M&E Specialists

Role Overview

As a Monitoring and Evaluation specialist, you will be responsible for grounding the programme's reporting in verified, on-the-ground realities rather than desk-based assumptions. Your work will directly influence how donors and implementing partners see progress, where gaps remain, and how community voices shape next steps across the Horn of Africa.

You will spend a significant portion of your time travelling to field sites to check whether reported activities and outputs genuinely match implementation plans, while also reviewing the quality of data flowing through internal systems and public IATI reporting. By combining technical rigour with respectful consultation, you will help ensure that the programme remains accountable to the communities it serves, especially marginalised and survivor-led groups.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct field verification visits to compare actual programme activities and outputs against agreed work plans, documenting discrepancies and follow-up actions.
• Perform structured data-quality assessments of programme monitoring and evaluation systems, focusing on accuracy, timeliness, completeness, and internal consistency.
• Audit IATI-published datasets to confirm that publicly reported information aligns with verified programme records and meets transparency standards.
• Organise and facilitate consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, including community representatives, local authorities, partner organisations, and survivor-led networks.
• Use findings from verification and assessment exercises to recommend practical improvements to data collection tools, reporting templates, and M&E procedures.
• Prepare clear, evidence-based reports and summaries for programme leadership and donor audiences, highlighting risks and action points.
• Support the design and strengthening of feedback mechanisms that allow communities to challenge or correct inaccurate programme data.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or another directly relevant discipline; a postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• At least five years of hands-on M&E experience with donor-funded programmes, ideally in humanitarian or development settings within Kenya, Ethiopia, or Somalia.
• Demonstrated experience designing and applying data-quality assurance tools, conducting site-level verification, and reporting on field findings.
• Working familiarity with IATI reporting standards, including XML data structures or common publishing tools, and the ability to identify reporting gaps.
• Current residency in Kenya, Ethiopia, or Somalia, with strong local-language skills relevant to the operational area (for example, Swahili, Somali, Amharic, or other local languages).
• Willingness to travel frequently to programme sites, sometimes in remote or insecure areas, and to adapt plans when access conditions change.
• Strong facilitation, interpersonal, and communication skills, particularly when engaging with survivors and community-based organisations.