Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

VVOB – education for development is an international non-profit organisation with over 40 years’ experience in strengthening the quality of education systems in Africa, Asia and South America in close partnership with ministries of education and their institutions. We are looking for an M&E and Research Manager who will operate from our office in Lusaka.

Responsibilities or duties

Lead the M&E and Research team to ensure strong M&E and research systems and activities for all VVOB programmes in Zambia, in collaboration with the Education Manager, Project Coordinators and Strategic Advisors. Contribute to the overall management of the VVOB Zambia country programme.

Navigate between M&E, research, planning and strategic operations, ensuring that we collect and use qualitative and quantitative data to inform decisions about the programmes, while establishing effective feedback and learning mechanisms within the organization.

Provide expert leadership and guidance on how and when M&E and research activities (including impact evaluations) should take place to strengthen the programmes.

Support the M&E and Research team to plan, allocate and prioritise tasks to execute data collection, analysis and dissemination for cross-cutting learning and projects on specific topics of interest, both through regular programme monitoring and evaluation as well as rigorous research. Guide the team to deliver research activities with high quality, while ensuring IRB compliance and adhering to research ethics protocols.

Provide strong leadership (on-the-job mentoring, work-plan coaching, capacity development, change management) for direct reports, supporting a positive organizational culture. Mobilize the M&E and Research team and keep them on track to meet deliverables of high quality.

Foster good relationships with a range of stakeholders (other VVOB teams, in the Ministry, in donor and partner organizations, and in survey firms) to ensure that their needs and limitations are fully understood and incorporated into learning activities as far as possible, securing their cooperation and support.

Promote VVOB as a reliable partner and you represent our organization towards external stakeholders in the field.

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Demography, International Development, Research, or Policy related field or equivalent experience.

Fluent in English (English CEFR Level C1). Knowledge of local languages is an advantage.

Good understanding of the education landscape in Zambia.

Ability and willingness to travel frequently within the provinces.

Ability to inspire and motivate the M&E team, VVOB provincial staff and MoE staff to put in their very best!

Experience needed

At least 10 years of demonstrable experience in M&E and Research (including designing studies for monitoring and evaluation, budgeting and coordinating to implement them, analysing and disseminating results), preferably working on projects which strengthen government systems and structures. Experience with RCTs is an added advantage.

At least 5 years of experience in leading multicultural and effective M&E and Research teams in international development and projects of different donors.

Experience with project cycle management and institutional capacity development.

Technical skills in a range of data collection, cleaning and analysis software such as KoboCollect / SurveyCTO / ODK, MS Excel, Stata, PowerBI / Tableau, NVivo

• Lead the M&E and Research team to ensure strong M&E and research systems and activities for all VVOB programmes in Zambia, in collaboration with the Education Manager, Project Coordinators and Strategic Advisors. Contribute to the overall management of the VVOB Zambia country programme.
• Navigate between M&E, research, planning and strategic operations, ensuring that we collect and use qualitative and quantitative data to inform decisions about the programmes, while establishing effective feedback and learning mechanisms within the organization.
• Provide expert leadership and guidance on how and when M&E and research activities (including impact evaluations) should take place to strengthen the programmes.
• Support the M&E and Research team to plan, allocate and prioritise tasks to execute data collection, analysis and dissemination for cross-cutting learning and projects on specific topics of interest, both through regular programme monitoring and evaluation as well as rigorous research. Guide the team to deliver research activities with high quality, while ensuring IRB compliance and adhering to research ethics protocols.
• Provide strong leadership (on-the-job mentoring, work-plan coaching, capacity development, change management) for direct reports, supporting a positive organizational culture. Mobilize the M&E and Research team and keep them on track to meet deliverables of high quality.
• Foster good relationships with a range of stakeholders (other VVOB teams, in the Ministry, in donor and partner organizations, and in survey firms) to ensure that their needs and limitations are fully understood and incorporated into learning activities as far as possible, securing their cooperation and support.
• Promote VVOB as a reliable partner and you represent our organization towards external stakeholders in the field.

• KoboCollect / SurveyCTO / ODK
• MS Excel
• Stata
• PowerBI / Tableau
• NVivo

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Demography, International Development, Research, or Policy related field or equivalent experience.
• Fluent in English (English CEFR Level C1).
• Good understanding of the education landscape in Zambia.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently within the provinces.
• Ability to inspire and motivate the M&E team, VVOB provincial staff and MoE staff to put in their very best!