded in the early 1960s as a training center for the first Peace Corps volunteers. For nearly 60 years, SIT has prepared students to be effective changemakers and global citizens through experiential education focused on the world's most critical global issues. SIT Study Abroad offers accredited summer and semester undergraduate programs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative programs on multiple continents. SIT Graduate Institute offers global and hybrid certificates, master's, and doctoral degrees.

An organizational commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.

We are a globally diverse community of staff, faculty, board members, alumni, students, and participants who believe that inclusive and equitable practices are at the heart of a peaceful and just world. Each of us strives to honor diverse voices and lived experiences, examine our own biases and privileges, actively work to address inequities in our structures, and foster a community of open dialogue. We are committed to acting with accountability, transparency, reciprocity, authenticity, and empathy.

World Learning is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action/veterans/ADA employer, committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce.