Expertise France (EF) is looking for a senior MEAL specialist to develop a comprehensive and robust MEAL framework for the programme, based on a clear definition of roles and responsibilities between Expertise France and the implementing partners, in order to guide its management, adaptive implementation and results reporting.

The system should allow for the collection, processing and analysis of data, and make a concrete and continuous link with learning to support operational and strategic decision-making. The MEAL system should also serve accountability purposes, both upwards (donor) and downwards (national and local partners and end beneficiaries).

The Specialist shall design a system that is proportionate to the programme's information needs and to the availability and quality of data. Particular attention shall be given to identifying which indicators can be monitored routinely, which should be measured only at selected points in time (e.g. baseline/endline).

The Specialist will hand over the MEAL framework, processes and tools to the local MEAL Officer to be recruited, to the project team and designated MEAL focal points of the implementing partners. Appropriate training and coaching shall be provided to ensure effective ownership and use of the system.

The Specialist will be expected to carry out and deliver on the following tasks:

1) Intervention logic and provisional results framework

- Review the Description of the Action (DoA), the logical framework annexed to the financing agreement, partner proposals and existing monitoring instruments of the four implementing organisations;
- Design and facilitate a participatory workshop (preferably, in-person) with EF team and partners to review and update the theory of change (ToC);
- Clarify the intended outcomes and impacts, ensuring they are realistic, measurable and logically linked to the activities;
- Review the assumptions in the TOC and verify their continued validity;
- Support the team and implementing partners in analysing synergies, complementarities and overlaps within and across project components, and in taking these elements into account when refining the logic of intervention;
- Conduct an indicator feasibility and evaluability assessment and support the revision of the contractual logical framework, ensuring that indicators are relevant, measurable, realistic and aligned with the programme's intervention logic and EU reporting requirements;
- Identify a complementary and proportionate set of non-contractual indicators, including Expertise France corporate indicators (THEMA), management and process indicators, qualitative indicators, and indicators supporting programme learning, communication and strategic decision-making;
- Support Expertise France in preparing the justification and documentation required for the formal approval of any proposed revisions to the contractual logical framework by the European Union, including participation in technical discussions with the EU Delegation where necessary;
- Refine the Programme logframe (for components 1 and 2) and produce recommendations for components 3 and 4.

2) Quality assurance of the baseline produced by the Diagnostic

- Participate in the kick-off meeting of the Diagnostic assignment, to guarantee the understanding of the MEAL system by the project;
- Provide Expertise France with a written technical review of the Diagnostic's Inception Report, covering the sampling design, the data collection instruments, the disaggregation plan, the ethical protocols and the data quality assurance arrangements, and to guarantee alignment with the MEAL system of the project;
- Review the baseline chapter of the Diagnostic's deliverable on behalf of Expertise France and issue a formal quality opinion prior to its acceptance, covering calculation methods, sources, uncertainty, limitations and traceability;
- Where values are rejected or judged insufficiently robust, specify the corrective measures to be requested from the Diagnostic consultant.

3) Establish an operational MEAL system for the programme, and provide the team with tools to effectively monitor programme progress and achievement

- Develop a coherent set of indicators (output, outcome and context indicators) capturing both quantitative and qualitative information to measure progress towards achieving the desired changes. This set of indicators will reflect the logframe, the internal indicators of EF (Thema indicators) and all the other indicators applicable to the project (extra-contractual);
- Elaborate indicator reference sheets and ensure shared understanding of definitions and calculation methods;
- Review existing documents and input from team and partners to compile baseline values; identify missing information and support the design of baseline or other surveys to inform missing values;
- Lead the process of setting realistic and appropriate targets for each indicator;
- Identify and validate sources of verification, using existing data where possible;
- Provide recommendations on data collection, management and quality assurance systems;
- Support the elaboration of data collections tools (interview guide, survey, observation grids…);
- Develop a data flow mechanism and harmonised reporting tool that ensures reliable, consistent and timely transmission of data from implementing partners to EF for consolidation and analysis;
- Draft and finalise the MEAL framework guidelines document (including principles, procedures, templates, roles, reporting frequencies and data sources);
- Design and prototype a consolidated dashboard (using accessible tools) to visualise progress against key indicators and facilitate data-driven decision-making by EF and partners;
- Support the team in developing the learning and knowledge management strategy, including an action plan and indicative budget;
- Establish data management rules (including principles, procedures, templates, roles and responsibilities, reporting frequencies, data sources, data management rules, quality assurance, indicator revision procedures and links to EU reporting).

4) Hand over and capacity building

- Coach and mentor the MEAL Officer on the use of the MEAL framework, data tools, and reporting templates;
- Conduct joint testing of key monitoring tools and processes with the MEAL Officer and project team, on a real reporting cycle and adjust the tools accordingly;
- Provide technical guidance on results-based management and MEAL to EF staff and implementing partners as needed;
- Recommend follow-up capacity-building actions to ensure continuity and autonomy after the Specialist’s departure.

5) During the implementation phase

- Provide intermittent remote support on a part-time basis for indicator tracking, data consolidation, and risk monitoring;
- Contribute to the semi-annual reviews and to the annual progress reports with indicators’ evolution toward the settled targets;
- Assist the team in formulating an evaluation strategy tailored to the programme’s operational context, learning objectives and donor requirements;
- Support the development of a learning and knowledge management strategy, to promote continuous improvement. Ensure lessons learned from implementation are captured and documented effectively;
- Facilitate reflection workshops to capture lessons learned and recommend adjustments to the intervention logic, the indicators or the monitoring arrangements.

Each Purchase Order issued under the contract will specify the scope of services, expected deliverables, implementation schedule and the number of working days to be mobilised for the assignment concerned, within the overall contractual ceiling of 100 working days.

Further details are provided in the attached Terms of Reference (ToR).