Starting Date: September/October 2024
Contract type: Full-time and open-ended
Salary: if hired in London 47'200 GBP, if in Delhi 2'466'550 INR, if in Lahore 5'491'950 PKR, commensurate with relevant experience and skills
Location: London, Delhi, Lahore.
Application closing date: 6th September 2024
About The Job
Are you an experienced MEL professional that cares about enabling programme learning through good data Better Cotton is looking for a skilled and adaptive Senior MEL Coordinator to join our team to play a key role in working with programme partners and Better Cotton teams to help contribute to more sustainable farming practices and farm livelihoods.
The principal purpose of the role will be to coordinate the key MEL processes of Better Cotton's Growth and Innovation Foundation (GIF). The GIF is an internal Fund set up to support Better Cotton in achieving its goals. The GIF annual budget is over 15 million Euros, and it has a significant role in the achievement of Better Cotton's 2030 Impact Targets and promotion of sustainable farming practices. The GIF provides grants to organisations to support farmers to transition to sustainable farming, strengthen the capacity of farming support organisations, to conduct research and test innovative tools and approaches. Working both independently and in collaboration with the GIF team, Better Cotton's MEL team and under the oversight of the MEL Manager, the Senior MEL Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the key MEL processes and budget of the GIF's four funds including guiding grantees MEL requirements, strengthening grantees MEL capacity, coordinating evaluations, and identifying and facilitating learning across the GIF portfolio.
In addition, there may be opportunities for engagement in MEL activities outside of the GIF. These could include working with fundraising, thematic or country teams on MEL plans, research and evaluation projects, or assisting them in the development of data collection tools and analysis processes.
The Challenge
Looking ahead to 2030, we are targeting reducing GHG emissions from cotton production by half, big cuts in synthetic pesticide use, improve soil health across our network, improve farm income and support women's empowerment among farmers and farm workers. A key part of achieving these targets is having clear data on the progress we are making, what is working and what is not working.
Areas that play to your strengths
Responsibilities
We are seeking a motivated MEL Senior Coordinator to join our MEL Team. In this role, you will work both independently and with team members in MEL and GIF. You will be the main staff member responsible for:
- Input on the MEL requirements for GIF applicants.
- Assessing the MEL sections of GIF applications.
- Lead and coordinate the feedback and guidance to GIF grantees to strengthen their MEL plans and processes (clear and appropriate result statements, indicators, data collection tools and sampling).
- Explain the GIF reporting requirements to grantees and, where necessary and in collaboration with the GIF and MEL teams, update these requirements.
- Lead the provision of MEL capacity strengthening support, in-person and remotely, to GIF grantees and colleagues within Better Cotton.
- Coordinate the GIF evaluations and research on grantee projects which are conducted by independent consultants. This includes identification and oversight of consultants, ensuring consultants have a clear understanding of Better Cotton's and grantees objectives, checking data collection tools and sampling methods, commenting on draft reports and keeping the process on time.
- Consolidate data from 6- and 12-month GIF grantee reports and evaluations to show progress against key indicators and identify learning and areas for improvement.
- Monitor the GIF MEL budget.
- Take the initiative to identify ways to integrate GIF and the data collected by other Better Cotton teams including MEL and assurance.
- Develop clear summary reports and learning produces that enable the learning from GIF to be shared across Better Cotton to multiple teams and to multiple levels of decision-maker, and with other grantees.
Where necessary, provide guidance and support to other Better Cotton teams on MEL. This could include:
- Supporting the fundraising team on the development of Logframes and the evaluation requirements of projects funded by external donors,
- Providing guidance to thematic teams on suitable indicators and examples of learning from GIF grantees, or
- Working with Country Teams on data collection and analysis tools, together with input and support on research and evaluation projects.
We Are Looking For Someone Who Has
the following skills, knowledge, and experience:
Essential
- Master's degree in international development, social or economic science, natural resource management, environmental science, agronomy, or equivalent work experience.
- Significant experience in measurement and evaluation of agricultural, social, economic, natural resource management, environmental science or agronomic projects.
- Track record in coordinating a MEL system of multiple projects with minimal support
- Demonstrated ability in project level MEL plan design, review and adaptation.
- Prior experience working with or in donor/funding organisations, in particular with Logframes, MEL frameworks and reporting requirements.
- Experience working with staff at Partner organisations who have limited time and capacity to work on MEL.
