Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Adviser at British High Commission Nairobi

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)  
Main purpose of job:

• This is an important technical role with responsibility for leading BHC Kenya on monitoring, evaluation and learning. The job holder must champion the use of evidence across all our work, and ensure all MEL activities are proportionate, high quality and up to FCDO standards.
• BHC Nairobi hosts over 400 staff from 10 HMG Departments covering roles on Kenya, Somalia and the region. In line with the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership, the BHC Country Plan goals cover mutual prosperity, security and stability, sustainable development, climate change, people to people and democracy and human rights.
• Bilateral ODA budget for 2024/25 was £81m. BHC Nairobi works closely with the Government of Kenya at central, regional and county levels, with civil society and businesses. Our international partners include regional organisations and major multilaterals (UN, World Bank, IMF).
• The Strategy, Assurance and Results Team (START) supports BHC to do the right things in the right way and maximise the quality and credibility of our actions, by:
  • providing assurance to BHC leadership, central FCDO and the UK taxpayer;
  • generating and promoting the use of information, evidence and learning; and
  • giving expert support and advice to teams, pillars and leaders.
• We do this through facilitation and support to strategy and policy, and to programmes and ODA spend.  The team provides a one-stop-shop for support on finance, risk, safeguarding, programme management and commercial advice. It also leads on policy and programme assurance functions and relationships with scrutiny bodies.
• The incoming MEL adviser will lead on results, monitoring, evaluation, evidence and learning across programmes and other activities. They will ensure we use evidence to maximise our impact against the resources we put in. They will support and enable teams and seniors to track and deliver results, maximise efficiency and achieve value for money in delivering UK objectives in Kenya.
• This is a senior role, and the successful candidate will demonstrate an ability to work with autonomy, drive forward workstreams and influence and lead others towards the best outcome.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Programme monitoring, evaluation and learning:

• Supporting, advising and leading teams to generate high quality programme monitoring and evaluation, including logframes or results frameworks, theories of change and independent evaluations.
• Identifying and championing opportunities for evaluation, particularly for new programmes, and ensuring they meet expected standards under the FCDO Evaluation Policy.
• Providing timely quality assurance and advice for annual reviews, project completion reviews, concept notes and business cases, ensuring a consistent approach to project scoring underpinned by sufficient evidence, and adherence to guidance and transparency requirements.
• Provide oversight of programme visits, leading processes around beneficiary feedback, data quality assurance and risk updates.
• Build capability and provide training to programme teams on monitoring, evaluation and results, based on assessment of demand.
• Facilitating learning discussions around key programme issues, especially where related to results.
• Liaise with donors, partners and government on monitoring, evaluation or results issues.

Portfolio monitoring, evaluation and learning:

• Support, commissioning and oversight for results commissions from HQ.
• Development and improvement of the START Kenya Compliance Dashboard, which provides senior leadership with oversight of the programme portfolio.
• Advising and supporting on tracking progress against the Business Country Plan and strategic partnership, as required.
• Building and quality assuring evidence, e.g. conducting analysis of key datasets in Kenya, maintaining key statistics, supporting inputs into briefings, audits, and requests for information on results.
• Conducting or supporting contextual and diagnostic analysis of priority development issues.
• Providing backstopping, support and mutual learning with the Somalia MEL Adviser.

Programme leadership:

• Working towards becoming the Programme Responsible Owner of the Portfolio Monitoring Evaluation and Learning programme, leading design and implementation.
• Leading on the commercial process for awarding, setting up and managing the contract.
• Managing the partner, finance and risk oversight, and ensure compliance with PROF Rules.
• Supporting the programme manager to carry out tasks in a timely and quality manner.
• Acting as a liaison point between the BHC teams and the implementing partner.
• Generating demand and ownership  and use for the evidence products, amongst internal and external stakeholders.

FCDO statistics and evaluation community

• Actively engaging in cross-FCDO statistics and evaluation cadres and knowledge sharing activities, including regular attendance at cadre meetings and discussion groups.
• Proactively contribute 10% to the development of the statistics/evaluation cadres.

Active member of the Strategy, Assurance and Results team

• Be an active member of a small team, leaning into to support others and cover or lead workstreams as required.
• Possibility of line management for 1-2 staff members, including recruitment, performance management, task management and pastoral support.
• Contribute to a corporate role in the BHC office

Resources managed:

• This post will act as Programme Responsible Owner for the £3.8m Programme Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Programme.
• Line management of EO Results and Reporting Officer, and potentially one other position.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience  

• Masters degree in any field 
• Established track record (at least five years) of designing, carrying out or managing monitoring, evaluation or research.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of a wide range of evaluation and learning methodologies.
• Experience applying tools such as theories of change, evidence gap maps and evidence synthesis for decision making.
• Good understanding of logframes and other results frameworks.
• Experience using and promoting uptake of monitoring results, evaluations, research and evidence.

Other skills

• Experience of engaging internationally – often on complex and sensitive matters.
• Experience of working across and engaging diverse teams, being flexible and able to adjust.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  

• Programme management experience.
• Experience in international development.
• Understanding and/or experience of measuring influence or diplomacy.