Job Description

• REPORTS TO: Project Director
• CONTRACT TERM: 2 Years with possibility of renewal
• SALARY LEVEL: PRO3
• APPLICATION DEADLINE: 30 September 2025
• EXPECTED START DATE:  17 November 2025

• Develop and regularly update the MERL Plan  
• Ensure compliance with WUSC corporate and donor reporting requirements
• Ensure that all M&E tasks (such as planning, coordination of monitoring and data collection activities, training of staff, etc.) are effectively carried out in accordance with the project’s MERL plan;
• Promote the participation of partner staff and key stakeholders in all phases of the development and implementation of the MERL plan (from the design of the MERL plan and tools to the data collection exercises; from data analysis to the dissemination and use of findings), as much as possible;
• Develop and regularly update of all monitoring and evaluation tools and systems (including the Performance Management Framework) 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 and capacity building on planning, development and implementation of the MERL plan to project and partner staff; and
• Ensure regular communication and coordination with regard to the collection and exchange of MERL-related data and information with project staff and key stakeholders in Ghana, as well as with WUSC and Mastercard Foundation’s global teams
• Contribute to WUSC’s global MERL learning community, ensuring ACTIVATE’s insights inform and benefit from international best practice.

• Develop and periodically review monitoring tools for routine tracking of activities and collection of program data;
• Provide technical support and capacity building as needed to ensure MERL tools are being used effectively by project and partner staff and that the collected data are used for learning and adaptive management, as well as planning and reporting to the donor;
• Identify training needs of staff working on the project and recommend actions for improving capacity with regard to MERL;
• Ensure that data collected through MERL processes are reliable, accurate and complete – to the extent possible in the project context; and
• Apply a continuous improvement approach toward all data collection processes.
• Lead periodic Data Quality Assessments (DQAs) and validation exercises to ensure consistency, accuracy, and integrity of reported results.
• Oversee the use of digital MERL platforms and dashboards (e.g., KoboToolbox, or custom databases) to enhance real-time data visualization and decision-making.

• Ensure that MERL activities are completed in a timely manner to contribute to high quality evidence-based reporting;
• Manage on-going data collection processes, analyses and internal verification for project evaluation and learning purposes;
• Identify monitoring needs based on program implementation and collect data that effectively inform on on-going progress;
• Ensure that accurate and complete MERL-related  files and databases are set up, maintained and updated;
• Support qualitative data collection for the purposes of documentation and dissemination of lessons learnt, case studies and stories of change; and
• Support planning, logistics and coordination of WUSC and Mastercard Foundation staff and project consultants or technical assistance visits as required.
• Integrate risk monitoring and early warning indicators into MERL systems to detect potential implementation challenges (financial, or operational).

• Ensure timely and regular MERL data are shared with project colleagues to feed into reporting cycles in an efficient and timely manner, in accordance with organizational and donor 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 PROUD and take lead in the compilation of high quality and evidence-based donor reports;
• Respond to requests for information from WUSC and Mastercard Foundation, project staff, project partners, and WUSC and Mastercard Foundation Senior Management; and
• Establish a learning agenda and lead reflection sessions, after-action reviews, and adaptive management processes to ensure project decisions are evidence-driven.
• Coordinate documentation of best practices, innovation pilots, and lessons learned, ensuring they are packaged for internal learning and external dissemination.
• Design and/or manage special studies (e.g., tracer studies, impact evaluations, cost-benefit analyses) to assess the medium- to long-term impact of ACTIVATE interventions.
• Ensure monitoring frameworks systematically capture gender, disability, and safeguarding indicators to demonstrate inclusivity and equity in project outcomes.
• Develop structured MERL capacity-building plans for partner institutions (ATVETs, hubs, CSOs) to strengthen their MERL systems beyond the project’s lifetime.
• Other duties as required.

Required Skills or Experience

• Master’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent mix of education and experience;
• A minimum of eight years of experience in the field of monitoring and evaluation of development programs;
• Experience working with international development partners, international non-governmental organizations and donors.
• Knowledge of and experience with RBM concepts and principles is required;
• Experience in both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis is required;
• Knowledge of international development, in particular issues that impact youth skill development and employment;
• Experience working with ethnically diverse communities and with projects implementing gender mainstreaming strategies;
• Experience with gender- and youth-sensitive data collection and analysis methods and approaches
• Familiarity with systems approaches to monitoring and evaluation
• Expertise convening and facilitating data collection with diverse stakeholder groups
• Experience using SPSS as well as experience with qualitative data collection software (NVivo, Dedoose, etc.) is preferred; 
• Fluency in written and verbal communication skills in English.