Building Tomorrow


Position: MEL Coordinator

Reports to: MEL Manager

Location: Kampala Office, with regular visits to the field

OVERVIEW

Building Tomorrow, an international nonprofit organization, working to provide literacy and numeracy for all children, is seeking an exceptional, values-aligned Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Coordinator. The MEL Coordinator is responsible for implementing and maintaining a robust MEL system to collect, store, analyze, and report on data essential to measuring the effectiveness and impact of the organization. This role involves setting up data collection, supporting those who perform data collection, creating visualizations, facilitating data-based learning for decision-makers, and reporting key performance indicators.

THE ORGANIZATION

Started in 2006, Building Tomorrow supports community-powered learning in rural areas. Through over 500 Building Tomorrow Fellows and over 14,000 Community Education Volunteers, Building Tomorrow has enrolled over 164,000 out-of-school children and reached over 500,000 learners with our signature Roots to Rise (R2R) literacy and numeracy camps. Between offices in the USA and Uganda, Building Tomorrow has a full-time staff of over 240, just eight of whom work outside Uganda. Building Tomorrow has received funding and recognition for its innovative work from Echoing Green, Big Bang Philanthropy, Clinton Global Initiative, and Forbes Magazine. More information can be found online at: www.buildingtomorrow.org.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

The MEL Coordinator will collaborate closely with the MEL Team to ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning across Building Tomorrow’s programs. The Coordinator will implement tools and methods to track progress and evaluate the impact of program activities while maintaining the integrity of data collection processes and systems.

This position is responsible for supporting field-based data collection, ensuring data quality, and generating reports that facilitate learning and informed decision-making. The role includes building the capacity of field staff in data collection and management, ensuring adherence to best practices in MEL, and contributing to a culture of continuous learning within the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

1. MEL System Development

  1. Collaborate with the MEL Manager to implement methods for collecting and monitoring data that measures program effectiveness and organizational efficiency.
  2. Develop and manage technical tools for data collection within the existing MEL system, which includes a mobile data collection app (TaroWorks) and a cloud-based database (Salesforce).
  3. Define and document MEL processes, including data collection methods, monitoring procedures, and reporting structures.
  4. Incorporate MEL activities into project and program planning in collaboration with program and operational leads.

2. Monitoring and Reporting

  1. Implement monitoring plans to track project progress and ensure data quality.
  2. Create internal and external dashboards, reports, and visualizations to communicate key performance indicators and program impacts.
  3. Gather and incorporate consistent feedback from staff and stakeholders on the effectiveness of MEL processes.
  4. Assist in the creation of reports detailing program successes, challenges, and learnings for internal and external dissemination.
  5. Contribute to ongoing improvements in reporting processes to align them with Building Tomorrow’s strategic goals.

3. Data Analysis

  1. Perform exploratory data analysis to understand patterns, trends, and outliers in program and operational datasets.
  2. Utilize statistical techniques and tools to extract meaningful insights and learnings.
  3. Create clear and informative visual representations of data using tools such as Salesforce, Tableau, and R statistical computing software.
  4. Incorporate third-party data and research into internal analysis.
  5. Build predictive models to forecast trends, make recommendations, or solve specific programmatic problems.

4. Quality Assurance and Coaching

  1. Build the capacity of field staff to collect accurate, valid, and reliable data by providing training and technical support.
  2. Conduct regular field visits to ensure data quality, performing data validation and cleaning as necessary.
  3. Ensure that all MEL activities adhere to ethical standards and best practices for data collection and analysis.
  4. Maintain high standards of data quality through regular cleaning, validation, and identification of data errors.

5. Facilitating Learning

  1. Translate complex data findings into actionable insights for non-technical staff and stakeholders.
  2. Facilitate learning discussions to inform decision-making and adjust strategies to enhance program effectiveness.
  3. Share learnings with program leads to contribute to continuous improvement in program and project planning.
  4. Promote a data-driven culture within the organization, encouraging staff to use data in decision-making processes.

6. Research

  1. Support the design and implementation of operational and impact evaluations, including experimental and quasi-experimental studies.
  2. Collaborate with academic and research partners to design studies, develop research protocols, and collect data.
  3. Analyze research data to draw actionable conclusions and make evidence-based recommendations.
  4. Contribute to research reports, working papers, and case studies that contribute to the evidence base in education and international development.

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION, BACKGROUND, REQUIRED SKILLS:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Statistics, Social Sciences, International Development, or a related discipline, relevant certifications in monitoring and evaluation are a plus.
  • Minimum of 1-3 years of experience in monitoring, evaluation, learning, or research, preferably in a nonprofit or international development context.
  • Proficiency in designing and implementing MEL frameworks, including indicators, data collection methods, and reporting systems.
  • Experience in managing databases or information systems for MEL purposes, preferably with Salesforce.
  • Knowledge of data collection techniques (surveys, interviews, questionnaires) and ensuring data quality, specific quantitative or qualitative research experience is a plus.
  • Strong project management skills with the ability to oversee MEL activities across multiple programs.
  • Understanding of ethical considerations in data collection and analysis.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly.
  • A commitment to continuous learning and staying updated on the latest trends and tools in MEL.

WE WANT YOU TO APPLY IF YOU…

  • Have an unshakeable passion for education equality, believing access to an inclusive, quality education is a basic human right.
  • Possess creative ingenuity, being progressive in your thinking and approaching challenges old and new. You are intrapreneurial and unafraid to pilot new ideas.
  • Are relentlessly determined, refusing to accept the status quo, persistently striving to create new opportunities to reach more children, allowing them to reach their maximum potential.
  • Believe in collaborative engagement. You believe more can be achieved together than alone, believe in the power of cultivating relationships, and see everyone as an equal partner.

The compensation package includes benefits and will be commensurate with experience. This is a coorindator position based in Kampala, Uganda.

If someone referred you to apply for this position, please provide his or her name in your cover letter.

Building Tomorrow maintains a dedication to promoting gender equity, diversity,multiculturalism, and inclusion, and recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of protected characteristics. Building Tomorrow will not tolerate illegal discrimination or harassment under any applicable law in any jurisdiction where it operates.

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