Rift Valley Institute
About RVI
The Rift Valley Institute (RVI) is an independent, non-profit organisation working in eastern and central Africa since 2001. The RVI is a research and educational organisation with a social mission: to create a better future for the peoples and communities of Eastern and Central Africa by advancing relevant knowledge of the region through collaborative research, education and training, public information and dialogues, and promoting culture and heritage. A UK-registered charity, the Institute has offices in Nairobi, Juba, Hargeysa and London.
RVI is a leader in practical social research, policy analysis, training and public information. Our field-based research emerges from and seeks to respond to ideas generated by the communities and institutions with which we work. RVI research projects, which involve collaborations between African and non-African researchers, include training and mentoring of young researchers to develop their skills and experience. RVI supports the right to information and the exchange of knowledge by publishing its research and disseminating it through public fora.
Our Vision, Mission and Values
Our Vision
Making local knowledge work for the benefit of the people of Eastern and Central Africa.
Our Mission
The Rift Valley Institute works to create a better future for the peoples and communities of Eastern and Central Africa by advancing relevant knowledge of the region through collaborative research, education and training, public information and dialogues, and promoting culture and heritage. The Institute bridges development practice and policy, elevating local voices, knowledge and action.
Our Values
The following values guide and underpin our work:
Respect: We demonstrate respect for local knowledge and the partners and the communities we work with and those who work with us.
Independence: We are independent in our thought and action and produce research and deliver programmes free from external interests.
Integrity*:* We work with transparency and honesty to ensure accurate and open access to information, and we are accountable for our work and to those we work with.
Collaboration*:* We believe respectful partnerships are the basis for successful development and we are committed to long term, mutually beneficial collaboration between indigenous institutions, local researchers and international specialists.
Excellence: We strive to produce original work and to sustain our strong reputation for research, public information and training.
The Somali Dialogue Platform
The Somali Dialogue Platform (‘The Platform’) is a policy dialogue and facilitation initiative, managed by the Rift Valley Institute (RVI), that responds to the need to support more collaborative, productive and inclusive political processes that can transform Somalia’s political settlement. The Platform works with the grain of Somali political culture—seeking to create dialogue spaces genuinely trusted and owned by Somalis, where they can confidently address past conflicts and grievances and collaborate to resolve fundamental differences in their ideas, moving past bargaining based on narrower interests. It does this by leveraging a coalition of Somali organisations and individuals, whose combined knowledge, networks, and convening power can support and enable productive, broad-based, Somali-led political processes.
The Role
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Lead will be responsible for the design and implementation of the Platform’s monitoring, evaluation and learning systems, ensuring that the Platform’s impact is clearly defined, evidenced and communicated. The focus of this work will be leading the development and implementation of credible and innovative methodologies to capture the Platform’s contribution to political settlement processes, and the Platform’s role in the wider programme ecosystem using complex and qualitative data and information. The MEL lead will be responsible for advising programme leadership on overall programme design and MEL, training programme and partner staff in delivering MEL activities, as well as ensuring programme donors have a clear understanding and buy-in to the Platform’s work. The MEL Lead will also be responsible for the setup and implementation of an effective knowledge management system, that ensures all data and reporting is captured and utilised in programme learning and adaptation, including by gathering primary data and feedback from stakeholders on the Platform’s work. More broadly the MEL lead will be responsible for promoting a culture of learning and adaptation at the Platform, ensuring there is an effective programme development, learning and adaptation cycle, and curating a broader agenda of internal learning. The MEL Lead will also be responsible for writing compelling donor reports for donors and RVI’s executive and Board, and developing content to communicate the programme’s value and impact to a range of stakeholders.
The full details of the role are described in Terms of Reference attached at the end of the vacancy post on this page:bit.ly/3FSMJEQ
RVI will provide a flexible duty station either based in Nairobi or London with travel to Mogadishu, Somalia as required.
The Person
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Knowledge and Qualifications
- Postgraduate degree in political science, social science, evaluation, development studies or similar social sciences field
- Familiarity with a range of M&E approaches and methods, especially qualitative methods
- Demonstrable expertise in programme evaluation for complex peacebuilding programmes
- Demonstrable understanding of Platform’s conceptual area, especially political settlements and measuring their changing dynamics
- Track-record in writing compelling and insightful donor reports that evidence impact and learning
Experience
- At least five-years experience in programme monitoring and evaluation in fragile contexts, including Somalia (a specific focus on peacebuilding or rights or governance programmes an advantage)
- Experienced in developing learning and adaptive working cultures and methods to support collective reflection, assessment on progress and strategic and tactical adaptation
- Experience in designing and developing learning and training programmes in areas related to the programme’s field of work.
- Experience in generating effective programme communications, including social media feeds and email dissemination lists, able to write compelling copy for websites and social media dissemination
Skills and Abilities:
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic and political environment and willing to iterate job role as part of a collaborative process of shaping an innovative peacebuilding programme with flexibility
- Excellent written and oral communications skills – able to present and synthesize complex information to programme leadership and a senior external audience
- Excellent knowledge/information management skills including use of relevant data collection/storage and database tools and software
- Excellent qualitative and quantitative analytical skills
- Strong project management skills
- Able to design and coordinate range of data collection processes including post-event surveys, and key informant interviews, as well as qualitative analysis methodologies
- Able to managing donor relations and representing programmes to donors
- Comfortable working in a diverse working culture
- Fluency in spoken and written English and Somali
Duration of Contract
Three months with expected start date of 20th January 2022, with possibility of extension/transition to full-time role.
How to apply
Please refer to the Terms of Reference attached at the end of the vacancy post on the RVI website here:bit.ly/3FSMJEQ
Apply through this link: https://riftvalley.wufoo.com/forms/q1n77vbf1fnrayr/. Questions can be sent to [email protected].
Applications can come from both individuals and firms putting forward individuals, and must include the following:
- A full CV of the person playing the role (no more than two to three pages)
- A cover letter outlining the relevant motivation, relevant experience, and knowledge for the position (no more than two pages)
- A financial proposal
- The name, email address and telephone numbers of two professional referees, one must be your most recent supervisor.
Only applications from candidates (individuals or consultancy firms) that fulfil all the above criteria will be considered for the position. You will only be contacted if you are invited for an interview.
Application closing date: 9 January
Expected interview dates: Week of 9 January
Closing date: 9 Jan 2023