Senior Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning at Grassroot Soccer

Job Description

The Senior Manager should thrive in a matrixed organisation and be adept at coordinating with all Global functions, including Global Programs, Business Development, Fundraising, Marketing & Communications, and Finance & Operations.

Primary Responsibilities:

Lead GRS’s Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Cycle (40%)

Set the strategic direction for MEL, ensuring alignment with GRS’s Global Theory of Change and organisational priorities.
Manage two global MEL staff (Assistant Systems Analyst & Developer, Coordinator, MEL) and provide functional guidance to MEL staff in Impact Teams.
Ensure Impact Team staff are trained in data collection, MEL systems, consistent quantitative indicators, and the use of data for decision-making.
Partner with the Research Manager to design and implement rapid learning cycle assessments that generate actionable insights for programme adaptation.
Lead the creation and rollout of implementation standards and process indicators to assess and improve programme quality alongside results data.
Deploy and manage dedicated paid data collectors in priority geographies to strengthen data quality and timeliness.

Strengthen MEL Tools, Systems, Indicators and Data Quality (30%)

Oversee the design and implementation of MEL plans, systems, and processes, ensuring standardised quantitative indicators are used across all programmes and countries.
Lead GRS’s transition to and optimisation of mobile-based MEL systems, improving real-time data access and quality.
Chair the Salesforce Governance Committee, ensuring the platform holds all data needed for organisational KPIs and is supported by strong governance protocols.
Explore and pilot the integration of AI tools into MEL systems and processes to improve data collection efficiency, analysis, visualisation, and reporting.
Establish and enforce annual and mid-year cut-off dates for data input to improve timeliness and accountability.
Conduct routine data quality assessments and verification protocols, with feedback loops to field and partner teams.
Analyse the global dataset to identify trends, risks, and dependencies such as reliance on certain partners or delivery models, and advise senior leadership on implications for MEL systems and resources.
Expand the use of Salesforce to replace key spreadsheets, prioritising data of greatest organisational value and risk.

Leadership, Learning, and External Collaboration (30%)

Build a culture of learning across GRS by integrating MEL and research insights into programme design, strategic planning, and organisational decision-making.
Oversee preparation of MEL and learning outputs, including Tableau dashboards, data visualisations, and narrative briefs.
Lead the analysis of programme cost-effectiveness to inform strategic resource allocation, programme design, and donor engagement.
Establish a standard internal annual global reporting template as the single source of truth for organisational results, accompanied by analysis of key trends and drivers.
Collaborate closely with Fundraising, Institutional Philanthropy, and Marketing & Communications to ensure MEL insights and consistent quantitative impact measures are effectively integrated into donor proposals, reports, and public communications.
Facilitate regular learning forums such as quarterly learning calls to share global data, evaluation results, and thematic insights across geographies.
Manage the MEL budget, aligning resources with organisational learning and impact priorities.
The ideal candidate should hold qualifications and demonstrate exceptional skills in the following areas:

Qualifications

Master’s degree or higher in public health, business, social sciences, or a related field.
8 – 10 years of progressive management experience.
Proven expertise in both qualitative and quantitative programme evaluation methods in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Experience applying technology solutions, including AI tools, to strengthen MEL systems and processes is strongly preferred.
Preferred expertise in MEL in one or more of the following areas for programs in Sub-Saharan Africa: implementation science, adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), HIV and AIDS, and mental health.
Experience in programme cost-effectiveness analysis and using cost data to inform decision-making is an asset.