Job title: Program Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer: Ukraine
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract for up to 2 years
Deadline: October 31 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The Program MEL Officer post is expected to commence as soon as possible but no later than 30th November 2024.


ABOUT IWPR:

Founded in 1991 and operating currently in three dozen countries around the world, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) is an independent non-profit organisation that supports journalists and civil society to help drive change in countries experiencing conflict, crisis, and transition. Our work includes:

• Training and mentoring: IWPR trains and mentors journalists and rights activists to improve their ability to identify and present factual information;
• Providing platforms: IWPR helps local talent establish and strengthen media outlets and civic groups;
• Removing barriers: IWPR works with partners to remove barriers to free expression and citizen engagement;
• Strengthening media and civil society: IWPR helps strengthen the ability of media and civil society to speak out;
• Empowering societies: IWPR helps societies find their own solutions;

IWPR’s reporting has exposed violations, led to political and legal reform, and improved people’s lives.


PROJECT SUMMARY:


IWPR has been active in Ukraine since the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, initially responding to the need for more balanced conflict reporting and journalists' safety and security skills. Programming later focused on support to a range of anti-corruption and government accountability initiatives fostering capacity building and collaboration between civil society and the media.


Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, IWPR has expanded its existing programming, to include support to media and civil society organisations in areas of countering disinformation, documenting war crimes, frontline reporting, as well as media emergency support and capacity building of investigative journalism centres.


In October 2024, IWPR started the new two-year “Boosting the Capacity of Civil Society Watchdogs” project funded by the US Department of State. The project aims at increasing the capacity of anti-corruption civil society organizations and media in Ukraine to effectively monitor and expose corruption at the local, regional, and national level.


As a result of the project, government entities will have increased capacity to enforce anti-corruption legislation and respond to the Ukrainian public’s desire for increased transparency. To achieve this IWPR has the following objectives: 1) Improved transparency and accountability and implementation of anti-corruption reforms in public institutions as result of increased public pressure; 2) Government entities more responsive to public pressure and enforce anticorruption legislation; and 3) Enhanced multi-stakeholder cooperation to address anti-corruption issues.


JOB SUMMARY:


IWPR is seeking a Ukrainian based professional to fill the position of a Program Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer for the USG-funded “Boosting the Capacity of Civil Society Watchdogs” project. They will be responsible for MEL systems introduction and manage monitoring of program deliverables and outputs to ensure compliance with grant obligations for the project at a level of effort of 100%.


As four subawards and over 30 small grants constitute substantial part of the program activities, they will also be responsible for grant programmatic management, drafting program reports, and coordinating the workload of the two Program/Subgrant Managers and a Program Coordinator.


This position will play a crucial role in ensuring the successful execution of IWPR’s MEL framework, with a specific focus on data collection and analysis, donor reporting, sub-granting, and MEL capacity building and learning for project partners. The IWPR Principal Global MEL Lead will provide guidance and backstopping to ensure quality and alignment to organisation standards.


The MEL Officer will report to the Chief of Party and work closely with program staff, sub-grantees, and partners to build MEL capacities, ensuring high-quality data collection, analysis, and reporting. The IWPR Global Principal MEL Manager will provide guidance and backstopping to ensure quality and alignment to organisation standards. The IWPR Principal Global MEL Lead will provide guidance and backstopping to ensure quality and alignment to organisation standards.

DAY TO DAY RESPONSIBILITIES:


Tentative time breakdown between areas of efforts will be as follows: Project MEL planning, data collection and analysis (including subgrants MEL) – 40%; Reporting to IWPR and Donor – 30%; Knowledge sharing and learning – 30%.

• Develop and implement program monitoring and evaluation procedures, MEL plan that include clear indicators, baselines, and targets to ensure effective monitoring of project progress and results towards achieving program goals. Participate in design, collection, and analysis of baseline and end-line data;
• Work closely with program team members and partners to ensure data is collected regularly, analysed effectively, and integrated into project decision-making;
• Lead the preparation of timely and accurate reports to the donor, ensuring that all MEL data is presented effectively to demonstrate program impacts;
• Report as needed, including monthly, quarterly, and annual progress on all project activities to the Chief of Party and HQ.
• Coordinate with project partners in collecting relevant quantitative and qualitative data to report on key performance, context, and outcome indicators;
• Provide capacity building and training on MEL methodologies, data analysis, and reporting to staff and partners as needed;
• Input, manage, and ensure the accuracy of data within IWPR’s online database and other forms of data collection/analysis tools like Microsoft forms, spreadsheets, Keep project data well-organized, up-to-date, and accessible to team members and stakeholders;
• Ensure robust qualitative and quantitative data collection processes, using both traditional methods and participatory approaches;
• Oversee the development of data collection tools and conduct quality assurance of the data collected from sub-grantees and partners;
• Facilitate learning reviews with project team and stakeholders, including beneficiaries and partners and IWPR colleagues across portfolios, to gather insights, share findings, agree and discuss lessons learned and support new planning and adaptations of the intervention;
• Innovate and refine MEL tools and methodologies, ensuring they are aligned and with project needs, and donor requirements, easy to be adopted by implementers, and contribute to Global MEL processes, tools, discussions;
• Conduct spot checks and validation processes to ensure data integrity and accuracy;
• Write and contribute to donor reports, as well as periodic internal reviews, focusing on the outcomes and impact of IWPR’s interventions;
• Support communications efforts, including collecting information and writing impact reports for IWPR and donor’s use;
• Contribute to commissioning external evaluations if required.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

• A University degree in relevant field. A Master's degree is preferred;
• At least 3 years of experience leading the MEL function of a large project, with a strong focus on donor reporting and managing MEL processes for sub-grantees. Previous experience with the US Government funded projects and reporting requirements is strongly preferred;
• Experience in MEL capacity building, data analysis, development of Theory of changes, log frames and presenting evidence through both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Familiarity with qualitative evaluation techniques is highly desirable;
• Experience in development programs, anticorruption projects, media and/or civil society sectors is preferred.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Fluency in English and Ukrainian, written and spoken;
• Excellent data analysis and strong report writing skills;
• Knowledge of best practices for MEAL and a good critical grasp of the latest thinking in the sector, tools, codes, standards and practice;
• Advanced computer literacy in Word, Excel, Power Point and applications relevant to MEAL;
• Adept decision-maker and proactive problem solver with a high level of attention to detail;
• Excellent data management/filing organization skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to facilitate effective discussions and maintain productive relationships with a broad and diverse group of colleagues, donors and partners;
• Willingness and ability to travel across Ukraine (up to 10% of the time, security permitting).

Only those who have been selected for interviews will be contacted.


IWPR will never ask for payment for recruitment.


Equal Opportunities
IWPR is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all staff. We do not tolerate discrimination. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color/colour, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy, maternity, sexual orientation, and gender assignment and identity), national origin, age, disability status, protected veteran status, marital or civil partnership status, or any other characteristic protected by law.


In line with our commitment to equality and diversity, and in compliance with US affirmative action requirements, we actively welcome and encourage applications from historically underrepresented groups. In the UK, we adopt similar principles through positive action where legally permissible.
We are dedicated to ensuring equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and fostering a workplace where all staff feel valued, supported, and empowered.