Senior M&E Consultant

OUR COMPANY:

ARK Group is a stabilisation and development company committed to empowering local communities and beneficiaries in conflict, post-conflict, and fragile areas through the provision of evidence-based programmatic interventions, policy recommendations, research and capacity-building. Working with and through local communities, we seek to understand and then mitigate the negative effects of conflict and instability, enhancing social cohesion and resilience whist promoting human security, development and economic opportunity with a focus on the following UN Sustainable Development Goals – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, Reduced Inequalities, Gender Equality and Partnerships for the Goals.

ARK’s approach combines mixed-methods research with strong, consistent engagement with local communities and stakeholders to bridge the gap between the aspirations of local communities and the priorities of governmental and multilateral actors, thus informing the design and implementation of relevant interventions. Utilising innovative quantitative and qualitative methodologies to generate data, we deliver, monitor, evaluate and learn from our programming.

ARK believes in enabling local communities to realise their aspirations and potential through the participatory design of projects and programmes that address the drivers and causes of conflict and instability. We are responsive and accountable to the communities we work in because so many of our staff and partners are from those communities.

We value inclusive, academically-rigorous, ethically-driven research and participatory design. We are innovators and incubators, finding and nurturing solutions in cooperation with our partners, whilst seeking to bridge the gap between our donors and the communities they wish to support. To the traditional project management disciplines of Economy, Effectiveness Efficiency and Equity, we add Empathy.

With over twenty nationalities in the company, we embrace diversity, nurture opportunity and leverage the youthful enthusiasm of our staff, whilst drawing on the experience and expertise of our more senior staff. We believe in hard work, delivering results that everyone can be proud of, and caring for each other. Our staff are our biggest asset and their welfare is our first priority.

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

ARK Group is recruiting a Beirut-based consultant to support the monitoring and evaluation components of the Enhancing Public Accountability and Trust In Lebanon (EPATL) small grants program. The objective of the EPATL program is to support the role of civil society to engage citizens in influencing change that results in or contributes to greater efficiency, responsiveness and/or accountability. This is to be achieved in part through capacity building and grants for CSOs and NGOs in Lebanon to implement advocacy projects.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The selected consultant will be responsible for the oversight of the M&E and evaluation of the small grants component of the project, this includes the following responsibilities:

Work with the Project Manager to update and implement project-specific M&E plan to meet client requirements.

Support development of the M&E system, designing M&E tools, and overseeing data collection and analysis for the project.

Work closely with the project manager to establish baselines for the project indicators and update the targets as needed

Oversee monitoring of project indicators, outputs and outcomes according to logframe and implementation timeframe, raising concerns to the Project Manager and suggesting amendments as necessary.

Perform quality assurance for the project key performance indicators and all data collected (timeliness, accuracy, validity, reliability, integrity, completeness) and update the indicators as needed Facilitate and report reflection and learning activities with the project staff andbeneficiaries to identify lessons learned and success stories

Contribute to reporting as per the project M&E plan’s reporting schedule.

Work with selected CSOs/NGOs to develop grant specific M&E plans and data collection plans

Providing M&E training to CSOs/NGOs and ARK staff as needed

Requirements

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Minimum of a Bachelors in Social Science or a related field; Masters preferred.

Extensive experience (8+ years), progressively responsible, working with civil society in the areas of advocacy, ideally in Lebanon or the broader Middle East region.

Extensive experience (8+ years), progressively responsible, in monitoring and evaluation, preferably working in the field of advocacy and political accountability

Knowledge of and experience in delivery of M&E training and design of M&E tools; preferably in Lebanon.

Previous work on donor-funded projects and knowledge of reporting requirements.

Extensive experience working with civil society in Lebanon and knowledge of the civil society space in Lebanon.

Previous experience working with small grants programs is desirable.

Must be a self-starter with a demonstrated aptitude for creativity and adaptability in challenging environments.

Arabic fluency required; English fluency high desirable.

Digital literacy; Ability to work remotely.

ARK Group places human dignity at the centre of its development and stabilisation work and is thus committed to the protection from sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adults. All ARK employees and related-personnel are expected to share this commitment, and only those who also uphold these values will be recruited as part of our team. This vacancy is therefore subject to a range of due diligence checks.

ARK Group is an equal opportunity employer.  We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. ARK Group does not discriminate on the basis of ability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We welcome all kinds of diversity. ARK Group places human dignity at the centre of its development and stabilisation work and is thus committed to the protection from sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adults. All ARK Group employees and related-personnel are expected to share this commitment, and only those who also uphold these values will be recruited as part of our team. This vacancy is therefore subject to a range of due diligence checks.