Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Director 

POSITION TITLE:  Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Director  

LOCATION: Hanoi, Vietnam 

GROUP: Agriculture, Resilience, and Water  

REPORTS TO:  Chief of Party   

POSITION SUMMARY:  

Winrock is seeking applications for the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Director for an anticipated five-year U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress Activity in Vietnam.     

The Activity aims to address increase the production and trade of agricultural goods in Vietnam. The MEL Director is responsible for developing and overseeing all aspects of the activity’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning plans, data management, planning, research agenda, and evidence activities. S/he develops data collection tools, evaluations, and research studies; trains staff and implementing partners; monitors progress toward program results; provides up-to-date learning and adaptation; reports on performance information; leads collaborative learning activities (CLA), including leveraging data for annual pause-and-reflect sessions and adaptive management; oversees baseline, endline, and other research using international best practices; and supervises project MEL staff. 

  POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Develop and implement the project’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan. Design monitoring and evaluation tools and processes, including baseline assessment framework.  

• Coordinate with the project technical team to ensure timely collection, verification, and analysis of data on all project indicators and their timely delivery for quarterly and other required reports to USDA and other agencies, as appropriate.  

• Monitor progress toward project results.  

• Supervise timely and accurate reporting of quantitative and qualitative data by implementing partners, in cooperation with project staff.  

• Validate data from project partners and staff, including through field monitoring visits.  

• Cooperate closely with Winrock home office to consolidate accurate and descriptive reporting of project results, including activities, outputs, and results of implementing partners.  

• Lead data quality controls and verification procedures.  

• Ensure collection of data related to gender and social inclusion.  

• Foster a results-oriented and learning culture throughout the project to ensure that monitoring data and learning are used by the project team to improve performance.  

• Conduct data analysis and prepare data visualization (e.g., tables and charts) for different users.  

• Design/update data collection instruments, schedules, analysis methods and applied technologies.  

• Oversee internal research and evaluation efforts of the project, from the design stage to sharing findings and preparing for external evaluations.  

• Develop capacity of local partners to comply with MEL requirements and improve internal MEL capacity within their organizations.  

• Lead Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) approaches throughout implementation.  

• Co-facilitate Pause-and-Reflect sessions to capture learning, introduce improvements, and achieve meaningful results.  

• Guide the project’s learning agenda. 

• Submit data to USDA’s FAIS reporting system on a timely basis, and coordinate with Home Office MEL staff to develop and implement a data management plan.  

• Participate in Winrock’s M&E Community of Practice  

• Other duties as assigned.  

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:  

Education: Master’s level degree in social science discipline, such as statistics, public health, public policy, economics, or a related field, and/or specialized training/certification in monitoring & evaluation.  

Work Experience:  

• At least eight years’ experience in the monitoring & evaluation of international development projects, preferably in agriculture and/or trade, or a related field.   

• Demonstrated experience in performance measurement, indicator selection and monitoring, and data collection/analysis   

• Experience managing large M&E databases and conducting timely data analysis and developing reports. SQL database experience preferred.   

• Experience with mobile data collection strongly preferred.  

• Relevant experience training staff and partners in M&E.  

Skills/Knowledge:  

• Strong skills in adapting existing results frameworks for project design, monitoring, and evaluation.  

• Knowledge of agriculture and ag related trade, or other related sector.  

• Strong skills in training design and facilitation.  

• Familiarity with USDA’s monitoring and evaluation policy and PMP requirements strongly preferred.  

• Ability to write clearly, accurately, and concisely.  

• Strong computer skills in word processing, database management, statistical analysis, survey, and presentation software.   

• Fluency in English and Vietnamese is required. 

Winrock is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal treatment for all people. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by law. 

At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity and transformation.