POSITION TITLE: Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Manager (Nationals only)
POSITION LOCATION: Hanoi with occasional travel to other cities/provinces
REPORTS TO: Vietnam Project Director
CONTRACT TERM: 1 Year, Renewable
LANGUAGES REQUIRED: Fluency in English is required
APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 30, 2025
WUSC is a leading Canadian international development organization that works with and through its southern partners to promote sustainable development. Founded in 1957 and currently working in 22 countries worldwide with an annual budget of approximately $45 million dollars, WUSC’s mission is to foster human development and global understanding through education and training. Our internationally recognized programs support youth, women and other marginalized populations, focusing on three thematic areas of education, employment and empowerment. Globally, WUSC works with a network of higher education institutions, civil society organizations, private sector partners, professionals, students, volunteers, faculty and community leaders that can be leveraged to support our work.
The AGILE Project:
The AGILE Project is a four-year project aiming to increase the resilience of people in Vietnam, particularly women, to the impacts of climate change. As the country seeks to adapt, businesses have an important role to play in providing goods and services that support adaptation. Women lead 27% of all businesses in Vietnam, with 99% of these being micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
AGILE will operate at the intersection of gender lens investment, climate adaptation finance and enterprise growth. The ultimate aim is to improve the resilience of vulnerable populations to climate change by supporting the growth of key climate enterprises that provide adaptation-focused goods and services. The project will (i) Increase capital mobilisation for climate enterprises, particularly those led by women, and (ii) enable service providers to provide better support for climate enterprises.
The growth of women-led climate enterprises can be expected to lead to greater adoption of climate adaptation solutions that help increase the resilience of women and their communities.
WUSC is seeking to recruit a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Manager based in Vietnam to oversee and manage WUSC programming in Vietnam, in partnership with Sarona Asset Management, our Consortium Partner on the AGILE Project. The MERL Manager will be responsible for the effective leadership on M&E activities and ensuring quality oversight in order to meet project obligations and donor requirements, under the guidance of the AGILE Project Director.
NATURE AND SCOPE:
The MERL Manager is expected to provide technical expertise to ensure efficient, effective and timely planning and execution of the various project M&E processes and activities.
Specifically, the MERL Manager is responsible for the following:
General Duties
- Design and Implement the AGILE monitoring framework, in line with GAC’s Results-Based Management (RBM) principles;
- Ensure MERL tasks (such as planning, coordination of monitoring and data collection activities, training of staff, etc.) are effectively carried out in accordance with the AGILE Project’s MERL plan and to respond to both donor and corporate’s RBM requirements;
- Review and update monitoring and evaluation tools and systems (such as 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 on planning, development and implementation of MERL systems to AGILE Project staff and partner staff;
- Ensure regular communication and coordination concerning the collection, coordination and exchange of M&E information with project staff in Vietnam and WUSC global team; and
- Ensure all project activities put in place tracking systems that are aligned with the AGILE’s MERL plan and which meet the evidence-based data collection requirements.
M&E Design/Quality Assurance
- Develop and periodically review tracking and monitoring tools for routine tracking and collecting of monitoring information;
- Ensure project tools are being used effectively by project and partner staff and that the data they are collecting informs the results intended;
- Ensure that tools in use meet the needs of the project and that staff have the capacity to utilize them effectively for reporting and monitoring of progress;
- Identify training needs of staff working on the project and recommend actions for improving capacity concerning MERL;
- Ensure that data collected is reliable, accurate and complete – to the extent possible in the project context; and
- Apply a continuous improvement approach toward all data collection processes.
Data Collection
- Ensure that MERL activities are completed promptly to contribute to high-quality evidence-based learning, planning and reporting;
- Manage on-going data collection processes, analyses and internal validation for project evaluation purposes;
- Identify monitoring needs based on program implementation and collect data that effectively informs on-going progress;
- Ensure that accurate and complete monitoring, evaluation and data collection and files are set up, maintained and updated;
- Support qualitative data collection for the purposes of documentation and dissemination of lessons learnt;
- Support planning, logistics and coordination of WUSC staff and AGILE consultants or technical assistance visits as required;
- Fill in the quarterly tabs on output data and the bi-annual tabs on outcome data in the AGILE monitoring system; and
- Identify challenges and bottlenecks in the use of MERL tools; propose practical revisions, and promptly discuss these with the relevant Technical Specialists and Project Director
Learning and Coordination
- Facilitate regular data interpretation and learning workshops with project team members and partners, with the support of the Project Director and Technical Specialists;
- Liaise with Technical Specialists/Advisors (both Vietnam and HQ) to ensure their feedback is reflected in MERL outputs and reports;
- Participate actively in monthly project team meetings to inform implementation with real-time data and insights.
Reporting Duties
- Ensure timely and regular monitoring and evaluation data is shared with AGILE project colleagues to feed into reporting cycles in an efficient and timely manner, in accordance with GAC as well as WUSC standards;
- Ensure that regular updates on project monitoring and evaluation processes are communicated and shared with project staff across all partner organisations;
- 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 Sarona staff, project partners, and WUSC Senior Management; and
- Other duties as required.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- 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, ideally with Global Affairs Canada (formerly known as DFATD or CIDA);
- Experience with monitoring and evaluation concepts and principles is required;
- Knowledge of quantitative data collection and analysis is preferred;
- Knowledge of international development, and with issues that impact refugees and host communities;
- Experience working with ethnically diverse communities and with projects implementing gender mainstreaming strategies; and
- Demonstrated high-level written and verbal communication skills in English required
APPLICATIONS:
WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment and empowerment.
WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls please.