Back Manager, Right-Fit Evidence

Position Summary

IPA Côte d’Ivoire is seeking a Right-Fit Evidence Manager to collaborate closely with the Ministry of National Education (MENA) in Côte d’Ivoire. The Government of Côte d’Ivoire, the Jacobs Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, and 15 cocoa and chocolate companies are setting up the Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF), a co-financing facility to ensure access to quality education as one essential tool for promoting children’s rights and fighting child labor in Côte d’Ivoire. CLEF aims to provide quality education for 5 million children and influence the behavior of 10 million parents. To achieve this goal, CLEF is expected to bring effective learning to up to 10,000 primary schools in cocoa-growing areas and beyond and to build 2,500 classrooms and other education infrastructures (etc. bridge classes, etc.).

Right-Fit Evidence and Policy Manager will support implementers to strengthen their Monitoring-Evaluation System and Learning.

We particularly encourage Ivorian nationals to apply, although the role is open to international applicants.

Responsibilities

You will lead the implementation of RFE engagements, working closely with the stakeholders and other teams within IPA’s country office to develop tailor-made solutions for their data and evidence needs and support their implementation. This includes the following responsibilities:

• Strategic and technical contribution: provision of advice and tools to advance partners’ learning goals in their programs, such as:
  • Designing learning-oriented process evaluations
  • Assisting clients in identifying M&E questions to test the assumptions in their theory of change, and to design cost-effective approaches to rigorously test these assumptions
  • Providing technical advice, to partners on the development and implementation of M&E plans, the design of indicators, data collection methods, and data management
• Research design and analysis: Take part in the design, implementation, and analysis of data collection and other evaluative work that sometimes complements RFE’s advisory work (including in this first engagement mentioned above)
• Project management: Support work planning and project management (including human and financial resources) for the Monitoring-Evaluation and Learning (MEL) technical assistance to ensure effective and timely implementation of our work
• Stakeholder communication: Maintain strong communication and partnership with key stakeholders, including direct stakeholder management with leadership staff from partner organizations. Cultivate relationships with key local top-level decision-makers in the education sector and ensure the project has their buy-in
• Workshop design and implementation: Design and facilitate various kinds of external MELand research-related workshops, improving the capacity and ownership of government around long-term MEL and research practices
• Professional deliverables: Own the preparation and presentation of various types of advisory and analytical deliverables, maintaining the highest standards of communication efficiency
• Coordinate activities with IPA-embedded staff at the MENA to meet the data needs in support of policy implementation and analysis;
• Communicate findings of analyses to stakeholders and provide technical assistance to use findings to inform policy and program implementation

Qualifications

Required

• A master’s degree in economics, public policy, international development, or related fields and; PhDs are also welcome.

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in related fields, including experience in M&E policy development and/or in education, project design and management with multiple stakeholders across various sectors, and have good skills to work closely with Education sector

partners. Exceptions may be made for excellent candidates who do not meet this criterion.

• At least 2 years of proven experience in a MEL-focused role within international development

• Superior analytical and conceptual thinking skills

• Strong client-facing and presentation skills. Ability to present information in a structured and insightful way, both in writing and orally.

• Demonstrated ability to manage relationships with partner organizations;

• Self-starter, entrepreneurial mindset, versatility, and ability to learn at a fast pace.

• Excellent project management and organizational skills; attention to detail;

• Familiarity with statistics and data analysis (including strong command of Excel)

• Willingness to travel within Côte d’Ivoire;

• Capability to manage multiple tasks efficiently;

• Full fluency in French and professional proficiency in English

• Passion for making data-driven decisions a reality in the international development sector

Preferred

• Familiarity with the Education Sector

• Experience working with government

• Experience living and working in developing countries, particularly Côte d’Ivoire

• Familiarity with the concepts surrounding the Theory of Change and the core tools of M&E (both

quantitative and qualitative research methods)

• Familiarity with Kobo, Open Data Kit, SurveyCTO, or similar survey software

• Ability to use advanced Excel functions, Stata, R, or similar statistical software and Data

Visualization tools

• Familiarity with randomized controlled trials

Reports to

Associate Director of Policy

Location

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Deadline to Apply

October 4th, 2024