Sr. Manager, MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning)

About the Organization

CLASP is the leading global authority on efficient appliances' role in fighting climate change and improving people's lives. Our work aims to deliver emissions reductions and enhance climate adaptation through the accelerated development and adoption of energy efficient products and equipment. With 25 years of expertise, CLASP collaborates with policymakers, industry leaders, and other experts to deliver clear pathways to a more sustainable world for people and the planet.

CLASP is a global nonprofit with offices in Europe, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and the United States. We have worked in over 90 countries since our inception in 1999. We are mission-driven and committed to a culture of diversity, transparency, collaboration, and impactful work. Find out more about CLASP.

The Ideal Candidate
CLASP seeks a experienced Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) professional to ensure that CLASP remains on course to secure its intended impacts.

This is an exciting opportunity to helm the development and implementation of a robust MEL framework and influence the strategic course of a highly successful, mission driven organization. The successful candidate will have a strong conceptual understanding of how MEL can be used to ensure programs contribute to CLASP's mission of delivering broader climate mitigation and resilience impacts.

We are seeking a MEL expert well acquainted with the most recent thinking on robust methodologies and implementation approaches on MEL. The ideal candidate will be able to adapt global best practices to a practical and implementable MEL framework for CLASP that will serve as a platform for understanding the impacts of our work and guiding future program design. In addition to deep technical MEL expertise, the ideal candidate will have a proven track record of championing MEL and a collaborative interpersonal approach of working with program teams to ensure its implementation.

This inaugural position could be based in CLASP's offices in Washington D.C., or Nairobi. The position will report to the Chief Strategy and Impacts Officer, and collaborate closely with the Chief of Programs, Regional Leads, and others across CLASP's leadership and program teams.

About the Role
Our teams implement numerous programs aimed at creating long-term people and planet positive impacts through energy efficient appliances. Our programs are implemented across several countries in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders - government, international organizations, non-governmental stakeholders, consumers, industry, and financial institutions.

Effective monitoring and evaluation are critical to ensuring that we remain on course to secure our intended impacts. At the same time, we seek to draw lessons from program monitoring and evaluation to generate learnings that will help to refine the future course of our programs and influence developments in the larger related sector.

The position of Sr. Manager for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) is a key role at CLASP that will be responsible for shaping and implementing the organization's MEL framework across all its programs. The position is a highly cross cutting role requiring collaboration across the organization to establish and implement monitoring processes, collate information provided by different programs, conduct evaluations, identify and share learnings.

The Sr. Manager of MEL will also be responsible for equipping and training program teams on tools and processes for integrating MEL within their programs. In partnership with CLASP's Chief Strategy and Impacts Officer and Chief of Programs, the Sr. Manager - MEL will be expected to represent the organization's MEL processes and outputs to senior management, the Board, and the relevant external community.

This position offers an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to our organization's mission and drive evidence-based decision-making, while also providing strong opportunities to advance to senior levels of management.

Responsibilities Include:

MEL Framework Development

• Conduct a comprehensive review of the organization and program level theory of change, and Management Information Systems currently in place to capture data on performance indicators and relevant metrics. Assess the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in data collection and reporting practices.
• Design an enhanced MEL framework that could be implemented across all programs throughout the organization.
  • The enhanced MEL framework will serve as a decision-making framework, providing learnings and feedback to programs based on indicators that are monitored and analyzed.
  • Collaborate with program managers and project teams to identify relevant indicators, data collection templates and tools, and devise practical and feasible monitoring mechanisms and systems.
  • Ensure that the MEL framework aligns with industry best practices, international standards, and the organization's strategic objectives.
• Present approval for MEL framework to CLASP's senior management, and secure approval for its adoption.
• Monitor the quality of MEL implementation, addressing gaps and shortfalls as required.

MEL Implementation

• Assume overall accountability for MEL implementation in a timely, robust and consistent manner across the organization.
• Champion the integration of the MEL framework in all programs within the organization, providing programs with training and support in its implementation.
• Collaborate with program managers to identify program specific MEL approaches. This will include:
  • Help establish appropriate budgets, metrics, indicators and monitoring systems aligned with CLASP's MEL framework and the specific requirements of the program,
  • Support the program team monitor, collate and analyze data by establishing systems and tools,
• Provide quality control and back stopping to program teams in the implementation of MEL to ensure data accuracy and reliability.
• Design, commission and supervise independent evaluation and learning research in collaboration with program, as needed.

Learning, Knowledge Management and Communication

• Establish and maintain a system for capturing, documenting, and sharing lessons drawn from MEL within the organization, and externally to the relevant community.
• Support and back stop project teams develop reports on project outputs, outcomes and impacts that draw from the MEL framework.
• Collaborate with and support project teams identify lessons learned and best practices emerging from MEL evaluations.
• Lead communications with senior management; prepare and report MEL findings on program outputs, outcomes, impacts and learning activities to senior management, and internal or external stakeholders as requested by senior management.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent, preferably in business administration, public administration, economics, mathematics, statistics, international development or related field. A Masters' degree in a relevant field is strongly preferred.
• Specific MEL training or qualification is highly desirable.
• At least 7 years of experience in program development, monitoring and evaluation, with at least 3 years of direct experience in building and managing MEL systems, data collection, data validation exercises, and building staff capacity on MEL.
• At least 2 years of experience in managing staff and teams, preferably in a role that demonstrates the ability to work with global teams.
• High degree of computer literacy; Excel and Word skills are essential.
• Ability to work independently on multi-task load.
• Excellent Communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to maintain composure, flexibility, and a sense of humor under tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal and listening skills.
• Demonstrated experience working in a global context, with the ability to travel to international offices and engage with team members in other countries.