Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Officer, YEFFA Multi - Country Support

Qualifications and Experience Required:

• Master’s degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Development Economics, Statistics, Data Science, or related discipline.
  
• Professional certification in MEL, Results-Based Management, or Data Analytics is an asset.
  
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in monitoring, evaluation, and results management in large-scale, multi-country programs in Africa.
  
• Proven experience with donor-funded initiatives, particularly Mastercard Foundation or equivalent development partners.
  
• Expertise in results framework design, performance tracking, and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent).
  
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize data into actionable insights and communicate results effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
  
• Experience supporting adaptive management and institutional learning.
  
• Demonstrated strong ownership and responsibility for results management processes, ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) data.
  
• Exhibits the ability to adjust MEL frameworks, tools, and methodologies in response to changing program contexts, emerging priorities, and evolving stakeholder needs.
  
• Demonstrated ability to maintain a strong focus on measuring performance outcomes and assessing progress against defined targets and indicators.
  
• Experience in delivering high-quality MEL outputs promptly, supports evidence-based decision-making, and contributes to improved program effectiveness through actionable insights and performance feedback.
  
• Ability to proactively capture, document, and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and evaluative insights to support organizational learning.
  
• Ability to facilitate knowledge-sharing processes and promote a culture of reflection, learning, and continuous improvement to enhance program design, implementation, and impact.
  

• Provide ongoing M&E support to the YEFFA PMU in collaboration with the Senior M&E Officer, YEFFA, and Continental programs.
  
• Provide technical oversight, aligning country results, program design with YEFFA theory of change and Results Framework, ensuring compliance with YEFFA objectives.
  
• Provide a consolidated analysis and practical insights on YEFFA country performance to the Head – YEFFA PD and the Director – GYI to inform decision-making.
  
• Generate quarterly YEFFA country program/investments performance and milestones dashboards, including an analysis of compliance.
  
• Provide technical support to the design of YEFFA investments and integration of YEFFA MEL plans into workplans, budgets, and grant agreements to ensure clear results linkages.
  
• Lead data integration of YEFFA with continental pillar data to demonstrate YEFFA achievements in coordination with the Senior M&E Officer, YEFFA, and Continental programs.
  
• Lead YEFFA country M&E support needs identification, working closely with the Senior M&E Officer, country teams, and the M&E unit.
  
• Coordinate and support planning and delivery of MEL technical support and troubleshooting to YEFFA country teams and implementing partners on data capture, documentation, and reporting challenges.
  
• Lead routine and ad-hoc data quality checks, verification, and validation exercises.
  
• Strengthen source documentation, audit trails, and evidence standards for YEFFA indicators.
  
• Provide technical guidance and training to implementing partners on results reporting, indicator definition, and data management systems.
  
• Lead grantees onboarding as well as validation of data reported on AMIS on YEFFA to ensure quality and accuracy.
  
• Lead implementation and backstopping of the digitized tool used by country teams.
  
• Lead implementation of YEFFA results and reporting protocols at the country level, in liaison with in-country and regional M&E Officers.
  
• Monitor and support follow-up actions arising from DQAs, spot checks, and validation missions.
  
• Lead in-country portfolio reviews, field monitoring, quarterly performance reviews, and learning sessions.
  
• Analyze country and portfolio-level results and performance data to identify trends, risks, and implementation bottlenecks.
  
• Provide evidence-based impact stories and inputs to YEFFA PMU for management discussions and decision-making, including mapping of tertiary youth work opportunities created.
  
• Lead the review of YEFFA countries' impact pathways as required.
  
• Contribute to the preparation of YEFFA Annual Results Reports and data-driven presentations for the Mastercard Foundation and AGRA Board.
  
• Work closely with YEFFA and AGRA’s MEL focal Points, particularly the Senior M&E Officer, Continental Programs, to harmonize performance indicators and streamline data reporting requirements.
  
• Collaborate with YEFFA countries to ensure MEL integration within their workstreams.
  
• Facilitate cross-country learning through synthesis of field insights and best practices.
  
• Facilitate cross-country learning through synthesis of best practices in MEL and adaptive management.
  
• Lead continuous improvement of YEFFA MEL systems, processes, dashboards, and tools.
  
• Document program lessons and support countries in alignment with contributing to the YEFFA learning agenda.
  
• Contribute to the ongoing integration of program learning questions into program implementation and country objectives, as well as country learning events.
  
• Lead evaluations, surveys, and MEL-related consultancies as required in collaboration with the AGRA MEL Unit.