Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist

At Tshikululu, we need original, energetic thinkers and problem-solvers in order to achieve our ambitious goals and make a real impact. We need people who thrive on complexity and are able to ‘connect the dots’ between seemingly disparate issues and initiatives. We aim to maximise the power of social investment in order to create a world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

We need people that are energised by fast-paced collaborative advisory project work as well as longer-term strategic programme management.

We define social investment as any financial commitment – from grantmaking to impact investing – that seeks to drive and measure social impact. Do you want to help design, implement and drive measurement of social impact for some of South Africa’s most forward-thinking companies and social investors? Tshikululu is looking for a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist to help us do just that.

1. PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE OF POSITION

To provide monitoring and evaluation leadership, expertise and guidance across Tshikululu in order to continuously strengthen our ability to measure and report on social impact. To help ensure Tshikululu maintains its position at the forefront of M&E and social investment. This includes providing hands-on technical leadership in quantitative and qualitative research methods, data management, analytics and visualisation – from data collection and quality assurance through to analysis, interpretation and dashboard reporting – to ensure Tshikululu’s M&E systems and outputs meet the highest standards of technical rigour and impact.

2. KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS, ACTIVITIES AND INDICATORS

Key Performance Areas

Activities

M&E Strategy and Implementation

• Design and refine a Tshikululu-wide M&E framework to effectively measure and report on aggregated social impact across clients.
• Build, refine and maintain a high-quality M&E database — including SQL or relational database structures where appropriate, and applying ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) principles to consolidate and structure data from multiple sources — to allow for real-time, accurate tracking of social investment activities, and to reliably handle large, complex, multi-client datasets that reflects overall findings and impact.
• Identify and provide M&E insights and recommendations based on data received and tracked, applying appropriate quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques to translate data into clear, actionable insight for clients and internal stakeholders.
• Participate in new M&E product development, as well as new business proposals.
• Assist in updating M&E policy and procedure documents, as well as streamlining processes to increase efficiency and effectiveness across team.

Evaluation

• Lead all evaluation activities at Tshikululu, including internal and outsourced activities.
• Ensure high-quality evaluations are concluded for all clients, from project design, sampling, data collection and quality control methodology, implementation, data analysis and interpretation, to report-writing.
• Project manage evaluation teams to ensure excellent delivery to clients, on time.
• Effectively manage service providers for any outsourced evaluation-related activities.
• Apply rigorous quantitative and qualitative research methods and analytical techniques (e.g., sampling design, survey and interview tools, advanced statistical analysis, thematic/qualitative coding) to ensure evaluation data collection, analysis and interpretation are technically sound and defensible.

M&E Planning

• Develop and refine M&E plans for all client social investment activities, ensuring we have the most appropriate strategy and methods in place to measure outputs, outcomes and impact.
• Support Social Investment and CRM teams to implement M&E plans effectively through on-going engagement, knowledge sharing, developing customised tools and providing ad-hoc assistance as necessary.
• Lead the design of data collection tools and quality assurance protocols, and support the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data by the Social Investment team to ensure completeness, accuracy and data integrity across large, multi-client datasets.
• Analyse and evaluate M&E findings and data, applying appropriate statistical and analytical methods, to develop insights and recommendations for client social investments.
• Initiate and lead regular review of progress against objectives for client social investments.
• Enhance data quality protocols and carry out site visits with Social Investment team as necessary.

M&E Capacity Building

• Identify relevant, appropriate M&E training to ensure team members have requisite skills to deliver.
• Maintain and build M&E expertise by attending relevant training, on-going research and participating in discussions/debate.
• Drive innovative, high-quality M&E approaches and techniques to ensure Tshikululu remains cutting edge.
• Assist in building grantee M&E capacity, when required, through workshops and other engagements.
• Identify and develop tools and systems that support M&E capacity building and implementation across all departments in Tshikululu.
• Build and /or mentor M&E team (and SI team where appropriate) and grantee capability in quantitative and qualitative research methods, data quality assurance, and the use of analytical and visualisation tools (e.g., Excel, Power Query, DAX, Power BI, ATLAS.ti, Nvivo).

Service Provider Contract Management

• Develop terms of reference and coordinate service provider selection process for M&E-related activities, as necessary.
• Manage any appointed service providers for M&E-related activities, ensuring delivery according to SLA.

Reporting

• Develop M&E reporting templates and reports to effectively communicate findings and insights.
• Develop organisational M&E trend reports to guide future and current investment strategies.
• Design, build and/ or maintain interactive dashboards and data visualisations (e.g., using Power BI) to communicate M&E data, trends and insights clearly and accurately to clients and internal teams in real time.

Qualifications and Experience

• Relevant Honours degree in statistics, social sciences or similar is required (Master’s degree preferred)
• Supporting qualification in M&E is preferred
• At least 7 years’ M&E experience is required
• Experience managing and leading evaluations required
• Advanced quantitative and qualitative research skills are required, including data collection design, sampling methodology, data quality assurance, multivariate statistical and analytical techniques, and clear interpretation and write-up of findings.
• Advanced proficiency in Ms Excel is required, including practical experience with ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) processes, Power Query and DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) for data transformation, modelling and reporting.
• Demonstrated experience designing, building and refining M&E databases (SQL or other relational database experience preferred), including applying ETL processes to integrate and structure data from multiple sources, is required.
• Demonstrated ability to manage, clean, analyse and draw insight from large and complex datasets across multiple clients, ensuring data accuracy, consistency and integrity, is required.
• Experience designing and maintaining interactive dashboards and data visualisations (e.g., Power BI or similar business intelligence tools) to communicate M&E findings and trends is required.
• Experience using qualitative and quantitative data analysis software (e.g., Atlas.TI, SPSS, STATA, R or similar) is required.
• Experience with social investment-specific M&E activities is preferred
• Valid light vehicle driver’s license

4. KEY INTERACTIONS / RELATIONSHIPS

• Internal stakeholders
• Clients
• Programme partners
• Service providers

• Sector experts
• Government
• Donors

• Preference will be given to South African citizens
• Appointments will be made in line with Tshikululu’s Employment Equity plan and other required legislation
• Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Tshikululu Social Investments will not be liable for interview travel costs or relocation cost
• We reserve the right not to proceed with the filling of the post advertised
• An application will not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview
• Please ensure that you meet the above requirements before you apply
• Only short-listed applicants will be contacted

Market Related

Please email your applications to: ***email_hidden***.

If you have not been contacted within two weeks of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful.