Private Sector Development Principal Consultant (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning)

About the job

You will lead a multi-disciplinary team and work with colleagues to develop, manage and deliver a portfolio of monitoring, evaluation and learning assignments, mostly across aspects of private sector development including agriculture & agribusiness, enterprise development, youth employment, and workforce development. Our MEL work also encompasses cross-cutting themes of gender equality and social inclusion, and climate change.

The focus of this position is to lead on our anticipated continuing work for a major international philanthropic organisation whose portfolio of work is focused on job creation for young men and women in Africa. The client organisation has a keen interest in using innovative, and youth- and community-led MEL methods to understand its impact, particularly around system change, employment creation, resilience, well-being, and voice and agency. You will direct, oversee and participate in the delivery of the day-to-day technical implementation of the programme supported by a talented group of Triple Line staff, external consultants and partner organisations, as well as supervise the operational management of the assignment.

You will also take a significant role in growing our monitoring, evaluation and learning project portfolio in private sector development in East Africa and globally with a diverse group of clients, including bi-lateral and multi-lateral donor agencies, philanthropic foundations, development finance institutions (DFIs), impact investors, corporate clients and Governments. This will include, among others, refining our monitoring, evaluation and learning service offer, building relationships with new and existing clients, leading the development of proposals, and taking a leading technical or management role on a small number of new projects.

Thought leadership is central to how we work, and you will also ensure the learning from what we do is captured and used to inform what we do and how we work, and shared and disseminated to inform wider learning among our clients and partners and the wider global development community. As a Principal Consultant you will also be expected to grow and nurture more junior colleagues within the Evaluation, Policy Analysis and Learning business stream using our collaborative learning approach.

Roles and responsibilities and the specific tasks you will undertake:

Project Delivery and Consultancy Services (70%)

Act as Team Leader or other senior team member on MEL focused projects and programmes, managing project teams and project partners and serving as the main company interface with clients and government counterparts on the projects you lead.
Lead and participate in the design and delivery of MEL systems, evaluations and strategic, learning focused assignments, including methodology development; development of innovative approaches; theory of change and results framework design; impact measurement frameworks, adaptive management and learning approaches, data gathering tool design and testing; collection of quantitative and qualitative data; data synthesis and analysis; and generation of findings and recommendations. Apply innovative approaches and problem-solving skills across all these tasks
Ensure gender equality, safeguarding, and social inclusion is mainstreamed into the design and implementation of MEL at all stages.
Lead and support the preparation, design and facilitation of workshops and learning events with the client and delivery partners e.g. to develop theory of change, facilitate learning and reflection, co-create recommendations, explore and share learning; engage stakeholders in evaluation processes.
Present analysis, findings and research clearly both in writing, visually and orally, through case studies, reports and presentations for the client and other stakeholders, to support uptake and sharing of findings.
Ensure that programmes and programme components under your direction are managed and delivered on time, on budget, to an outstanding level of quality, and in compliance with key company and client policies and procedures, with major risks to project success properly mitigated.
Demonstrate thought leadership, and capture, disseminate and share the lessons from your work both with your colleagues and to our clients, partners and the wider global development community.

Business Development and Knowledge management (20%)

Build, cultivate and manage relationships with targeted clients, develop our offer and demonstrate the value of our services in meeting their needs. This may include representing Triple Line at relevant sector events and conferences.
Develop and manage a pipeline of new business opportunities, working with colleagues in UK, Kenya, Ethiopia and Manila, leading on the development and submission of high-quality proposals and managing bid teams.
Develop and cultivate a network of partner organisations and technical experts within the region who can be called upon to support the delivery and execution of our projects and programmes.
Develop, document and communicate internal tools and methodologies used in the execution of assignments, and contribute to thought leadership articles, case studies and other material for external publication.

Line Management and Staff Development (10%)

Line manage a growing team, including identifying and recruiting new talent into your team as you build the business.
Develop and support existing team members in their professional development by providing targeted capacity building and mentoring to ensure a high level of technical skill.

About you

We are looking for someone who is passionate about supporting inclusive and sustainable economic growth. You are thoughtful, excel at problem solving, and have the confidence to contribute new ideas and challenge those around you, while remaining a committed team player. You will have worked with international donor organisations and DFIs on projects relevant to this role, especially those that involve working with the private sector (informal MSMEs, early-stage SMEs and large, anchor investors etc.) to facilitate growth and employment. You will lead by example, undertaking technical work while also overseeing and guiding the work of others.

You have a strong track record of designing and delivering all aspects of monitoring, evaluation and learning (particularly at the outcome and impact level) assignments, and experience in using participatory and innovative approaches.

Essential candidate attributes:

Advanced degree in relevant academic disciplines, including Economics, Political Science, International Relations, International Development, Business or equivalent experience
10+ years post-qualification experience in monitoring, evaluation and learning, with at least 5 years experience in PSD related work
Established consultancy skills and experience delivering for a range of international development clients and organisations
Strong experience delivering monitoring and evaluating projects and programmes at the outcome and impact levels, using a range of quantitative and qualitative methods
Experience in managing teams and budgets to deliver work in international development
Excellent writing and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate findings and recommendations clearly, in plain English, to a range of audiences
Outstanding problem-solving skills and comfortable with innovating and trying out new approaches and methods
Right to live and work in UK or Kenya

Desirable candidate attributes:

Experience in working with private sector development (PSD), market development and/or agriculture focused programmes
Experience leading on the development and submission of high-quality proposals and expressions of interest and managing bid teams
Experience in implementing learning and adaptive management approaches

About us

For over 25 years, Triple Line has worked with governments, financial institutions, the private sector, foundations and civil society to deliver an expanding portfolio of development assistance in countries across Africa, Asia and the rest of the world.

Climate change, loss of biodiversity, growing povert, entranched inequality, unemployment, access to decent work and shifting demographics – these are just some of the complex problems standing in the way of the global sustainable development goals. We are helping to address many of them at both a policy level and on the ground. By combining innovative thinking with practical solutions, we aim to help meet today's challenges and prepare for tomorrow's opportunities.

Our ultimate goal is to create opportunities for people, protect the environment and generate prosperity in responsible ways that create lasting value, unleash innovation and build inclusion and equity.

We work across two teams (Inclusive Growth and Resilience and Evaluation, Policy Analysis and Learning) to deliver 7 services to our clients:

GDPR declaration

By applying for this position, you are confirming that you allow Triple Line to retain your CV and personal details on record, unless you explicitly ask for them to be removed. In turn, we acknowledge that the team will not use your details for any purpose beyond the recruitment of this position and will not share your CV with any third party without your permission.

Recruitment process

Interested candidates should submit an up-to-date CV of no more than 4 pages and a tailored cover letter to 3L@tripleline.com, referencing the title of the position in the subject line. The cover letter (max 2 pages) should include an explanation of how your experience and qualifications meet the criteria for this position and provide information about availability, salary expectations, and any additional points related to your application that you would like us to consider. Applications that do not follow these instructions may not be considered.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The recruitment process will include two rounds of interviews, a practical written assessment or case study, and two reference checks.  

Please include any information you would like to share with Triple Line about additional support you may need during the interview and recruitment process.

Triple Line is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We have a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination within our recruitment process and actively encourage applications from a range of backgrounds.

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