Global Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager
Washington, DC or Shoreview, MN
Background:
Since 1981, Land O’Lakes International Development has applied an integrated approach to international economic development that capitalizes on our company’s 90 years as a leading farm-to-market agribusiness. We enable farmers and businesses in developing countries to become resilient, profitable and achieve growth through innovative, market-driven approaches to agriculture and enterprise development. Our decades-long affiliation with one of the largest agricultural cooperatives in the U.S. means we deeply understand farmers, livestock & dairy, crops, cooperatives and agribusinesses, how to strengthen agriculture technologies and entire market systems. We harness our unique capabilities as an agribusiness cooperative to help farmers and businesses achieve profitable growth.
Position Summary:
Land O’Lakes is seeking a highly motivate, dynamic individual to serve as a Global Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (GMEL) Manager. The GMEL Manager will spend the majority of their time (80%) providing monitoring, evaluation and research leadership and technical expertise to new business development efforts at Land O’Lakes. This will include generating learnings from current and past projects to inform new opportunities, ensuring that all project designs are evidenced-based and underpinned by causal models, and designing innovative monitoring, evaluation and learning plans for proposals. This position will also spend a small portion of their time (20%) overseeing a portfolio of current projects to support project teams to implement high quality monitoring, evaluation, and learning plans. The project portfolio will be selected to ensure exposure to a diverse set of Land O’Lakes interventions, so that GMEL Manager is better able to support similar new business development efforts in the future.
Primary Responsibilities:
Primary responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to the following:
Contribute to thought leadership on the direction of monitoring, evaluation and learning at Land O’Lakes, especially as it relates to monitoring, evaluation and learning strategies for new business development;
Keep up to date with and share learning about state of the art approaches to monitoring, evaluation and learning tied to emerging trends and essential topics with Land O’ Lakes’ priority donors, for example measuring systemic change for market systems programs;
Ensure that all project designs are underpinned by evidence and high quality causal models:
Assess the data needs for new opportunities, and in conjunction with the capture manager/proposal lead, include a data collection and/or analysis plan in each capture plan, ensuring the necessary data to inform the causal model development will be available;
Create data collection scopes of work and data collection tools for internal data collection at capture and proposal stage;
Review scopes of work and data collection tools for external data collection at capture and proposal stage;
Conduct analyses and compile reports using existing project data and secondary data sources to provide evidence and recommendations to inform project design;
Lead the project design team in causal model development for each proposal, and validate the final version of the causal model;
Approve the job description and actively participate in recruitment and selection of proposed project M&E staff;
Train the new business development and other Land O’Lakes staff on causal model development and basic data collection methods;
Develop summary monitoring, evaluation and learning plans for proposals, including an overview on how monitoring and evaluation will be carried out using innovative and rigorous approaches, and selecting appropriate indicators to measure progress;
Collaborate with subject area experts to set indicator targets, informed by existing project data;
Oversee the implementation of monitoring, evaluation and learning plans for a small portfolio of project:
Support to the project M&E specialist in finalizing the monitoring, evaluation, and learning plans and data collection tools;
Provide advice, as needed, to the project M&E specialist as they implement the plan
Review project reports;
Conduct annual data quality assessments;
Provide oversight for internal and external evaluations;
Support department and organizational-level initiatives, including the collection of a set of standardized indicators across projects, the development of an integrated strategy for new business development, and the implementation of action items from the program quality initiative, which engaged each department to identify key areas where they can continue to contribute to the improvement of program quality;
Promote a culture of learning, data analysis and reflection within Land O’ Lakes, in collaboration with key departments, through leading and supporting learning events, holding relevant trainings with staff, and strategic communications with key headquarters and project leaders; and
Represent the organization externally in professional working groups and events.
Reporting & Supervision:
The GMEL Manager will be a part of the Global Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team, and will report to the Global Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Senior Manager.
Required Skills & Qualifications:
A Master’s level degree in economics, agricultural economics, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, or related field;
Minimum 5 years’ experience in monitoring, evaluation, and research in developing countries specific to the tasks above, experience with agriculture projects preferred;
Proven successful experience using causal models (e.g.log frame) and theories of change development to support successful project design and implementation;
Excellent quantitative and qualitative research, analysis and evaluation skills;
Proficiency in common statistical software including Stata, SPSS, etc.;
Experience with electronic data capture and analysis platforms;
Experience providing MEL support to projects funded by USAID, USDA, and other donor-agencies;
Ability to work well independently, and function effectively as a member of a geographically dispersed team;
Excellent writing, presentation, and facilitation skills;
Ability to manage many priorities simultaneously; and
Ability to travel overseas up to 25% of the time.
Desired Skills and Qualifications:
Familiarity with evolving best practice to measure systemic change preferred;
Fluency in French preferred; and
A sense of humor is a plus.
Please note only finalists will be contacted. No phone calls please.
We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Land O’Lakes enforces a policy of maintaining a drug-free workforce, including pre-employment substance abuse testing.
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