- Strong skills and experience of delivering capacity building support on MEL both in person and remotely
- Experience with quantitative and qualitative data collection tools at field level, including the ability to develop them, use them and to ensure the quality & reliability of data collection, analysis and reporting
- Experience with selection of samples to collect data from, and how to select the right samples based on different criteria and purposes of the research.
- Experience with research and evaluation processes through either direct experience of conducting them, or through oversight of consultants conducting them.
- Experience with the identification of learning within projects and across multiple projects and to present this learning to different teams, both subject experts and non-subject experts in a clear and appropriate way to enable decisions to be made.
- Fluency in written and spoken English with excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate to different audiences including senior decision-makers, programme staff and those without agricultural experience.
- Strong IT skills (e.g., proficiency in using analysis programs, data visualization software, managing large databases).
- An ability to take tasks forward independently and also work creatively and flexibly in a small team, supporting other colleagues,
- Able to represent GIF MEL at key internal organization meetings and also at external meetings with relevant stakeholders including Partner organisations and donors.
- A commitment to the aims of Better Cotton
Desirable
- Experience in smallholder agriculture
- Experience of rural development, gained through project or grant management of projects in the locations where Better Cotton works.
- Experience in assurance or certification processes similar to Better Cotton
- Experience and ability to work in one of Better Cotton's programme partner languages French, Portuguese, Urdu or Hindi.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary
- Hybrid working Some days per week/month in the Better Cotton office (frequency depends on location) and some days working from home.
- The opportunity to work from anywhere in the world for up to one month per year
- Flexible working, with core hours from 10 am to 4 pm local time
- Continuous learning and development
- Pension scheme
- 25 days paid annual leave, plus approximately 8-9 public holidays depending on national office and a further 3 discretionary days off over year-end period.
- Enhanced parental benefits
- A warm, positive working environment where everyone is valued
- The opportunity to make your mark and make a difference.
Working arrangements
The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based either in London, Lahore or Delhi. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am 4 pm. The position will require limited travel to countries funded by the GIF. These currently comprise: India, Pakistan, Turkey, China, Mozambique and Mali (potentially Côte D'Ivoire in 2025).
Apply now
Send us your CV (two pages maximum) and a brief cover letter (one-page maximum) by or before
06.09.2024.
In your cover letter, please include an explanation of why your experience is specifically relevant to this role at Better Cotton. We want to see your personal style what makes you tick and why you think your next opportunity is here with us.
Our hiring process
Initial Screening
If you are selected, you will be contacted for an initial screening, which may involve a brief phone interview or video call. The purpose is to learn more about you, confirm basic qualifications, and discuss the role and organisation.
Interviews
If you are confirmed after the initial screening, you will be invited for interviews. The interview process at Better Cotton may include one or more rounds of interviews with various stakeholders, such as the hiring manager, team members, and potentially senior management.
Assessment And Testing
Depending on the role, you might be required to complete assessments, technical tests, or skills evaluations to gauge your competency and suitability for the position.
Reference Checks
Once you progress further in the process, reference checks are conducted to validate your work history, skills, and qualifications, and for some roles, your education and criminal history.
Offer Stage
After completing interviews, assessments, and reference checks, the hiring team evaluates your performance and fit for the role. If you are selected and your references are relevant and satisfactory, you will receive a formal job offer letter outlining the terms of employment, compensation, benefits, and any other relevant details.
About Better Cotton
Better Cotton is the world's largest cotton sustainability programme. Our 200+ colleagues of 37+ nationalities are united by a shared passion and commitment to achieving the Better Cotton mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Through our network of field-level partners a quarter of the world's cotton is now grown under the Better Cotton Standard. We have united the industry's stakeholders behind our efforts, from ginners and spinners to brand owners, civil society organisations and governments. Everyone who cares about cotton and its sustainable future can now be part of something better.
About Our Values
The post holder will be expected to operate in line with our workplace values which are:
- Trustworthy (including honest, transparent, credible)
- As having Integrity (including responsible, authentic)
- Positive (including problem-solving, pragmatic)
- Engaging (including adaptable, inclusive, holistic)
- Daring (including courageous, innovative, game-changing)
Being you @ Better Cotton
Better Cotton is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human, and financial resources.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to any attitudes or behaviours that put children or adults at risk of harm. Safeguarding incidents are acts of serious misconduct and are grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal and referral to relevant authorities for criminal prosecution. Therefore, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.
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