ECD Research, Monitoring, and Learning Manager - Erbil

Job Description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, the IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC Iraq program was established in 2003 and is currently providing humanitarian assistance in the sectors of child protection, women’s protection and empowerment, protection and rule of law, early childhood development, cash, livelihoods and governance. The IRC Iraq’s main office is based in Erbil, with field offices in Baghdad, Ninewa, Salah al-Din, Kirkuk and Anbar.

In Iraq, high-quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs have the potential to provide the foundation for children future academic success, health, prosperity, and wellbeing. A large body of scientific evidence emphasizes the need for increased investment in early childhood, particularly for children experiencing conflict, crisis and displacement; these children are extremely vulnerable to the long-lasting effects that prolonged stress has on the developing brain.

In December 2017, Sesame Workshop and the IRC were awarded the MacArthur Foundation’s inaugural 100&Change grant to make real progress toward solving a critical problem of our time. With the extraordinary investment of $100 million, our partnership will transform the language, early reading, math, and social-emotional skills of a generation of children ages 0-8 affected by the Syrian war. Focusing on children in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria over the next five years, the plan combines the depth of in-person services, reaching 1.5 million children, with the breadth of mass media, reaching 9.4 million children. For more information, please visit: http://refugee.sesameinternational.org/.

Job Overview/Summary:

The ECD Research, Monitoring, and Learning (RML) Manager will support the Iraq ECD team and the Regional Ahlan Simsim project team with implementation and oversight of the Ahlan Simsim Research, monitoring, and Learning. Key responsibilities include:

- Monitor the Ahlan Simsim/ECD activities conducted by IRC and partners in Iraq in accordance with Ahlan Simsim regional M&E plan and standards, - Design and manage systems for M&E data collection and data quality checks, - Track progress against targets, - Work with ECD team to use monitoring and research data in overall program learning, identify where course correction is needed, and formulate action plans to contribute to improving the quality of the program and to provide the necessary evidence for this through the data.

The ideal candidate must be highly organized, detail-oriented, flexible, and proactive, with demonstrated experienced in creating written work plans for monitoring and research data collection and reporting, successfully implementing plans to produce high quality data, and revising plans as needed to adjust to a dynamic context. The ideal candidate must also have excellent communication and collaboration skills as ECD/Ahlan Simsim activities work with many external partners, such as government ministries, Iraqi NGOs, and researchers from New York University. In addition, ECD/Ahlan Simsim activities are integrated into IRC’s activities in other sectors such as Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE), and Child Protection (CP). Therefore, coordinating M&E planning, data collection, and sharing of M&E data within and outside of IRC is an essential part of the ECD RML Manager’s job.

Major Responsibilities:

Research and Monitoring Planning and Management

- Create and regularly update (as needed) written work plans and data flow diagrams for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and research data collection, reporting, learning meetings, and data quality assessments. - Communicate M&E and research work plans and updates clearly to the Iraq ECD team, IRC partners, the IRC Regional Ahlan Simsim team, and external researchers from NYU; - Manage day-to-day tasks, annual goal setting and performance review, and professional development of the ECD Senior M&E Officer and ECD Information Management (IM) Officer; - Proactively coordinate with program staff with IRC colleagues and external partners in Iraq to ensure that M&E data collection and reporting are aligned with activity implementation schedules. Adjust research and M&E work plan as needed to align with any changes in activity schedules; - Follow existing Ahlan Simsim project research and M&E guidelines while also taking initiative to offer creative ideas for improving processes or use of data as needed; - Coordinate with Iraq MEAL team to ensure that the ECD team is contributing to Iraq country office MEAL as needed and that the Iraq MEAL team is able to collect Accountability data (client feedback) adhering to IRC’s requirements; - Travel on a frequent basis throughout Iraq for staff research and M&E training, management of research and M&E data collection, data quality assessments, and other tasks as needed; depending on activity schedule, travel frequency may change throughout the year (sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly); - Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions; - Follow IRC’s M&E standards for data quality, information management, and use of data for programmatic decision-making; - Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

