About the Opportunity

The Regional MEL Director will report directly to the Chief Program Officer for a highly strategic role in measuring and analyzing the impact of our programs, processes, and generating insight for growth.  There are currently 17 MEL staff, including research, data, MEL managers and other impact professionals who work in concert with programs, business heads, and the IT team to collect, analyze, and share learnings with both internal and external stakeholders. We are seeking a deeply curious and impact-driven evaluation leader with proven experience implementing robust studies in East Africa, developing large teams, and communicating insights effectively to a variety of stakeholders. The MEL Director will lead all MEL functions in the organization and be an important member of organizational leadership. With dedicated staff and consultants across all of our countries of operation, the MEL team is to both prove and improve program impact, helping leaders make data-driven decisions.

Responsibilities

MEL Strategy and Systems (30% time)

• Develop and implement comprehensive ME&L strategies, ensuring that annual evaluation studies take place in all program countries to measure and learn about Inkomoko’s impact on entrepreneurs and their communities
• Build on Inkomoko’s MEL data collection and analysis approaches, leveraging both technology and community partners to ensure accuracy and insights.
• Ensure accurate, real-time data is available for internal decision making and external reporting.
• Solicit, hire, and supervise external evaluation teams and third party-researchers
• Lead research partnerships with university partners and others
• Work with the IT colleagues to ensure the internal resources are “speaking” to one another for a single-source-of-truth in data management.
• Ensure data systems are easily accessible, visualized, and ready for consumption, and that all data collection and storage protocols and policies are ethical and compliant for working across geographies with vulnerable populations

 Learning and Partnerships (40% time)

• Engage with donors and investors to ensure that Inkomoko MEL outputs are responsive and advancing of the relationships.
• Represent Inkomoko MEL to leaders internally and externally.
• Develop and test hypothesis about our theory of change in new programs/locations
• Continue to deepen Inkomoko’s evidence base through research, sharing it with a wider network in contribution to thought leadership and understanding of what works.
• Identify research questions to answer and ensure research is participatory and responsive to communities
• Report to senior leadership, Board, and Directors on learnings to guide strategy and implement results that maximize impact.
• Prepare reports to funders, government, and other external stakeholders, providing relevant information for creating knowledge in the larger community
• Partner with the Communications team to highlight trends, ensuring that communications accurately represent learnings

 Administration and Management (30% time)

• Serve as an important member of the senior leadership team, providing high-level insights and data to inform the organization’s growth plans and strategies,
• Direct the M&E staff team to regularly build their skills and strategies to meet global standards of M&EL and excellent performance management.
• Set and manage a regional ME&L budget, seeking value for money
• Participate as an active contributor to company-wide initiatives and leadership

Minimum Qualifications

This Director will be a seasoned leader who is deeply analytical and strategic. We are seeking candidates with 10+ years work experience in the evaluation field, in an African context, and preferably with experience in livelihoods, entrepreneurship or humanitarian interventions. Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• Proven track record of leadership, including significant roles in team development and growth across geographies
• Experience leading MEL strategies for complex or multi-country programs
• 7+ years experience in a quantitative field (economics, statistics, etc) with significant training in quantitative methods.
• Technical skills to analyze data (STATA, R, etc)
• Experience leading in a multicultural workplace in East Africa, where justice, equity, and inclusion are core in our workplace
• Masters degree or higher in statistics, economics, math or other similar discipline.

What You’ll Get

This role is a tremendous opportunity to work in a high-growth, mission-driven organization. Our compensation includes both a great culture and a competitive market-based package, including:

• Incredible company culture, including deep commitment to justice, equity, and inclusion.
• Opportunity to work with a talented team across East Africa
• Competitive salary, and potential KPI-based bonus
• Flexible work environment (3 days a week from office)
• Significant benefits, including fully paid health insurance for self and family, staff savings program, parental leave, sabbatical program, and more.