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Senior Officer – MEL (HERI -Africa)
About HERI Africa
Zizi Afrique Foundation (ZAF) is hiring a Senior Officer – MEL on behalf of The Harnessing Education Research for Impact (HERI) in Africa which is a new initiative bringing together a range of collaborators from government, universities, and civil society research organizations. The vision of HERI is to increase the productivity and impact of education research in Africa, from the current 3% to 30% by 2050, and ensure that education research in Africa is making impact on communities and society at large. This is a groundbreaking long-term initiative, seeking to improve learning outcomes, transitions and mobility of young people on the African continent through the revitalization of and use of research to accelerate progress in education and training in Africa. Though HERI is a Pan-African initiative, this position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya
Scope of work
The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Senior Officer will be responsible for overseeing and enhancing the Harnessing Education Research for Impact in Africa (HERI-Africa’s) performance tracking functions within Zizi Afrique Foundation. The role focuses on ensuring that HERI-Africa has robust performance tracking systems, high-quality data, timely reporting, and a strong learning agenda that informs program implementation, donor reporting, and adaptive decision-making.
Specific roles and responsibilities (Not limited to);
- Develop and roll out a MEL framework tailored for the HERI-Africa program, aligned with ZAF’s organizational MEL strategy.
- Promote a culture of accountability and learning within the HERI-Africa program team.
- Build the capacity of program staff and partners to integrate MEL into program implementation.
- Develop user-friendly reporting systems for program-level data and results.
- Define and track HERI-Africa program performance indicators.
- Refine and maintain the HERI-Africa Theory of Change (ToC) and results framework.
- Ensure HERI-Africa indicators align with program objectives, outcomes, donor requirements and ZAF strategic outcomes.
- Facilitate periodic ToC reviews with program staff and partners to test assumptions and track relevance.
- Support integration of research evidence into the program ToC reviews and adjustments.
- Develop and manage HERI-Africa data collection and performance monitoring systems.
- Ensure timely collection, storage, management, and analysis of program data.
- Produce accurate and timely program MEL reports (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual) for ZAF and donors.
- Support the preparation of HERI-Africa’s contributions to ZAF’s Organizational Impact Report.
- Facilitate HERI-Africa learning reviews, reflection sessions, and after-action reviews.
- Translate program data into actionable insights for program teams, partners, and stakeholders.
- Document and share lessons, success stories, and case studies from the HERI-Africa program.
- Contribute to the HERI-Africa learning agenda and ensure evidence feeds into program adaptation and ZAF learning agenda.
- Lead annual MEL planning for HERI-Africa, ensuring alignment with ZAF and donor requirements.
- Develop MEL strategies, indicators, targets, and data collection tools specific to HERI-Africa, and consistent with ZAF MEL standards.
- Ensure timely submission of high-quality reports backed by credible evidence.
- Provide day-to-day technical guidance to HERI-Africa program staff and consultants on MEL matters.
- Liaise with the ZAF MEL Manager to ensure HERI-Africa MEL aligns with organizational standards.
c. Perform other program-related duties as assigned.
Desirable Skills and Qualifications
- Master’s degree in social science, statistics, project management, Monitoring and Evaluation or a related field.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is preferred.
- At least three (5) years of demonstrated experience in monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning of complex development
programs, preferably in NGOs. - Experience in education, research-to-policy, or evidence-use programs is desirable.
- Proficiency with statistical software and tools (e.g., SPSS, KOBO Toolbox, ODK).
- Demonstratable ability to develop and implement MEL plans.
- Budgeting, financial planning, and reporting experience.
- Excellent organizational and editorial skills.
- Confidentiality and discretion in handling sensitive information.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders, with good oral and
written communication skills. - Strong analytical, problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making.
- Strong leadership and people management skills with a proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams.
- Excellent strategic planning and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
- Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
- Agile worker, future oriented and a strategic thinker.
Work environment and compensation
- ZAF offers a very competitive package that includes a family medical cover, pension scheme, annual leave of 25 working days, and
other benefits. - The position will be based in Nairobi, with a physical office and flexible work-from-home possibilities and occasional travels to the
project areas. - The job is often not an 8 am – 5 pm job. The job has flexibility, and is also demanding, requiring high skills of work-life balance, and
a strong sense of responsibility. - Work hours – Minimum of 40 hours per week.
- Experience is needed to work in a self-driven and ambitious, fast – paced environment, carrying the heavy responsibility of
delivering the mission and vision of ZAF.
Applications for this role closed on the 17th of October 2025.