Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

CrossBoundary Advisory

About the Firm

Founded in 2011, CrossBoundary is a mission-driven investment firm committed to unlocking the power of capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets. CrossBoundary provides transaction and investment advisory services, having developed a specialized expertise in unleashing investment across all sectors in these markets. Our advisory clients include governments, development finance institutions, private equity firms, Fortune 100 companies, and research institutions. Learn more at www.crossboundary.com  

Who We Are

The CrossBoundary team is a unique group made up of people who are genuinely excited by the opportunity to make a difference in some of the most challenging yet exciting markets in the world. Team members come from diverse backgrounds but share several qualities: curiosity, humility, integrity, a drive for excellence, and a bias for action.

What you'll do

CrossBoundary is recruiting Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Specialists to support the design and implementation of MEL systems across multi-country, donor-funded programs in West Africa. The MEL Specialist will lead country-level MEL implementation, ensuring high-quality data collection, verification, reporting, and learning across implementing partners, financial institutions, and other ecosystem actors. This role will focus on building robust data systems, strengthening partner capacity, and ensuring credible reporting of results, including employment, income, and enterprise-level outcomes.

Who You Are

• Self-starter who is passionate about creating lasting change in frontier markets

• Willingness to take on new types of work, even without prior experience or direct supervision

• Willingness to work and live in a sometimes-challenging environment

• Comfort with ambiguity; ability to operate effectively in a changing context

Primary Responsibilities

MEL Systems Design and Implementation

• Support the design and operationalization of MEL frameworks, indicators, and tools

• Ensure alignment with donor requirements and global measurement standards

• Support deployment of digital data systems and reporting platforms

Partner Coordination and Capacity Building

• Provide MEL technical support to implementing partners

• Train partners on data collection tools, indicators, and reporting templates

• Facilitate performance review and data validation sessions

Data Collection and Management

• Coordinate routine data collection from implementing partners and stakeholders

• Develop and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for data collection and management

• Ensure quality assurance in data collection processes and the accurate, timely entry of data into the program data platform

• Conduct field verification with enterprises, participants and partners

• Track key program metrics, including:

• Participant outreach

• Employment and income outcomes

• Enterprise level outcomes

Reporting and Learning

• Compile and validate data and insights for donor and internal reporting

• Support preparation for external evaluations and assessments

• Generate insights from program data (quantitative and qualitative)

• Document lessons learned, case studies, and impact stories

• Support adaptive management through regular learning and feedback loops

Inclusion and Safeguarding

• Support tracking of gender, youth, and inclusion indicators

• Ensure ethical data collection practices, including informed consent and data privacy

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following skills and qualifications:

• 5+ years of relevant experience in MEL within donor-funded or development programs

• Bachelor’s degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Economics, Statistics, Development Studies, or related field: Master’ or another advanced degree strongly desired

• Experience working in developing countries

• French and English business fluency is required

• Demonstrated leadership skills; preferably in fast-moving and complex environments

• Excellent analytical ability and discipline; ability to think clearly, structure problems logically, and then design and implement solutions that focus on the core issue

• Excellent quantitative skills; ability to apply analytical rigor to complex and uncertain tasks

• Knowledge of donor finance and familiarity with project evaluation and monitoring techniques

• Ability to build strong relationships with clients and colleagues in stressful environments

• Excellent presentation skills; ability to communicate clearly and effectively with diverse audiences

• Comfort with ambiguity; ability to operate effectively in a changing context

• Willingness to work and live in a sometimes challenging environment

• Knowledge of the West African investment landscape (or previous work experience in it)

• Experience working with a range of stakeholders (including private equity firms, Development Finance Institutions, and development agencies) to support investments in high-impact sectors

Think you have what it takes but not sure you check every box? Research shows that while men apply to roles when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women often only apply when they check every box. If you’re passionate about what we’re building, send us your resume and a note to recruiting@crossboundary.com. We’re always looking to meet great people!

Location

The Monitoring and Evaluations Specialist will be based in Dakar,  Senegal, with frequent travel to field locations for verification activities.