Job Description

Director, Monitoring and Evaluation - Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Belize

About MCA

The Government of Belize (GoB), together with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (“MCC”), is in the process of establishing an independent executing agency called the Millennium Challenge Account – Belize (MCA-B). MCC is a U.S. government agency focused on assisting countries and is dedicated to good governance, economic freedom, and investing in people. The MCA-B will be created by an act of Parliament to undertake the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of the Government of Belize under the Compact, which is expected to be signed in September 2024. The MCA-B is located in Belize City.

Belize compact

In December 2021, MCC’s Board of Directors selected Belize as eligible to develop a five-year grant agreement known as a “compact” that will include two separate projects:

1. The $73.8 million Education Project aims to equitably increase the number of post-primary graduates with the competencies relevant to labor market demands
2. The $21.1 million Energy Project will address the root causes of the high costs of wholesale electricity.

Position Objective

The Monitoring and Evaluation Director will lead the Compact's Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) efforts. The M&E unit will plan for and manage the production of timely, relevant, and reliable data and assessments related to the progress and quality of project implementation and the achievement of targeted results by the Compact. This will include monitoring and reporting progress toward the Compact´s targets, supporting the independent evaluations of the compact, updating data or responding to data requests from MCC country economists as needed for the Compact economic analysis. 

Responsibilities

The Monitoring and Evaluation Director, under the supervision of the Executive Director, will be expected to carry out the following among his/her primary responsibilities:

• Building on the M&E Framework in the Compact, lead the development and periodic updates of the Belize M&E Plan in accordance with MCC policies and guidelines and in coordination with MCC and relevant stakeholders.  

• Lead the implementation of the monitoring component of the Belize M&E Plan to provide timely and relevant input to project management and external reporting, including:

  • Define the performance indicators to be monitored along with their baselines and targets in collaboration with project teams; ensure that monitoring indicators are relevant to project management needs and that risks and assumptions included in the M&E Plan are appropriately tracked;
  • Identify critical data gaps or data quality issues related to the M&E Plan indicators and design and implement a plan to resolve these issues and build capacity with the party that produces the data (e.g., government entities or project implementers); 
  • Work with MCA colleagues, implementers, and Implementing Entities to ensure that M&E requirements are appropriately incorporated in implementation contracts and Implementing Entity Agreements and that there is a shared understanding of relevant indicators and other requirements;
  • Produce the Indicator Tracking Table (ITT). This should include reviewing all the ITT data quarterly, checking inconsistent values with project leads and reporting entities, and submitting supporting documentation for all reported data; and, 
  • Disseminate information from the approved ITT to relevant stakeholders in Belize and to MCC. 

• Conduct a Data Quality Review of monitoring data reported by MCA-Belize and likely sources of future monitoring data (i.e., data sources identified in the M&E Plan) and work with MCA colleagues to implement a plan to address any identified weaknesses. 

• Design and implement field assessments of progress towards achieving outputs and intermediate outcomes, especially in situations where concerns have been raised regarding data quality or validity. 

• Support the design and implementation of the evaluation component of the Belize M&E Plan to promote accountability and learning, including: 

  • Provide data and documentation required to inform the design and implementation of evaluations to MCC and independent evaluators. 
  • Monitor adherence to the project design and implementation plans and report any deviations to MCC and the independent evaluator. 
  • Review evaluation reports, survey instruments, and other materials produced by each evaluator hired by MCC to conduct independent evaluations. 
  • Manage local stakeholder reviews of evaluation reports and materials. 
  • Contract survey firms to undertake baseline and interim data collection for independent evaluations and supervise their work in coordination with the independent evaluator. 
  • Organize meetings/events to disseminate evaluation findings for each evaluation report.  

• Collaborate with the DC-based MCC Economists to support updates to the Cost-Benefit Analyses and Beneficiary Analyses, including estimates of the Economic Rate of Return (ERR), in accordance with MCC Guidelines as improved information becomes available (updating key parameters and variables upon the receipt of new or higher quality data). 

• Maintain close collaboration and integration between M&E and project teams to ensure that M&E’s data and analysis is accurate, up-to-date, and supports evidence-based project design and management.   

• Maintain regular communication with MCA-Belize leadership, MCC M&E, and MCC Economic Analysis staff to provide updates on the status of M&E activities and to communicate risks related to the progress of implementation or the achievement of results. 

• Manage the M&E staff and supervise their activities. 

• Manage the compact M&E budget and update MCC on quarterly commitments.

• Help foster a relationship with the post-compact counterpart designated to support the completion and dissemination of independent evaluations of the Belize Compact. 

  Required Competencies

• A Master´s degree or equivalent advanced degree in Economics, Statistics, Engineering, Project Management, Business Administration or other relevant degree for the position.

• At least seven (7) or more years’ experience in M&E conducting quantitative and qualitative development program analyses. 

• Previous managerial experience with a demonstrated ability to balance a variety of tasks and demands and to meet deadlines in a responsible and flexible manner. Must demonstrate a history of delivering high-quality projects on time and within budget. 

• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing project monitoring systems, including collecting, analyzing, and reporting performance data. 

• Previous supervisory experience managing at least one subordinate staff. 

• Strong and demonstrable skills in contract management. 

• Capacity to undertake regular field visits and interact with the different stakeholders. Occasional international travel may also be required. 

• Strong analytical and report-writing skills. 

• Proven ability to work with national government counterparts. 

• Demonstrated experience in one or more statistical analysis software and databases, such as Excel, STATA, SPSS, SAS, CSPRO, and Access, and strong proficiency with MS Word, MS Excel, and PowerPoint. 

• Excellent organizational skills related to data and document management.  Fluency and excellent verbal communication skills in English are required. 

Preferred Competencies

• Experience working in the Education and Energy sectors.
• Skilled in Project Management tools, such as MS Project or Trello.
• Experience working with international donor organizations. 

How to apply

To access positions’ profile requirements and submit applications, please visit https://belize-jobs.tenderwell.app/. The following documents should accompany applications:

1. Curriculum vitae containing detailed work experience;
2. Cover letter confirming interest and availability;
3. Soft copies of higher education and professional certificates (if available).

If you encounter challenges when applying online, please contact belize@developmentaid.org for assistance.

The closing date for receiving applications is September 19th, 2024. Only applications received through the online portal (Tenderwell) will be considered. Any applications received through other channels will not be considered. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interviews.