Work Remotely as a Measurement, Monitoring, and Review (MMR) Lead at TaRL Africa: Apply 30 April 2025

Join TaRL Africa as the Measurement, Monitoring, and Review (MMR) Lead

Location: Nairobi, Cape Town, Lusaka, Abidjan, Abuja (or remote within Sub-Saharan Africa)

Department: Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE)

Position Type: Full-Time

Experience Level: Senior Manager/Supervisor

About TaRL Africa

Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa is an education initiative hosted by Empower Learning Africa, a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with regional teams and registered offices in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. TaRL Africa was established in 2019 as a partnership between Pratham and J-PAL, grounded in a bold mission: to ensure that every child across Africa acquires foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

Through its evidence-based TaRL approach, the initiative collaborates with governments and partner organizations to reach children most at risk of being left behind in school. TaRL Africa supports impactful program design, delivery, and scaling in more than 15 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, having already reached over five million children.

About the Role

Are you passionate about transforming education through data and learning? Do you believe in the power of evidence to drive policy and programmatic decisions? If yes, this could be the opportunity for you.

TaRL Africa is seeking a Measurement, Monitoring, and Review (MMR) Lead to head its Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) strategy across its country programs. Reporting directly to the Director of Programs, the MMR Lead will play a vital leadership role in designing MEL systems, supporting governments to use data effectively, and generating insights that improve foundational learning outcomes at scale.

This role offers a unique opportunity to blend strategy, technical expertise, innovation, and collaboration. It is ideal for a professional who enjoys navigating complex systems, working closely with governments, and ensuring that data leads to real, tangible improvements in children’s learning.

Key Responsibilities

1. Technical Assistance to Governments (40%)

• Co-develop literacy and numeracy assessment tools in partnership with national governments across 15+ countries.
• Support the development and refinement of lean, actionable MMR systems integrated within national education structures.
• Facilitate the harmonization of foundational learning assessment frameworks and dashboards across programs.
• Lead capacity-strengthening initiatives for government officials, TaRL staff, and implementing partners on effective data use.

2. Internal MEL System Leadership (30%)

• Shape and execute TaRL Africa’s MEL strategy, ensuring it aligns with programmatic goals and organizational learning needs.
• Oversee the design and rollout of monitoring systems that capture progress, identify implementation challenges, and support decision-making.
• Maintain MEL tools and processes that are user-friendly and adaptable across country contexts.
• Champion a learning culture across the organization, promoting regular data reflection and adaptation.

3. Data Analysis and Learning (15%)

• Conduct rigorous data analysis to determine what works and why within TaRL interventions.
• Produce compelling reports, visualizations, and dashboards tailored for policymakers, funders, and program teams.
• Synthesize findings into clear, actionable recommendations to improve and scale TaRL models

4. Team Leadership (15%)

• Lead and mentor a central MEL team of 6–7 professionals across Nigeria and Kenya.
• Provide strategic direction and operational oversight to ensure high team performance, collaboration, and accountability.
• Foster a supportive environment where learning and innovation are encouraged.

Ideal Qualifications and Experience

Education: Advanced degree in Education, Statistics, Economics, International Development, Social Sciences, or a related field.

Experience:

• 7–10 years of MEL experience, ideally in education or international development contexts in Africa.
• Strong background in both quantitative and qualitative research, with familiarity in tools such as EGRA/EGMA.
• Hands-on experience designing MEL systems within government frameworks is essential.
• Proficiency in data analysis (Excel, R, STATA, SPSS) and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).
• Clear, compelling communication skills—especially when engaging with senior government officials and diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Attributes and Skills

• Experience with the TaRL approach or similar foundational learning interventions is a plus.
• Experience leading large-scale data collection efforts in low-resource settings.
• French or Portuguese proficiency is advantageous.
• Ability to manage complexity, maintain attention to detail, and adapt in dynamic environments.

Core Competencies

Strategic Thinking: Aligns data systems with broader organizational and governmental goals.

Analytical Acumen: Distills insights from complex data to drive action.

Collaborative Leadership: Builds trusted relationships across internal and external teams.

Effective Communication: Tells compelling stories with data to influence change.

Problem-Solving: Navigates ambiguity and implements practical solutions.

Integrity & Passion: Upholds TaRL Africa’s mission to improve learning outcomes for the most vulnerable children.

TaRL Africa Core Values

1. We put children’s learning first.

2. We are always learning, improving, and innovating.

3. We are locally rooted for high-quality delivery and sustainable impact.

4. We are kind, respectful, and collaborative. 5. We are proactive, committed to integrity, and doing our best each day.

Ready to Apply? Interested candidates should complete the online application form and upload their CV and relevant details. Be sure to confirm your eligibility based on education and experience.

Deadline to Apply: 30 April 2025

Visit TaRL Africa Careers to learn more and submit your application.

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