Data Collection

- Ensure that M&E data collection is accurate, complete, timely, and standardized according to the Ahlan Simsim M&E plan; - Train ECD M&E staff and IRC Iraq program staff on M&E data collection tools (using Commcare software for monitoring of IRC services and other platforms, such as KOBO and ODK Collect, for partner services) and processes; - Provide continuous support to staff as needed during data collection; - Oversee regular data quality assessments (or manage other staff to conduct these assessments) according to process agreed upon with Ahlan Simsim Regional RML Lead and Coordinator. If any mistakes are found in data, report them to the ECD country team and Ahlan Simsim regional teams, correct data and reports, and adjust M&E processes to prevent similar mistakes in future; - Data quality assessments should include checks of the Ahlan Simsim unique ID system and updates to this system if needed to ensure accurate beneficiary lists which are essential in counting beneficiaries and also in sampling for M&E data collection; - Notify and follow up with the Iraq ECD Coordinator and Ahlan Simsim Regional RMEL coordinator regarding any challenges in M&E data collection or feedback from field teams on data collection tools and processes.

Information Management

- In collaboration with the IRC Iraq Information Management (IM) Officer, ensure that the IRC Iraq ECD team has a high-quality information management system for data collection, secure data storage, analysis, and reporting; - Provide ongoing oversight and guidance for maintenance and improvement of the information management system, which is built and maintained by IRC ECD IM Officer; - Oversee and advise IM Officer on use of Commcare.

Analysis, Reporting, and Learning

- Oversee analysis of M&E data by M&E Officer and conduct analysis when needed; - Report M&E data and M&E indicators on a monthly basis to the Regional Ahlan Simsim team and the Iraq ECD team, with analysis comparing program achievements and to overall annual targets for Ahlan Simsim M&E indicators; - Ensure that all M&E numbers in IRC internal reports, donor reports, and the Ahlan Simsim PowerBI dashboard are accurate and consistent; - Create graphs, tables, and other summaries of monitoring data as needed for reports to IRC, donors, or other internal and external stakeholders; - Plan for sharing of M&E data with IRC program staff from ECD, WPE, and CP teams, as well as partner teams, through multiple channels (weekly team meetings, learning sessions, PowerBI dashboard, etc.); ensure that IRC and partner program teams can easily access, understand, and use M&E data for program decision making and reporting.

M&E with Partners

- The IRC ECD team works with a variety of partners, including government ministries, Iraqi NGOs, and international NGOs. The RML manager must be able to collaborate with a variety of partners to understand their current monitoring and learning systems and then develop appropriate and sustainable partner systems for monitoring and learning in ECD programs. The RML manager will lead collaboration efforts with partners to create theories of change for programs, indicators, and data collection plans, and then lead on determining how IRC can support partners to collect, analyze, and learn from monitoring data.

Research

- In collaboration with NYU, the Ahlan Simsim project team, including the Iraq ECD team, may conduct research and evaluation on specific Ahlan Simsim programs. In research activities, the RML Manager is responsible for:

Research Design & Approvals

- Provide support for obtaining required approvals – IRC IRB, NYU IRB, and any local IRB or government approvals needed; - Review and provide inputs for detailed research design protocols;

Oversee data collection in the field

- Oversee process of hiring enumerators to collect quantitative and/or qualitative data as needed; - Design and update clear, written work plans for field data collection and data quality checks for research: - Oversee implementation of these work plans by IRC, ensuring that field data collection is accurate, standardized, complete, and timely according to the Ahlan Simsim project research process and standards; - Oversee, manage and contribute to data cleaning process conducted by IRC ECD IM Officer to correct any issues found in data; - During field data collection, report regularly on data collection progress and challenges encountered to the Iraq, ECD team, Regional RML lead, and any external partners involved in the research; - Collaborate with regional and Iraq ECD teams, and external partners to resolve challenges and produce high quality data for research.

