Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Lead EYE-C-Program
Organisation: aBi Development
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About Organisation:
aBi Development Ltd focuses on increasing agricultural production & value addition by extending matching grants & Business Development Services (BDS) to agribusinesses, farmer organisations & intermediaries to enhance planning & management, production & business infrastructure, as well as upstream & downstream market linkages of producers & agribusinesses.
Job Summary: Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Lead, will lead the development or review of the program Theory of Change and Results Framework, manage baseline and endline surveys and ensure adaptive learning for the program “Empowering Young Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture stimulated by Coffee (EYE-C)” which aims to alleviate poverty by creating work opportunities for disadvantaged young women aged 18 to 35 in Uganda’s coffee value chain (CVC). The role will involve working and supporting at least 20 downstream implementing partners to enroll large numbers of disadvantaged young women to access aggregated services including trainings, appropriate finance, Business Development Services, quality certification, remunerative markets, quality inputs and agricultural advisory support to enable creation of work opportunities at various nodes of the target value chains.
The MEL Lead will support the program team to reach at least 430,000 young people (18 to 35 years) and enabling at least 300,000 of them transition into new and sustained dignified and fulfilling work opportunities (100% young women) while strengthening business practices for young women led MSMEs to grow and scale their enterprises, thereby stimulating additional work opportunities for young women especially in the coffee growing regions of Central, Western and Eastern Uganda.
This role requires a technically strong, innovative, and strategic professional with a proven track record in designing and implementing evidence-based MEL systems in gender focused programs.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Strategy, Programming and Thought Leadership
- Lead the integration of the results measurement system with programme management; ensure the provision of insights on how to optimize EYE-C’s impact on the sustainable development of Uganda’s agribusiness sector and develop our understanding of how to make markets work. Facilitate the development of MEL frameworks and measurement plans for EYE-C’s overall strategy and projects within the EYE-C portfolio. MEL frameworks and measurement plans are in place for overall strategy and each project.
- Feedback from project teams in consortium partner members indicates satisfaction with quality and timeliness of support provided.
- Annual work plans and budgets developed on time and to standard as approved by executive team.
- Work together with the Program Director to ensure that strategies for monitoring, evaluation and learning are fully integrated into all our activities and that lessons learned are incorporated into the design of new projects and funding windows
- Liaise with colleagues to develop strategies for ‘crowding-in’ and scaling up successful interventions; ensuring that effective strategies are widely disseminated and implemented with a view to spurring systemic change
- Support the Portfolio Development team in writing MEL sections and frameworks in project proposals to ensure that they are adequately articulated and up to standard
- Supervise and support the activities of the MEL partner as agreed upon in their terms of reference.
- Lead the participatory development of Annual MEL Work Plans, ensuring coverage of all departments; work with the Project Director to budget MEL costs and appropriate resourcing
- MEL Leadership & Systems Development
- Support and collaborate with the MEL Partner in the development and implementation of MEL Systems and Resources; ensuring that they support achievement of organizational objectives and inform investment decisions
- Ensure that research into MEL best practice is conducted and incorporated into the design of new or improved MEL systems/tools
- Ensure full understanding of the information and reporting requirements of both aBi management and investors; design and implement analytical approaches that will provide quality data, in a user-friendly format, and in a timely manner
- Set up MEL systems and procedures according to results measurement standard, including manuals, tools, SOPs, templates, data aggregation sheets, guidelines Timely logging of risks and mitigation measures.
- Develop project risk management and accountability frameworks and ensure that the principles are cascaded into results management frameworks at project level
- Work together with the Technical Manager and the procurement team to source and continuously develop appropriate technologies that will make data collection, analysis and reporting as time and cost effective as possible (for both consortium partners’ staff and implementing partners)
- Monitoring & Performance Management
- Manage and coordinate the entire program of reviews and visits that will enable aBi to adaptively manage the performance of projects and maximise social return on investment.
- Supervise and coordinate MEL team members and consultants to work alongside project teams to ensure that adequate emphasis is given to MEL throughout project implementation
- Schedule of reviews and visits in place and adhered to
- Feedback from stakeholders (reviewers and reviewees) indicates that reviews and visits are well organised and coordinated.
