BACKGROUND:

IUCN Kenya Country Office is currently developing its new Strategic Plan for 2026–2030. As part of this process, we aim to strengthen our Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) function to ensure the effective delivery of the strategy including the robust capture, analysis, and documentation of results. The new strategic plan is structured around four core programmes:

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), with ongoing initiatives in Western Kenya, such as the CREATES project.
Coastal and Ocean Resilience (COR), implemented along the Coast including projects such as ReSea, Tech4Nature.
Land Systems, with ongoing interventions in Northern and Southern Kenya, including TWENDE and REPLAN; and
Sustainable Urban Resilience, an emerging programme area.

The successful candidate will work closely and under the direction of the MEAL Programme Officer for the Kenya Country Office to support all aspects of programme monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning across these portfolios. In addition, the candidate will take the lead on all GIS and remote sensing related work, providing critical technical support to inform planning, implementation and reporting.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

Designing/reviewing and managing comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, accountability learning (MEAL) systems in accordance with IUCN’s requirements (e.g., situation analysis, risk analysis, theory of change (ToC), logical framework, indicator selection, performance measurement framework, monitoring evaluation and learning plan, baselines, surveys, etc.).
Supporting the implementation of monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities, in coordination with the programme team.
Provide inputs and analysis to the projects reporting to donors, against projects results framework and indicators.
Provide inputs to the project(s) contributions to institutional reporting against IUCN indicators.
Provide inputs towards the independent project evaluations, including contribution to ToRs development, review of evaluation deliverables, facilitation of preparation of management response, and overall support on evaluation management when required.
Geographic Information System: Integrate GIS, remote sensing and geospatial assessments into programme monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
Responsible for coordinating the activities and inputs of project team members and ensuring quality assurance and alignment with institutional policies, practices, standards, and systems, including the Project Guidelines and Standards (PGS), the Project Appraisal and Approval System (PAAS), and other donor specific contractual requirements.
Supports the relevant Project Managers in ensuring that projects risk management and environmental and social safeguards under the IUCN Enterprise Risk Management Policy and the IUCN Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) are embedded in project intervention and effectively implemented.
Provide technical support and capacity development to project managers and project team members on performance, planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:
More specifically, the roles and responsibilities of the MEAL/GIS Officer are as follows:

Design and planning;
Through technical expertise and operational guidance, support the Programme Managers on designing and planning, in particular leading on the theory of change, results framework, and monitoring and evaluation plan.
Ensure alignment of the intervention results and indicators with IUCN strategic goals and priorities (global, regional, national, and thematic) and with the principles laid out in the One Programme Charter.
Lead the design and development or review of monitoring tools, including quantitative and qualitative indicators, which are SMART and aligned with project results frameworks, including gender-sensitive and disaggregated indicators.
Provide input on the level of effort and resources required to support all planned performance and accountability activities.
Support the formulation and/or review of the baseline measures and targets during project inception, and throughout project implementation.

Programme Implementation;
Ensure consistent application of monitoring tools as guided by the project MEAL framework.
Lead the collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative project data and regularly share the results of this analysis with the project team to help them ensure that the project is on track to deliver its results.
Able to synthesize data into actionable insights and contribute to donor reports, internal learning, and adaptive management processes.
Undertake interviews and surveys with relevant stakeholders.
Work together with the Project Team members to ensure a good flow of information and data for MEAL.
Ensure that the outcomes and impacts of the project are well captured and packaged in a way they can be broadly communicated.
Ensure that the information flows between the various stakeholders engaged in the project.
Contribute to gather lessons learned and facilitate their sharing through the organization of learning events.
Elaborate annual MEAL reports and support the conduction of the Project’s external evaluations.
Liaise frequently with IUCN MEAL team at the regional office.
Provide technical advisory, operational guidance, and capacity building to the project team on performance and accountability to support implementation and adaptive management, including on appropriate monitoring and data collection methods and tools.
Carry out training and mentoring project team members and partners on MEAL tools, data collection, and learning practices.
Advocate for and facilitate the proactive use of performance and results information in decision-making and adaptive management across the project through the preparation of technical inputs from monitoring data and as a subject-matter expert on performance dashboards.
Prepare technical inputs and/or contribute to drafting reports, and other evidence-based communications on progress internally and to the donor, by coordinating, controlling quality and synthesizing monitoring and reporting data.
Identify and contribute to mitigation of risks, supporting the Project Manager(s) in the development of risk management tools and ensure project risk register is regularly monitored and updated.

Evaluation and learning;
Support and provide inputs to supervision missions, including providing analyses or reports of progress against indicators. May be occasionally requested to participate in supervision missions of other projects.
Advocate for and facilitate the proactive use of monitoring and evaluation information to support data-driven project management at all stages of the project cycle (promoting adaptive management and learning).
Promote project, programme and institutional learning through the design and facilitation of internal evaluative work, learning events or other mechanisms that capture, synthesize and share lessons and best-practices.
Contribute communications with information stemming from the monitoring, evaluation, and learning system.
Support to project finalization and closure, including outcome documentation and lessons learned.
Facilitating adaptive management and learning throughout the project using M&E findings.
Risk analysis responsibilities on a quarterly basis, explicitly using a project risk register.

Geographic Information System: Assume overall responsibility for the timely and quality delivery of geospatial information and remote sensing related including supporting assessments, monitoring, mapping and trend analysis; develop a methodological for regular monitoring and updating of information on the projects and programmes portal; identify key programmatic strategic priorities relevant to the current and emerging needs around GIS-linked natural resources conservation and management; work closely with the IUCN-GIS expert to ensure quality programme delivery and harmonization.

Representation;
Network and liaise with partners and potential partners, developing and maintaining partnerships and strong relationships across all sectors (including the private sector).
When required, represent IUCN and maintain good working relationships among the international and local NGO community in the basins, among community leadership structures and community-based organizations.
Co-investment and developing new proposals.
Play a role in identifying funding opportunities and the development of concept papers and proposals.