Position Summary

AKF is seeking an experienced Regional Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Coordinator to provide technical coordination and oversight of key M&E initiatives across Foundations for Education and Empowerment (F4EE) in Africa, a partnership programme co-funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Aga Khan Foundation (AKF). The successful candidate will have responsibility for overall coordination of F4EE’s M&E activities for two of the project’s three components.[1] The Regional M&E Coordinator will ensure F4EE remains results-oriented and in line with GAC’s result based management policy and guidelines. The position will also make sure that F4EE M&E systems and processes are aligned with AKDN’s broader education portfolio, all project partners and stakeholders are able to effectively engage with and create meaning from the data and evidence. The successful candidate will ensure effective implementation of a robust gender sensitive M&E system[2] for F4EE, while providing relevant technical support and playing a key coordination role amongst implementing partners in the region.

F4EE is active in five countries (Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda). While activities in these countries will start to wind down beginning March 2025, the grant closure is expected to occur in June 2026.

The Regional M&E Coordinator will be based in Nairobi and report to the F4EE Regional Manager, with a technical reporting line to the Senior Manager, Programs, Partnerships and Results in AKF Canada. This individual will also work closely with the F4EE Regional Team, AKF’s technical programme team in East Africa (including education and early childhood development (ECD) advisors), AKDN agency programme and M&E teams in all five countries of implementation, and AKF’s Global Programme Team.

Specifically, the Regional M&E Coordinator will:

Design and Planning

• Work with programme staff, technical specialists, and M&E staff to execute the F4EE gender sensitive M&E system, contributing to annual work planning processes.
• Support country teams to use the AKF Awards Information Management System (AIMS) for entry of relevant programme performance indicators data.
• Oversee regular updates and improvements to the F4EE M&E system, including (but not limited to) indicator reference sheets, performance measurement framework (PMF) and reach reporting systems, data collection tools, and data management systems.

Data Collection and Quality Assurance

• Collaborate with AKF and AKDN M&E and technical programme teams to ensure regular data collection against all project PMF indicators, engaging digital systems where applicable.
• Provide technical and operational oversight of regional M&E-based consultancies, including the consultant(s) tasked with F4L endline data collection.
• In collaboration with country and agency M&E teams, lead F4EE data quality assurance processes.
• Ensure all data collection processes adhere to ethical research standards, including AKF’s Safeguarding Policy.

Data Analysis and Use

• Ensure timely analysis of all F4EE PMF and M&E data. This will include cross analyses of data to identify correlations between data points, where relevant.
• Facilitate regular review of project and annual targets based on all data collected and analysed.
• Support national-level data interpretation sessions, ensuring data is thoroughly reviewed and used effectively, including to inform evidence-based programme adaptations.
• Ensure all PMF and M&E data required for internal, partner, and donor reports and communications pieces are available and accurate, and coordinate PMF and M&E data reporting for the project, in collaboration with country and partner agency M&E teams.

Technical Support, Coordination, and Development

• Design and deliver targeted annual capacity development plan for the M&E team and for partner Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under AGECS in a collaborative manner.
• Build relationships and maintain coordinated communications with all F4EE stakeholders on M&E-related topics.

[1] The two components are: 1) Foundations for Learning (F4L) – M&E activities for this component are led and coordinated by this position; and 2) Advancing Gender Equality through Civil Society (AGECS) – M&E activities for this component are supported by this position.

[2] A gender sensitive M&E system is one that incorporates gender throughout all aspects of M&E, including the tracking of gender sensitive and gender targeted indicators, the use of appropriate methodologies that are gender sensitive (including the use of ethical and participatory methodologies), being able to track changes in gender relations, and conducting evaluations and research studies that are focused on gender equality and inclusion.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• A post-graduate degree in international development, social sciences, gender studies, or like, ideally with a focus on M&E
• Experience with developing and overseeing implementation of data collection tools and systems for the entry, analysis, and storage of data.
• Minimum of five years of relevant practical experience designing, implementing, and managing gender sensitive M&E systems for donor-funded development projects, with specific experience in education, ECD, civil society, gender equality, and/or women’s empowerment projects.
• Knowledge of gender analysis and assessments, including approaches, methods, and frameworks.
• Experience with adaptive management, iterative M&E, and effective feedback loops to ensure the use of data in strategic and programmatic decision-making.
• Experience in using digital quantitative and qualitative data collection, management, analysis, and/or visualization tools (e.g., Kobo Toolbox, ODK, SPSS, NVIVO, MS Power Query, MS Power Pivot, Power BI, etc.) is an asset.
• Experience in providing remote support and facilitation.
• Demonstrated capacity to respect and safeguard vulnerable populations.
• Experience working in project geographies, i.e., Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda.
• Knowledge and experience with Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC’s) results-based management tools, donor requirements, and reporting processes is an asset.

Competencies and Attributes

• Ability to develop strong, collaborative working relationships with diverse teams located across multiple offices, organisations, and geographies.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively develop the technical capacity of an M&E team through a strategic capacity development process.
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills in a cross-cultural context
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English; ability in Kiswahili, French, or Portuguese is an asset.