- Data quality requirements of investors, other key stakeholders, and EYE-C staff are met.
- Reviews and evaluations are accurate and balanced.
- Evidence of learning being used to enhance project performance.
- Coordinate the collection of all required data by all project stakeholders and coordinate the team to carry out monitoring visits as required by each project’s plan
- Oversee data collection, analysis of results & compilation of lessons learned; ensuring that data is accurate, valid, and representative and analysed in a way that generates meaningful insight for stakeholders
- Work collaboratively with Programme’s senior leadership to develop an organisation culture of academic enquiry and blame-free analysis of lessons-learned; provide coaching if blaming/shaming behaviour is evidenced
- Capacity Building
- Provide EYE-C Programme staff and stakeholders with technical advice and support, enabling them to carry Support Project Leads in assessing the capacity of Staff, Consultants, and Implementing Partners to effectively deliver programme strategies; coordinate the MEL team to contribute towards capacity assessments Capacity of staff, partners, and other stakeholders to implement EYE’s MEL, Learning and Knowledge Management strategies is
- Develop and oversee delivery of capacity building interventions for programme and MEL staff in in monitoring, evaluation, analysis, learning and results management.
- Ensure that staff and partners are educated on how to use the practical strategies and tools that have been put in place for each project and that they are provided with ongoing support as required measured and continually improving.
- MEL of capacity building interventions indicates application of learning to project design and implementation.
- Ensure that the most appropriate learning platforms for capacity building are utilised & ensure the delivery of impactful training and development programmes; ensure that effective strategies for measuring and managing the results of learning interventions are in place
- Communication, Accountability & Reporting
- In collaboration with the Head of RMRD, oversee the collation of evidence on project performance; contribute to the development of compelling communications to raise the organisation’s profile and ensure standards for reporting are met Compile and disseminate results and impact stories to support effective learning, decision-making, advocacy, and communications
- Feedback from colleagues indicates quality support provided to learning, communications and advocacy activities.
- Lean, succinct, and visually appealing reports are produced and widely used by stakeholders.
- Support the Research and Knowledge Manager in developing specific learning products from the data collected; support the design and management of Learning and Knowledge Management systems and platforms
- Support the EYE-C in overseeing the reporting cycle to different investors and stakeholders, producing quarterly and annual reports and development impact reporting to the Board
- Support the monitoring and evaluation of communications and advocacy efforts to ensure that they are having the required impact
- Team Leadership
- Lead the team of Program staff and consultants in a manner that empowers them to add value to the organisation and deliver high standards of performance. Ensure the team is resourced with the expertise necessary to deliver on strategy implementation through a combination of recruitment and management of staff and procurement of consultants Consultant TORs are clear and cover all relevant aspects of best practice.
- Measures of organisation climate indicate employee engagement above 50th percentile.
- 360-degree feedback from staff indicate that the leader behaviours listed are being delivered.
- And any other duties as requested by the Program Director
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- Masters in M&E, Statistics, Development economics, project management, Population studies, development studies Agriculture economics or related fields.
- Experience
- 10+ years of MEL practice, experience & leadership in agriculture or youth programs.
- Experience in strategic oversight of knowledge management systems and the effective provision of necessary management information.
- Demonstrable experience in data and information quality management techniques.
- Technical Skills & Knowledge
- 10+ years’ post-graduation experience in monitoring and evaluation of donor funded programs.
- Excellent knowledge and skills in implementing market systems development approaches.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to facilitate program design at both strategic and operational levels.
- Strong technical understanding in research, strategy development, business planning and program development.
- Excellent knowledge and conceptual understanding of Monitoring and Results Measurement (MRM) & application to international
- development & market systems development.
- Knowledge of regulatory and compliance environment and relevant industry standards and best practices.
How to Apply:
Please send your applications to [email protected] indicating the Position Title in the email subject line. All documents should be combined into a single PDF file, with the total size not exceeding 5MBs.
Deadline: 19th September 2025
NB: Please note that only successful candidates will be contacted. Canvassing will lead to disqualification.
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Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: 120