Senior MERL Officer
Job Description
JOB DESCRIPTION
| JOB TITLE | Senior MERL Officer |
| LOCATION | Freetown, Sierra Leone, with regular travel to districts, schools, teacher training institutions and other programme locations as required. |
| REPORTING AND MANAGEMENT | Reports to the MERL Manager and works closely with the Technical Director, Delivery Leads and government counterparts across the LEAD, TRAIN, RECRUIT and MOTIVATE pillars. Collaborates with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE), Teaching Service Commission (TSC), West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), National Council for Technical, Vocational and other Academic Awards (NCTVE), district education offices, schools, research institutions and implementing partners. |
| JOB SUMMARY | This role sits within the forthcoming Leaders in Teaching (LiT) Sierra Leone programme, a Government of Sierra Leone initiative to be implemented by Le Wi Lan (LWL), in partnership with Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL) and other partners, with funding support from the Mastercard Foundation. LWL is a Sierra Leonean-led organisation committed to advancing education transformation nationally. Its vision is transformed education for development in Sierra Leone, and its mission is to provide educational technical assistance in close partnership with government to promote quality education and inclusive growth. The Senior MERL Officer will support the design, implementation and strengthening of the programme’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) systems across all four pillars of the Leaders in Teaching (LiT) Sierra Leone programme: LEAD, TRAIN, RECRUIT and MOTIVATE. The role will place particular emphasis on strengthening the capacity of government education data systems and education system actors at national, district, school and Teacher Training Institution levels to collect, analyse and use reliable data and evidence from schools and Teacher Training Institutions for planning, performance improvement, accountability and decision-making. |
| ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES (Will include but not be limited to) | 1. Monitoring and Data Management • Support implementation of programme monitoring framework and indicators. • Coordinate routine data collection, verification and management. • Support the strengthening and use of government education data systems to capture reliable school and Teacher Training Institution data across programme locations. 2. Evaluation and Research • Support evaluations, surveys and research studies. • Develop and manage data collection tools. |
| • Ensure research and evaluation activities generate practical evidence that informs government and programme decision-making. 3. Data Analysis, Reporting and Learning • Analyse quantitative and qualitative data from schools, Teacher Training Institutions and programme activities. • Support donor and programme reporting. • Facilitate learning and reflection sessions with government counterparts, district education offices, schools, Teacher Training Institutions and programme teams to promote evidence-informed decisions. 4. Data Quality Assurance and Capacity Strengthening • Conduct data quality assessments. • Train staff, government counterparts and partners on MERL tools, data systems and data use. • Strengthen the capacity of education system actors at national, district, school and Teacher Training Institution levels to interpret data, identify trends and apply evidence to planning, monitoring, accountability and improvement processes. 5. Safeguarding, Inclusion and Quality Assurance • Promote safeguarding, gender equity and disability inclusion. 6. Other Duties • Undertake any other reasonable duties assigned by the MERL Manager or programme leadership. | |
| CANDIDATE SPECIFICATION | • Bachelor’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Social Sciences, or related field. • Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in MERL. • Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills. • Experience using Excel, Power BI, SPSS, STATA, KoboToolbox, ODK or similar tools. • Strong report writing and communication skills. • Knowledge of Sierra Leone’s education sector is desirable. • Commitment to safeguarding, gender equity and disability inclusion. • Willingness to travel regularly within Sierra Leone. |
| POSITIONS | 1 Position |
Job Descriptions
This link contains full details of each role, including responsibilities and requirements – https://bit.ly/lwlslJDsPhaseII.
How to Apply: Applicants should submit a copy of their CV and a cover letter explaining why they are suitable for the role which they are applying for.