Analysis, Reporting, and Learning

- Lead or co-lead on data analysis and reporting of results from impact evaluations; - Translate research results into user friendly-briefs, reports, Powerpoint presentations, and other products, for dissemination to non-research audiences, mainly IRC program staff and policymakers in Iraq; - Communicate research results to a variety of audiences, including IRC program staff and policymakers, and contribute to the process of using research results to inform and improve ECD interventions and policies in Iraq and globally.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: IRC Iraq ECD Coordinator Position directly supervises: ECD IM Officer, ECD Senior M&E Officer Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Iraq MEAL team, Ahlan Simsim Regional Research, Monitoring, and Learning Lead; Ahlan Simsim Regional Research, Monitoring, and Learning Coordinator; other IRC Iraq programs and support departments

External: New York University researchers, partner NGOs, partner Ministries

Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in International Development, Computer Science, Statistics, Social Sciences, Industrial Engineering, Business administration or related field; - At least 4-5 years of experience in designing and implementing research and/or M&E systems; - Minimum of 4-5 years of people management experience, proactively collaborating across teams and sectors; - Demonstrated experience in developing quantitative and qualitative data collection tools for research and M&E (e.g. surveys, structured observations, focus group discussions); - Demonstrated experience in leading a team to ensure high quality data collection, analysis, and reporting for research and M&E; - Demonstrated experience managing large scale quantitative, household data collection in the field; - Demonstrated experience and knowledge in cleaning and analysis of quantitative data (using Excel, SPSS, Stata, or similar software); - Demonstrated experience communicating complex research results to non-research audiences, including program teams and policymakers, and facilitating their use of - Demonstrated experience in facilitating use of research and/or M&E data for programmatic decisionmaking and learning, including developing dashboards or other reporting and visualization tools so that program staff can easily access, understand, and use data; - Strong computer literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint) - Demonstrated experience managing and conducting electronic data collection, especially Commcare. (Also ODK Collect and KOBO.) - Strong ability to work independently, organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, proactively coordinate multiple tasks, and maintain attention to detail; - Excellent interpersonal communication and problem-solving skills, creativity and flexibility; - Excellent written and oral communication skills; - Fluency in Arabic and English, written and oral. - Personal qualities: works well in and promotes teamwork and collaboration, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, detail-oriented, flexible, sense of humor, proactive, ability to work across various teams and stakeholders, able to handle pressure well, and deliver results under tight timelines.

Preferred:

- Over 1 year experience building data collection and management systems in Commcare; - Experience with use of R or Stata for data analysis; - Experience conducting randomized impact evaluations (or randomized controlled trials) of development or humanitarian interventions; - Experience in designing fun and easy to use data visualizations; - Experience and knowledge in analysis of qualitative data (using thematic analysis, preferably in NVivo, Atlas.ti, or similar software); - Experience collecting data from children; - Experience in M&E related to education and/or early childhood development (including collecting data from young children); - Experience in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI).

Working Environment:

The position is based in Erbil, with frequent travel to ECD Program locations.

Standards of Professional Conduct:

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Gender Equality

IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including maternity leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Attention Returning National Candidates:

IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of the country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, IRC has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply.

Notice to all Job Seekers

IRC implements an equal employment opportunity policy and our recruitment process is based on merit.

Applicants and/or successful interview candidates (both internal and external) are not required to pay any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.

If anyone asks you for any financial or non-financial favors to help you secure a job at IRC, kindly report to iraq.hr@rescue.org****.

ملاحظة لكل الباحثين عن وظيفة

تعتمد لجنة الانقاذ الدولية سياسة فرص عمل متساوية وان عملية التوظيف لدينا تعتمد على الجدارة .

لايتوجب على المتقدمين لاي وظيفة او المؤهلين للمقابلات (سواء كانوا موظفيين حالين او متقدمين من خارج المنظمة) دفع اي مبلغ مالي خلال اي مرحلة من مراحل التوظيف.

اذا قام اي شخص بطلب اي خدمة مالية او غير مالية لقاء مساعدتكم في تأمين فرصة عمل داخل المنظمة ،يرجى الابلاغ عن ذلك الى iraq.hr@rescue.org