The MEL Director will be responsible for leading CECG’s data-based monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes. They will oversee the development of our funder reports, support our programmatic staff in maximizing the impact and learning opportunities of our grantmaking, and will work with grantees and other partners in the field to help establish and implement best practices, with a focus on collaboration and capacity-building.

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated self-starter who will work closely with CECG’s leadership team in improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and adaptability of the climate moment. This role will collaborate closely with the Executive Director, Operations Director, and program staff to help advance CECG’s mission of advancing multilateral climate solutions.

This is a fast-paced and dynamic role at the intersection of philanthropy, grantmaking, campaigning, strategy, and advocacy to support global climate diplomacy.

Primary responsibilities

MEL systems thinking:

• Develop and implement a multi-year MEL strategy for the organization – including internally and externally focused work streams.
• Oversee and iterate on CECG’s Theory of Change, in line with CECG’s new 3 Year Plan.
• Design and implement a robust Results Framework in partnership with CECG’s Executive and Programmatic Directors, ensuring alignment with CECG’s 3 Year Plan.
• Work with Operations and Program directors to ensure annual strategies are aligned with CECG’s Results Framework.
• Develop and oversee MEL and grantmaking quality standards, including a mechanism for assessing and implementing improvement plans.
• Help develop and embed a culture of evaluation and learning across the entire CECG team, including the development and implementation of targeted Key Learning Questions, and using organisational data to drive learning, knowledge sharing and capacity building.

CECG funder reporting:

• Partner closely with CECG’s funders to develop universal reporting templates and KPIs for the 6+ foundations that support our work.
• Oversee and project manage the development of our annual end of year report for our funders, as well as any bespoke or mid-year reports.
• Ensure CECG funder feedback is continually integrated into CECG’s grantmaking.

Grantmaking:

• Work with programmatic staff to identify appropriate outcomes and KPIs for key CECG grants, with a focus on identifying opportunities for data-driven insights to inform future learning and strategic development.
• Identify, implement, and train the team on the tools and processes CECG needs in order to maximize its MEL process and the strategic impact of its grantmaking and programmatic spending.
• Work with other CECG staff to ensure risk identification and risk management best practices are embedded across CECG’s grantmaking, while ensuring CECG’s work remains innovative and ambitious.
• Work with Grants and Campaign Managers to iteratively improve upon CECG’s grantee contracting and reporting processes and templates.
• Work with the programs team to identify and implement evaluation programs for key CECG grantees.

External coordination and representation:

• Partner with CECG funders and their MEL teams, along with other climate regranting organizations, to enhance transparency and develop collaborative and coordinated best practices across grantee reporting (both with re-granters and NGO partners).
• Work with key grantees and grantmaking partners to identify opportunities for levelling-up the field’s MEL, KPI, and reporting practices, with a focus on equity, trust-building, minimizing labor for grantees, and maximizing impact, alignment, capacity-building, and iterative learning.
• Act as an ambassador for CECG at key conferences, with funders and grantees, and across other partner meetings, and showcase CECG’s role as a leader in the collaborative philanthropic ecosystem.

Additional responsibilities:

• Support in the development of best MEL and KPI-development best practices for key CECG grantees, with a focus on capacity and efficacy-building.
• Develop and implement MEL training materials for CECG grantees, with a focus on building up the field – particularly for Global South and youth-led organizations.
• Identify, through a MEL lens, opportunities for how CECG can further support the growth, development, and capacity-building of its grantees.

Qualifications, skills and experience

Skills:

• Team player with excellent interpersonal skills, and a strong commitment to servant leadership.
• Outstanding judgment, resourcefulness, and ability to problem-solve, troubleshoot, and follow projects through to completion.
• Outcome-oriented with an entrepreneurial approach.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, with a focus on great attention to detail.
• Highly resourceful and a keen problem-solver who is eager to take on new challenges.
• Strong time-management skills and the ability to organize and coordinate multiple work streams
• International stakeholder management experience.
• A strong knowledge of international climate change politics, with a focus on multilateralism and the UNFCCC process.
• Outstanding stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to exercise tact and diplomacy in organizational and stakeholder settings and the ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide array of people from diverse backgrounds.
• Advanced skills with common office software (including Google Sheets/Excel).

Experience:

• 10 years minimum experience using data-driven insights to inform organizational learning.
• Extensive expertise in designing, evolving, and managing MEL frameworks (including ToCs and results frameworks) at a strategic, organizational, and project level.
• Demonstrable track record of embedding a learning culture at an organizational level.
• Significant experience working effectively on multiple projects simultaneously, setting priorities, organizing time, and identifying resources for projects as needed.
• Experience in philanthropy and grant management.
• Significant experience working effectively on multiple projects simultaneously, setting priorities, organizing time, and identifying resources for projects as needed.
• Experience working with a remote, international team.

Additional information

This will be a full-time (40 hours/week) remote role, preferably able to and will require considerable time collaborating with staff and stakeholders in multiple time zones.

• Staff in the US are employed by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; benefits include healthcare, a 401(k) matching program, and 5 weeks of paid time off.
• CECG is committed to providing equivalency of salary & benefits across its global team and maintaining a sustainable and positive working environment for all team members.
• This is a remote role, and we welcome applications internationally, especially candidates from or in the Global South. Some international travel may be required. CECG is an international team, with the majority of the team working remotely.