WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist, is part of the Project Finance for Permanence team within the Global Protect Oceans, Lands, and Waters Business Unit, and will report to the GEF Project Manager. The MEL Specialist is responsible for: 1) the delivery of the monitoring, evaluation, and learning outcomes of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded award, undertaken as part of the broader Enduring Earth Partnership; and 2) the monitoring of project activities and processes to ensure conformity with WWF's (the GEF Agency for the Project) Environmental and Social (ESS) Standards and effective delivery of the ESMF and other safeguards documents for the project as well as the project's gender action plans.
The MEL Specialist is a core team member of the Project Management Unit (PMU) managing a complex, multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary project. The GEF funded Enduring Earth Project aims to accelerate sustainable finance solutions to achieve durable conservation. The Project will catalyze conservation initiatives in Gabon and Namibia, and help to design a multi-country, durable finance mechanism in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama) to advance the achievement of goals set under the Global Biodiversity Framework and other development objectives. Implementation of the project will be done through the Enduring Earth partnership with three different partners leading national level implementation in each geography. A further component of the project is contributing to the knowledge base to accelerate future scaling in new geographies.
The MEL Specialist is responsible for all monitoring, evaluation, learning and related activities associated with the GEF-funded project, including tracking and reporting project implementation against project work plans and reporting progress towards outcome indicator targets. The MEL Specialist will also monitor implementation of the Project's ESMFs (Environmental and Social Management Frameworks) and gender action plans ensuring that safeguards requirements are effectively and timeously met. They will coordinate communication and reporting requirements in all matters pertaining to project monitoring and reporting with the sub-project teams. Technical support for this work will be provided by TNC subject matter experts or relevant teams within the Enduring Earth partnership.
The MEL Specialist will:
- coordinate MEL processes across project partners, ensure a shared understanding of MEL requirements, ensure timely collection of information, prepare and submit progress reports, and ensure that MEL activities support learning and adaptive management.
- maintain the overall MEL system of the project and will assist the Project Manager in preparing the 6-month and 12-month technical progress reports, and contributing technical updates on progress and challenges in the quarterly financial reports to WWF GEF. Through the collection and analysis of data inputs from project partners (gender disaggregated as required in the results framework),
- be responsible for reflecting on and adapting the project theory of change.
- ensure that activities result in the achievement of intended outputs and outcomes in a cost effective and timely manner, and that any challenges that may arise during implementation are brought to the attention of the PMU and Project Steering Committee(s).
- contribute to project team discussions regarding adaptive management.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOU
We're looking for someone with strong experience in supporting a diverse, multi-disciplinary team. The ideal candidate should have exceptional communication and collaboration skills and experience designing, organizing, and directing complex projects. They will be comfortable serving as a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning subject matter expert on our team, as well as monitoring compliance with the safeguards requirements for the GEF funded Enduring Earth Project.
The MEL Specialist develops and maintains systems to collect and analyze information on outputs and outcomes of the GEF-funded project, as well as coordinates the work of safeguards staff in this GEF project. They manage the project's core MEL needs as well as monitor safeguards requirements and implement these functions in accordance with the commitments to and requirements of GEF, WWF and TNC.
This includes, but is not limited to:
- Organizing and supervising the data collection of project indicators, entering the data into the monitoring database, analyzing the monitoring data, producing monitoring reports and documenting lessons learned and success stories;
- Monitoring implementation of WWF's ESS Standards as established in the GEF Project's safeguards documents, collecting and reporting grievances from the country-level Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRMs) in Gabon and Namibia, and providing strategic guidance to project implementation.
WHAT YOU'LL BRING
- Master's Degree in science related field and 2 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience coordinating and working with cross functional teams.
- Experience developing and implementing complex projects or strategic initiatives in an unstructured environment.
- Experience researching, synthesizing, interpreting and communicating scientific information.
- Experience preparing reports of findings.
- Experience working and communicating with a wide range of people.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Excellent report writing, analytical and communication skills, including oral presentation skills, knowledge management and dissemination of findings in English.
- Experience with donor-funded project monitoring and evaluation processes, indicators, data quality control and reporting requirements.
- Experience incorporating project learning into adaptive management and knowledge management systems.
WHAT WE BRING
Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world!
TNC offers competitive and comprehensive benefits packages tailored to the individual countries where we work. These may include health care benefits, retirement benefits, parental leave, paid time off, life insurance, and disability coverage as well as an employee assistance program and other life and well-being benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.
We're proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports the health and well-being of the people we employ.
SALARY INFORMATION
This position may be based in any country where TNC has an established entity, taking into consideration legal restrictions, such as non-national ratios and immigration processing times. For U.S. based applicants only, the starting pay range for this position is generally within the range of $65,300 to $103,500 for annual base salary and is based on location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience.
