MERL Manager

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a private, non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967. It seeks sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill-health with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous and other resource poor regions, primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its main areas of focus are education, health, rural development, environment and strengthening civil society.

Introduction

The Aga Khan Foundation Pakistan is currently executing a 5-year EU-funded project (2024-2028) in Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral. The project aims to cultivate a climate-resilient, low-carbon economy and society in the region. This is achieved through the promotion of a sustainable transition to renewable energy sources, enhancing the viability and sustainability of natural resource management, and reinforcing multisectoral, participatory planning, implementation, and monitoring in the energy and natural resources sectors. The project is being carried out in collaboration with Aga Khan Agencies for Habitat, NPAK, and the Aga Khan Rural Support Program

Under the European Commission (EC) funded Energy Plus project, AKF-Pakistan is actively looking for a MERL Manager to be based in Islamabad. He/she shall be responsible for the overall M&E activities in the Energy Plus Project. The incumbent will be part of the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Energy Plus project and will coordinate with MERL units of other implementing agencies. Reporting to the Manager PMU, Energy Plus, the MERL Manager will be responsible for designing and implementing systems to ensure appropriate tracking and assessment of all Energy Plus project activities.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of the EU Funded Energy+ project’s Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan, in alignment with the project’s results framework.
• Develop and lead the rollout of project-specific monitoring tools in collaboration with relevant stakeholders (AKAH, AKRSP, AP & NPAK) under the supervision of PMU Manager.
• Support the PMU Manager of Energy+  in reviewing specific reports, monthly, quarterly and interim annual reports before sharing them with EU Delegations and ensure MERL compliances
• Provide MERL-related technical guidance to project partners and capacitate the project MERL team in executing MERL activities on the ground.
• Develop high-quality quantitative and qualitative methods and participatory methodologies to monitor program quality for performance and results Energy+ project.
• In collaboration with the PMU Manager as well as Program Advisor RD & Coordinator GBC the Aga Khan Foundation, lead the implementation of the Energy+ project’s learning agenda, including the development of learning questions and implementation of evaluations, data analyses, and other activities that are responsive to the learning agenda.
• Integrate the use of innovative technologies, and data platforms for data collection, management, and reporting.
• Oversee the development of donor reports, ensuring that all donor reporting requirements on program impact are met.
• Coordinate the design and implementation of baseline, mid-term, and end-of-project evaluations, surveys, special studies, and other components of the Energy Plus project.
• Support RD and MERL units of AKFP in related MERL interventions.

Required Qualifications & Experiences

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Development Studies, Economic Studies, Social Sciences, M&E or a related field from a reputable and recognized institute/university.
• A minimum of four (6) years of relevant experience in designing and implementing research and learning activities.
• Experience in designing and executing monitoring and evaluation systems and tools.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research, data collection and analysis methods.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and managing operational research and evaluations.
• Excellent writing and reporting skills specifically.
• Possess robust expertise in navigating and successfully managing EU-funded projects. This includes a comprehensive understanding of processes, compliance with EU regulations and guidelines, and the ability to effectively coordinate project activities to ensure adherence to timelines and deliverables.
• Detailed understanding of digital data collection and tracking tools such as Ona, Kobo Toolbox, Survey CTO or others.
• Deep understanding of data visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI, Data Studio.
• Experience in projects related to entrepreneurship, business development, SMEs etc.
• Command over statistical analysis tools such as SPSS, Stata, Excel, etc.
• Knowledge and understanding of qualitative data analysis tools such as ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA, etc.
• Good knowledge of the EU Reporting platform; Opsys.

AKF(P) offers a competitive remuneration package and a conducive working environment. AKF(P) recruitment and selection policy and procedures reflect our commitment to equal opportunity and the safeguarding of children, beneficiaries, partners, community members and employees in accordance with AKF(P)’s Safeguarding policy.