Company Profile

WUSC (World University Service of Canada) is a Canadian non-profit organization working to create a better world for all young people. We bring together a diverse network of students, volunteers, schools, governments, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we develop solutions in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment to overcome inequality and exclusion for youth around the world, particularly young women and young refugees. WUSC currently works in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $40 million. We have over 90 staff in our Ottawa office, and over 200 people overseas implementing 16 development projects in collaboration with donors such as Global Affairs Canada, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Mastercard Foundation and the African Development Bank.

Job Description

• Implement and contribute to the regular update of the MERL Plan, in line with Results-Based Management (RBM) principles, as well as organizational requirements;
• Carry out all MERL-related tasks (such as planning, coordination of monitoring and data collection activities, training of staff, etc.) in accordance with the project’s MERL plan;
• Contribute to the capacity building of partners as necessary and appropriate, to promote their active participation in all phases of the development and implementation of the MERL plan (from the design of the MERL plan itself and its tools, to the data collection exercises; from data analysis, to the dissemination and use of findings);
• Supporting WUSC and MasterCard Foundation teams, and implementing partners in Ghana to plan for and execute MERL-related activities; 
• Deploy and contribute to the regular update all MERL tools linked to key indicators for the purpose of informing program activities and reporting to the donor, and supporting continuous evidence-based learning and adaptive management in the process;
• Provide high quality technical support on planning, development and implementation of the MERL plan to project and partner staff; and
• Contributing to regular communication and coordination with regard to the collection and exchange of MERL-related information with project staff and key stakeholders in Ghana, as well as with WUSC and Mastercard Foundation global teams.

 MERL tools Design, Deployment and Quality Assurance

• Contribute to the development and periodic review of monitoring tools for routine tracking of activities and collecting of program data;
• Identify training needs of staff including anchor partner staff working on the project and recommend actions for improving capacity with regard to MERL;
• Ensure that MERL activities are carried out by partners in accordance with the project's MERL Plan and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs);
• Ensure that data collected are reliable, accurate and complete – to the extent possible in the project context; and
• Support Staff and Partner to correctly use the MERL data collection tools and templates.

 Data Collection and data management

• Work with technical staff and partners to ensure that the necessary MERL data is collected and submitted through the MERL data management system.
• Conduct data quality checks on data submitted onto the MERL database management system and identify any monitoring needs based for follow up. 
• Ensure that accurate and complete MERL-related files are filed, maintained and updated, in a way that ensure data security; 
• Support qualitative data collection for the purposes of documentation and dissemination of lessons learnt, case studies and stories of change; and
• Document and execute data verification, entering and duplicate check processes with the MERL database management system. 

Communications, knowledge management and Reporting Duties

• Ensure timely and regular MERL data are shared with project colleagues to feed into reporting cycles, mainly annual narrative report, in an efficient and timely manner, in accordance with organizational and donor’s standards;
• Ensure that regular updates on project MERL processes are communicated and shared with project staff across all partner organizations;
• Maintain and regularly update the database and take lead in the compilation of high quality and evidence-based donor reports;
• Respond to requests for information from WUSC and Mastercard Foundation staff, project partners, and WUSC and Mastercard Foundation Senior Management; and
• In collaboration with other project staff and partners, contribute to the translation of project data into knowledge products through various communication channels relevant to project stakeholders (blogs, guidance notes, newsletters, social media, etc.).
• Undertake any other tasks assigned by the MERL Manager.

Required Skills or Experience

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in social sciences, statistics or related field.
• A minimum of five years of experience in developing and implementing monitoring and evaluation system and plans;
• Experience with designing and managing database systems built on Airtable platform (required).
• Experience working with international development partners, international non-governmental organizations and donors.
• Experience in capturing and translating project evidence into useful knowledge products (using different forms of communication channels) to support the project's communication objectives will be an asset;
• Experience with RBM concepts and principles is required;
• Experience in both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis is preferred;
• Experience working with ethnically diverse communities and with projects implementing gender mainstreaming strategies; 
• Experience with data analysis software (preferred); 
• Demonstrated high level written and verbal communication skills in English.