Senior Program Officer, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning (MERL)
Summary
Title:Senior Program Officer, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning (MERL)
ID:2135
Department:Boston Office
Closing Date:N/A
Description

 

Reports To: Managing Director

Location: Cambridge, MA

Classification: Full time, salaried (exempt)

 

About RefugePoint

 

Founded in 2005, RefugePoint protects and strengthens the lives of refugees throughout the world. We aim to identify and protect those in danger, especially children, survivors of torture and trauma, women, and girls. We endeavor to provide global leadership for refugee resettlement, complementary pathways and self-reliance through: the delivery of direct services; field building; and, by influencing systems and policies for global change.

 

Position Summary

 

The Senior Program Officer, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) provides leadership and direction setting for all MERL-related initiatives. As a new position at RefugePoint, the Senior Program Officer is responsible for developing both an agency-wide framework and operational-level plans for monitoring, evaluation, research and learning. The Senior Program Officer will work with staff to strengthen MERL efforts in all phases of the project management lifecycle: 1) assessment/planning; 2) implementation/monitoring; and, 3) learning/evaluation.

 

The Senior Program Officer will work with staff to establish indicators and dashboards, to select appropriate evaluation/assessment methods, to develop data collection and management tools and processes, establish standards to ensure data quality, and support data analysis and reporting efforts. The Senior Program Officer will work with program, communications, development and other staff in multiple locations (Cambridge, Nairobi, Geneva, and other) to present results to various audiences, to support knowledge management and build a culture of continuous learning. The Senior Program Officer, MERL will also contribute to overall agency functioning including grant writing, agency representation, communications and all other areas as requested.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Ensures generation of data for: decision-making; identifying trends; improving programs; demonstrating impact; and, building a culture of continuous learning.

  • Ensures that program reports contain information to assess status, make improvements, and allow for decision-making and priority setting.

  • Builds internal capacity to support the development of a learning culture.

  • Maintains awareness of new methods, approaches, models and evaluation results that are relevant to the work of the agency.

  • Strengthens policies and procedures to ensure the healthy functioning of the agency-wide data system (tools, collection, management, analysis, dissemination/reporting) to ensure quality and timeliness.

  • Support the development and use of data collection tools (questionnaires, key informant and focus group discussion guides).

  • Develops indicators and measures for direct services, capacity building and systems/policy change.

  • Supports operations and systems to ensure that routine reporting standards are achieved.

  • Develops and executes agency-wide plan for evaluating processes and outcomes.

  • Supports the development of agency-work plans.

  • Presents data in formats that allow for effective dissemination/reporting of information internally and externally.

  • Represents the agency in the presentation of results to various audiences.

  • Supports the development of grant applications and new program initiatives by creating log frames and performance monitoring plans.

 

Qualifications/Requirements

  • Master’s degree in social sciences or other related field with formal training in MERL.

  • Minimum of five years of experience implementing and managing MERL activities and methods in complex, rapidly changing environments (international setting preferred).

  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to build coherent, meaningful narratives from data.

  • Strong methodological and analytical skills with demonstrated ability to employ mixed methods approaches to measure impact, attribution and contribution.

  • Significant experience in the design and implementation of MERL plans for capacity building and systems change initiatives.

  • Demonstrated experience in data collection, management, analysis, and reporting.

  • Proficiency with Excel, Salesforce, statistical/data analysis/survey software, and data visualization applications.

  • Must have knowledge of key evaluation principles, development of indicators, and measurement techniques.

 

The position is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts with periodic travel required.

 
This opening is closed and is no longer accepting applications
ApplicantStack powered by Swipeclock