VVOB – education for development is an international non-profit organisation with over 40 years’ experience in strengthening the quality of education systems in Africa, Asia and South America in close partnership with ministries of education and their institutions. Our head office is based in Brussels, Belgium.
We implement our programmes and projects with one shared passion: to ensure the improvement of quality education.
Do you share our ambition to ensure that learners around the world can enjoy their fundamental human right to quality education, without exception? Are you convinced as well that quality education guarantees equal opportunities for everyone and is the key to a better world?
We are looking for a M&E and Research Manager who will operate from our office in Lusaka. Do you want to take on this challenge? Then continue reading!
Position in the organisation
The M&E and Research Manager is part of the country management team and thus plays a vital leadership role in the overall programmes team and the country office.
You lead and guide a team of M&E and Research staff and oversee and coordinate their activities. You work closely with the programme team in country and at global office.
You work with M&E and Research staff and Ministry of Education (MoE) officials at national and province levels to ensure learning activities are implemented effectively according to agreed work plans, budgets and VVOB principles, and delivered with quality.
The M&E and Research Manager reports to the Country Programmes Manager.
Result areas of this position:
· Lead the M&E and Research team to ensure strong M&E and research systems and activities for all VVOB programmes in Zambia, in collaboration with the Education Manager, Project Coordinators and Strategic Advisors. You will also contribute to the overall management of the VVOB Zambia country programme.
· Easily navigate between M&E, research, planning and strategic operations, ensuring that we collect and use qualitative and quantitative data to inform decisions about the programmes, while establishing effective feedback and learning mechanism within the organization.
· Provide expert leadership and guidance on how and when M&E and research activities (including impact evaluations) should take place to strengthen the programmes.
· Support the M&E and Research team to plan, allocate and prioritise tasks to execute data collection, analysis and dissemination for cross-cutting learning and projects on specific topics of interest, both through regular programme monitoring and evaluation as well as rigorous research. Guide the team to deliver research activities with high quality, while ensuring IRB compliance and adhering to research ethics protocols.
· You provide strong leadership (on-the-job mentoring, work-planning coaching, capacity development, change management) for your direct reports, supporting a positive organisational culture. You mobilise the M&E and Research team and keep them on track to meet deliverables with high quality.
· You foster good relationships with a range of stakeholders (other VVOB teams, in the Ministry, in donor and partner organizations, and in survey firms) to ensure that their needs and limitations are fully understood and incorporated into learning activities as far as possible, securing their cooperation and support. You promote VVOB as a reliable partner and you represent our organization towards external stakeholders in the field.
If you’re our M&E and Research Manager, your workweek at the office will include the following highlights:
o In the regular data review meetings, you take stock of the ongoing activities in all provinces, reflect with the programmes and M&E teams to identify any bottlenecks, challenges and potential delays and work with the team to solve them.
o In a regular management meeting, you provide your input to support decisions on the strategic direction of the country office.
o Lunch! A perfect time to nurture relationships with colleagues and have an informal exchange on best practices
o You go to the field to visit Catch Up schools in different provinces to learn more on the latest innovations and research projects to ensure integrity in data collection.
o In a virtual meeting, you bring together technical education and research experts from TaRL Africa and VVOB to brainstorm and design the next learning activity. You are well prepared with ideas based on your work in the field.
o You support drafting of a research proposal describing the methodology, budget, tools, and timelines for potential and upcoming learning opportunities.
o You have regular one on one and team meetings with the M&E and Research team to ensure their deliverables are on track and to support their professional development.
o You have a meeting with the officials in the Ministry of Education headquarters to discuss the findings of a recent research project.
. Does this look like your dream job?
Then read on and check whether your profile matches the job requirements!
Who are you?
This is a national position, open to Zambian nationals.
Required expertise and experience
· Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Demography, International Development, Research, or Policy related field or equivalent experience.
· At least 10 years of demonstrable experience in M&E and Research (including designing studies for monitoring and evaluation, budgeting and coordinating to implement them, analysing and disseminating results), preferably working on projects which strengthen government systems and structures. Experience with RCTs is an added advantage.
· At least 5 years of experience in leading multicultural and effective M&E and Research teams in international development and projects of different donors.
· Experience with project cycle management and institutional capacity development.
· Technical skills in a range of data collection, cleaning and analysis software such as KoboCollect / SurveyCTO / ODK, MS Excel, Stata, PowerBI / Tableau, NVivo
· Language skills: Fluent in English (English CEFR Level C1). Knowledge of local languages is an advantage.
· Good understanding of the education landscape in Zambia.
· Ability and willingness to travel frequently within the provinces.
· Ability to inspire and motivate the M&E team, VVOB provincial staff and MoE staff to put in their very best!
Matching competences
VVOB core competences:
· Result-oriented
· Continuous improvement
· Cooperation
Function specific competencies:
· Reliability
· Giving direction
· Communication skills
· Agility
· Planning and organisation
What we’re offering:
· A dynamic working environment in an international context.
· An exciting job in a growing organisation with varied responsibilities and opportunities for professional development.
· An opportunity to contribute to exciting, evidence-based projects aimed at ensuring the education sector in Zambia is strengthened, by bringing in innovative solutions for professional development of school leaders and teachers.
· A competitive remuneration package, which includes a base salary and benefits.
· A contract of limited duration until 31/12/2026.
Join us:
As soon as possible in our office in Lusaka, Zambia
What’s next?
Your motivation letter detailing your match with the profile as well as your motivation behind applying for the vacancy and a detailed but concise CV (max. 5 pages) are expected no later than 10th November 2025. Please use the webform to apply for this vacancy: https://jobs.vvob.org/en/m-e-and-research-manager/apply
Shortlisted candidates will take a written test, go through an interview process and an external assessment centre, before a final offer.
VVOB firmly believes that quality education can only be achieved if equity is ensured. Qualities of people prevail, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or disability. If you require reasonable accommodation including disability accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to recruitmentzambia@vvob.org .
Is this not exactly the job you are looking for? Please have a look at our other vacancies at:
https://www.vvob.org/en/vacancies.
CDC Building Haile Selassie Avenue, Long Acres, Lusaka Zambia
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