TaRL Measurement and Monitoring Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Founded to accelerate the nation’s industrial revolution, MIT is profoundly American. The MIT community is driven by a shared purpose: to make a better world through education, research, and innovation. With ingenuity and drive, our graduates have invented fundamental technologies, launched new industries, and created millions of American jobs. At the same time, and without the slightest sense of contradiction, MIT is profoundly global.

TARL Africa is a new initiative jointly led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Adul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the NGO Pratham.

TARL Africa is recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: TaRL Measurement and Monitoring Associate – Nigeria

Location: Kebbi
Duration: Fixed Term: October 2020 – October 2021 with the possibility of renewal subject to donor funding
Reports to: Kebbi State TaRL Manager with support from the TaRL Africa Central Measurement and Monitoring Team

Job Descriptions

Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa seeks a Monitoring and Measurement (M&M) Associate to support the measuring and monitoring component of TaRL interventions in Nigeria.
The role will begin by focusing on the design and development of a TaRL programme in Kano.
The M&M Associate will work together with Kebbi state government to design a feasible and scalable monitoring strategy which integrates as much as possible into existing structures and systems, as well as provide ongoing support to Quality Assurance and EMIS officials to build their capacity to understand and respond to data.
This role provides an excellent opportunity to improve the learning outcomes of primary school children in Kebbi State and to be part of a leading evidence-based initiative tackling the learning crisis in Africa.
The role will also require extensive travel within Kebbi state.

About Teaching at the Right Level Africa

TaRL Africa is a newly formalised partnership between Education NGO, Pratham, and research centre J-PAL, who have been working together developing cost-effective, scalable literacy and numeracy interventions for more than 15 years. The fruits of these efforts have been the development of what we now refer to as the TaRL.
The TaRL approach, pioneered by Pratham, helps children develop basic reading and numeracy skills. In TaRL classroom: children are assessed on basic reading and numeracy using a simple tool; grouped by learning level, rather than by grade, for a dedicated time when they focus building foundational skills through activities and materials appropriate for each group. As children progress, they move to the next learning group and continue to grow.

Main Responsibilities

Work with the M&M TaRL Africa Central Team and government officials to design a strong monitoring and measurement strategy which integrates as much as possible into existing monitoring systems
Develop a strong understanding of government measuring and monitoring systems
Collboratively develop measurement and aggregation tools
Collaborate with partners to incorporate monitoring and measurement best practice into the overall design
Support government through the process of assessment and monitoring data collection and response
Collate monitoring information and develop case studies to highlight project impact and learning
Promote the sharing of programme best practices through formal and informal workshops
Communicate and connect with monitoring and mentoring staff within state government regularly through meetings, WhatsApp and phone calls
Engage actively with the government during critical data collection periods to troubleshoot as necessary

This will include:

Coordinating reflection meetings and focus group discussions
Conducting regular school visits
Piloting new measurement ideas within Champion Schools
Build capacity of EMIS and QA officials to understand and respond to data, and this will include
Design and manage capacity building workshop on project monitoring, data collection and use
Work with EMIS officials on data use and response practically on a regular basis
Regularly visit schools to support government actors and build a better understanding of how measurement works within schools
Regularly share with team and government officials on implementation challenges and successes one can see from the data, and help highlight areas which require attention
Engage with government stakeholders, donors and other partners to share lessons learned from programme implementation
Contribute to the compilation of reports for project stakeholders and donor
Contribute to the documentation of measures of the project’s Value for Money
Develop a dashboard, accessible to state / LGA government actors, DFID and the TaRL team

Also, the M&M Associate will be expected to:

Support programme leads in preparing technical and programme reports
Support the management of key relationships with stakeholders in state and national education systems, particularly the Kebbi State Ministry of Education, Kano State Universal Basic Education Board, Local Government Education Authorities

Education and Qualifications

A postgraduate degree in Social Sciences, Commerce, Development Studies, or a related field;
A minimum of four years’ experience working in similar measurement and monitoring positions
Conversant with data collection platforms and data analysis software
Understands national learning assessment data
Understands country data systems (Ministry and big projects)
Good command of written and spoken English

Advantageous: