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

Reports to:    WAGES Project Director

The West African Governance and Economic Sustainability in Extractive Areas (WAGES) project aims to break the vicious circle in which local communities, especially women and youth, are excluded from the benefits of mining investments. Through WAGES, WUSC and CECI work in three regions of Burkina Faso, Ghana and Guinea impacted by extractive industries. The project works to empower local communities, and specifically integrate women and youth, to participate fully in local governance, economic opportunities and the sustainable development of these areas. The project collaborates with local and national governments, select mining companies, as well as small and medium-sized businesses and civil society organizations to attain those objectives. Global Affairs Canada funds the implementation of WAGES from 2016 until 2022. 

Nature and Scope:
The WAGES Regional MEL Advisor will provide leadership on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) activities to the WAGES project and ensure quality coordination and oversight in order to meet project obligations and donor requirements. The Regional MEL Advisor is expected to provide technical and programme expertise to ensure efficient, effective and timely planning and execution of the various project M&E processes and activities. While the M&E Advisor reports directly to the Project Director s/he will be supported on technical matters by WUSC’s HQ-based Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Advisor. This position may require up to 25% international travel within the West Africa region.

Specifically, the Regional MEL Advisor is responsible for the following: 

• Oversee and take responsibility for the implementation of WAGES M&E plan;
• Provide high quality technical expertise on planning, development and implementation of M&E systems to WAGES staff, WUSC and CECI;
• Develop appropriate gender-sensitive quantitative and qualitative tools and systems for tracking and monitoring progress and measure results; 
• Coordinate and provide guidance to country-level M&E activities and ensure project M&E tools are used effectively by project staff and that they have the capacity to utilize them effectively for reporting and monitoring of progress;
• Ensure the management of the M&E project database and develop and implement quality control measures and protocols to ensure that data collected through M&E processes is reliable, accurate and complete; 
• Coordinate and lead project-level data analysis, both for reporting and learning purposes; 
• In collaboration with the HQ, identify training and capacity strengthening needs of staff working on the project and implement actions for improving capacity with regard to M&E; 
• In collaboration with HQ, recruit, guide, and supervise other organizations/consultants that are contracted to conduct surveys and studies for the project;
• Contribute to the development of progress reports by providing quality data and analysis on results achieved, identifying and documenting learning from project implementation;
• Provide leadership and regional coordination for the implementation of the Beyond Zero Harm Framework and ensure the technical quality of the implementation and related reports; 
• Support the development and circulation of knowledge products to draw out lessons learned and success stories; 
• Participate as required in regional and international meetings/workshops to share project lessons learned, success stories and research/studies findings; 
• Communicate regularly with country-level M&E specialists and WUSC HQ MERL advisor to ensure smooth functioning of M&E systems

Required Skills or Experience

• Master’s degree in applied social science, statistics, international development, or another related field. Specific academic training in Monitoring and Evaluation is desirable;
• At least 5 years of experience in Monitoring and Evaluation of development programs; 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and French required;
• Experience in designing and implementing monitoring systems and tools for effective measurement of development results; 
• Strong knowledge of results-based management and international donors M&E requirements and standards; knowledge of Government of Canada’s RBM tools highly desired;
• Strong abilities in quantitative and qualitative research methods, with solid analytical skills, including the ability to process large amounts of information and extract critical information and conlusions;
• Experience building capacity of staff, partners and counterparts in M&E, in both formal and informal settings;
• Strong technical skills in data management and statistical analysis; 
• Ability to lead and actively participate as an effective member of a team;
• Proven ability to work productively with a variety of stakeholders and meet tight deadlines with an emphasis on producing quality products;
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills;
• High level proficiency in MS Office and Google applications; 
• Excellent knowledge of software such as Excel and SPSS, STATA or other statistical packages; knowledge and experience using mobile data collection applications is desirable; 
• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality and youth empowerment.