Room to Read - Senior Manager Research Monitoring & Evaluation - Tanzania

SENIOR

MANAGER RESEARCH, MONITORING AND EVALUATION TANZANIA

AUGUST 2023

About Room to Read

Room to Read believes that World Change Starts with Educated Children.

We envision a world where children can pursue a quality education that prepares them to be fulfilled and make positive change — in their families, communities and the world.

Founded in 2000, Room to Read is achieving this goal by providing support during the two most critical time periods in a child’s education: primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls’ education.

Our Literacy Program trains and coaches teachers, creates quality books and curricular materials and establishes libraries filled with diverse children’s books in local languages that can be enjoyed at school or home.

Room to Read collaborates with local communities, partner organizations and governments to test and implement innovative models that can be integrated into the education system to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale.

To date, Room to Read has reached 23 million children in over 48,000 communities across Bangladesh, Cambodia, Grenada, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Vietnam and Zambia, and plans to benefit 40 million children by 2025.

Private Sector Brain, Nonprofit Heart

We’re people from around the world, from diverse industries, who are passionate about education. Taking best practices from our diverse disciplines, we live our values by improving lives. We’re personally invested in the nations where we work; from places like Tanzania and South Africa to Bangladesh and Cambodia, 87% of us are from the countries where we work.

Ever a learning organization, we take calculated risks and use creativity to accomplish goals. And we build upon our partnerships to grow sustainably and create systemic change around the world.

Best In Class

Efficient Financially, Effective Globally

We maximize our resources and hold ourselves accountable to our partner communities, investors, and internal stakeholders. We set ambitious, measurable goals and track them.

Our programs and fiscal efficiency have earned consistently positive recognition from the media, as well as from leaders in the nonprofit and corporate sectors. We are proud to have a reputation that is strong and authentic as an innovative leader in global education. Our work and impact is validated by respected journalists, academics, policy makers and our peers. Learn more

The Role

Role: Senior Manager Research, Monitoring and Evaluation

Location: Dar es Salaam

The Senior Manager RM&E role manages and oversees all aspects of the Tanzania Country office’s RM&E and coordinates with the Global RM&E team on a full range of RM&E activities.

This position reports to the Country Director and has three direct reports and is a part of the Country Management Team.

Responsibilities

Design and Implementation of RM&E Activities (60%)

• Oversee the implementation of Room to Read’s reading and life skills evaluation data collection, ensuring data collection is conducted in accordance with Room to Read’s protocols and best practices in the field.

• Provide technical assistance on the development and adaptation of instruments and assessments to be used in support of RM&E projects in Tanzania.

• Develop research proposals and designs specific to Room to Read Tanzania’s portfolio and context.

• Lead the analysis and reporting of Project Implementation Monitoring data, collaborating with Country Office leadership and Program Teams to reflect on findings and incorporate lessons learned into design and implementation.

• Conduct regular site visits to active program sites to ensure compliance with implementation monitoring and other data collection activities, following up with Operations and Program colleagues to remediate issues.

• Ensure high quality collection and reporting of global indicator data and coordinate global indicator reflection with Country Office and Global Office colleagues.

• Provide input into donor reporting with a focus on learning and evaluation results.

• Lead evaluation result review process with Program colleagues to identify improvements in program design and implementation.

• Collaborate with Global RM&E team members (especially the GO RM&E Manager for Africa based in Nairobi) to enhance global RM&E products and guidance.

Team Leadership and Capacity Building (25%)

• Ensure the Tanzania Country Office has the staff and technical capacity to implement required activities.

• Build the capacity of RM&E staff to implement high quality data collection and relevant analysis of implementation monitoring data.

• As needed, develop Terms of Reference for consultants, data collection firms or individual data collectors and manage execution of activities.

• In collaboration with team members, develop goals and professional development plans to advance organizational and individual goals.

Thought leadership (15%)

• Facilitate the dissemination of research/ evaluation reports to Room to Reads Country Office staff and local stakeholders, including government officials, academia and other local partners.

• Stay informed about research, evaluation and measurement methods in our program areas and translate that knowledge into improved practices for the TZCO RM&E team.

• Identify partnership opportunities in Tanzania aligned with Room to Read’s Strategic Plan to increase thought-leadership of Room to Read.

• Represent Room to Read and our RM&E work and results with a variety of stakeholders (e.g., government, funders, partners) in Tanzania.

Candidate profile

Required:

• Must be a Tanzanian National.

• Advanced degree in social sciences or relevant field. Ideally with a focus on research, economics, or statistics.

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in research and evaluation in international development, with a specialisation in education programs. This should include a minimum of 6 years in a managerial role leading multidisciplinary or skilled teams.

• Proven technical competence in research, monitoring and evaluation methods.

• Strong quantitative analysis skills, including expertise in data software packages like Stata, SPSS, or SAS. Additional qualitative analysis skills are advantageous.

• Proficient in strategic planning and skilled in capacity-building.

• A demonstrated track record in implementing and overseeing large-scale data collection and monitoring processes is required.

• Previous experience working with schools, specifically in girls’ education, teachers, administrators, and government officials, is a requirement.

• Fluency in both written and spoken Kiswahili is required, along with excellent command of written and spoken skills in English.

• Demonstrated initiative, effective leadership skills, and a collaborative team player.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills with a proven ability to build and nurture stakeholder relationships.

• Ability to travel.

How to Apply

Previous candidates need not reapply.

All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter as two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process.

The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

The documents should be saved in MS Word in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last Name-Document Name-Date (mmyyyy) e.g., Malika-Cook-CV-082023-R2R.

Timeline

Closing Date

1 October 2023

Final interviews

TBC

About Oxford HR

Equality Statement

Room to Read is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds. Staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.

Selection Process

All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.

Queries

If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email roomtoread-tz@ oxfordhr.co.uk in the first instance.

Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development and charity sectors. We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy.

Oxford HR has many years of experience in search as well as an extensive network of international development, social sector, corporate, public sector, and academic contacts from across the world. We carry out comprehensive and often international searches designed to meet the specific needs of our client.