Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Associate

Job Summary:

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day-to-day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks, include:â â â

Excellence- We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom- We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion and the power of global collaboration. Transparency- We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Associate will be responsible for providing MEL and administrative support, as part of IRI’s M&E team, to IRI program staff on program design, performance monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

This is a hybrid role based in Washington, DC.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

Provides general support to ELP, including administrative support, developing and tracking work plans, monitoring deadlines and deliverables, drafting ELP update newsletters, and other relevant project-related elements.

Supports efforts to monitor and evaluate IRI programs worldwide by facilitating MEL consults and reflection sessions, drafting data collection tools, assisting with basic qualitative and quantitative data cleaning and analysis, and contributing to reports.

Reviews MEL elements of proposals, indicator tables and reports to ensure compliance with funder requirements and IRI’s internal best practices and approaches.

Supports MEL training and MEL capacity building of program staff by providing logistical and facilitation support during ELP’s trainings, managing ELP’s training calendar, and helping draft and update related deliverables such as MEL training guides, guidance notes and similar tools and handouts.

Supports IRI-wide data quality audit processes, conducts project document and indicator data review for quality issues.

Provides logistical support for meetings and events; manages ELP’s events calendar.

Supports IRI’s communication strategy including IRI’s branding and outreach plans on projects assigned, including drafting and updating program summaries and other outreach materials, drafts web stories, tweets, etc.

Occasional travel to difficult locations outside the U.S. may be required.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements

Undergraduate degree in political science, international relations, or related field.

0-1 year of experience in international development, MEL, research, or related field.

Strong organizational skills, ability to multi-task, and attention to detail required.

Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint required.

Excellent writing, research, and communication skills required.

Familiarity with common MEL elements such as: logic models, performance monitoring plans and indicator matrices preferred but not required.

Familiarity with US government grants and cooperative agreements (or similar funding mechanisms) through USAID and U.S. Department of State is a plus.

Familiarity with both qualitative and quantitative data analysis software, such as Dedoose, NVivo, SPSS, STATA, R or AtlasTI is a plus.

Proficiency in another language (in addition to English) is a plus