Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) Officer

Start date: August 1, 2026

Supervisor: Senior MERL Officer,

Location: Preference for Nairobi,Kampala, Accra, Kigali, or Addis Ababa

Background:

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization driving positive education and economic change for young people around the world. Our vision is a world where every young person thrives and belongs. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to fulfill their aspirations and create their own futures. To help achieve this goal, we develop initiatives that: deliver lasting, measurable impact; are powered by partnerships across the globe; stay true to our core programming principles; and respond to the priorities and aspirations of the people with whom we work.

WUSC is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and has offices across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East. Our global team of development professionals bring deep expertise and open minds to identify new solutions to old problems and create a better world together. WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in the communities they serve.

Project Description:

WUSC has launched the second phase (2026-2031) of an exciting initiative, which aims to significantly expand efforts to help refugee, displaced, and host community (RDP) youth, particularly young women, secure dignified and fulfilling work and access education opportunities across Africa. Building on prior successes, this Phase II will deepen engagement in new geographies, strengthen local ecosystems, and equip partners with necessary knowledge and tools for lasting change. A core strategy is emphasizing the engagement and strengthening of Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) to provide sustainable, locally-led technical assistance.

Over the next five years, Phase II’s ambitious goals include indirectly enabling one million RDP youth to secure dignified work and 35,000 to access education through the provision of expert technical assistance to a broad ecosystem of actors. Key implementation strategies involve working closely with RLOs through three pathways: providing financial access via an RLO Opportunity Fund, strengthening their capacity to provide technical assistance to partners, and embedding them across Phase II’s functional areas. WUSC will serve as a network orchestrator, facilitating connections for scale and training partners and other stakeholders on RDP inclusion. The initiative will achieve its targets by increasing knowledge among partners, enhancing capacity to develop innovative programming, improving collaboration and inclusive policies, and strengthening the institutional ability of RLOs to design, implement, and sustain RDP solutions.

Role Description:

Under the leadership of the Senior Manager, the MERL Officers provide essential technical and operational support for the project’s MERL system, ensuring high-quality data is collected, managed, and used for adaptive programming and tracking progress towards project targets for refugee, displaced, and host community (RDP) youth. The Officers will execute day-to-day M&E tasks and support the implementation of the MERL framework, under the direct supervision of the Senior MERL Officer.

Monitoring & Data Quality Assurance

• Support the implementation of the program's overall MERL standards and framework.
• Conduct routine data verification and quality checks to ensure data collection and reporting capabilities are robust and adhere to established quality standards across the project portfolio.
• Assist in collecting, compiling, and managing quantitative and qualitative data.
• Ensure data is properly disaggregated and tracked to measure progress towards enabling 1 million RDP youth to secure dignified work and 35,000 RDP youth to access education.

Learning and Reporting Support

• Contribute to the documentation of evidence and data to inform the adaptation or redesign of interventions.
• Assist the project Learning Manager in synthesizing complex data into clear learning products and reports, ensuring the highest standards of intellectual honesty and research ethics.
• Support the incorporation of synthesized lessons learned into program design and implementation.
• Contribute to the preparation of timely and accurate MERL reports for internal use and donor submissions.

Partner Capacity Building and Technical Assistance

• Provide technical assistance and day-to-day support on M&E practices to project teams (Technical Assistance Mechanism, Higher Education Inclusion, and RLO Opportunity Fund units).
• Assist in implementing the tailored MERL training strategy for Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs).
• Coach and support RLOs to improve their data collection and reporting capabilities and maintain accountability and quality standards.

Research and Assessment Support

• Support the Research Manager and Senior Manager, MERL in implementing assessments, research, analysis, and interpretation of various data across projects in the region.
• Coordinate working relationships with external research consultants and other MERL stakeholders as directed by the Head of MERL.

Knowledge Management

• Online resource hub content curation & platform performance analytics. Oversee the data collection and operational health of the digital knowledge ecosystem.
• Manage the lifecycle of formal evidence generated by the project, ensuring all research, mapping, and learning products are peer-reviewed, archived, and successfully disseminated.
• Document and map the expanding network of structural collaborations and knowledge exchanges between diverse actors within the refugee and displaced persons space.

Qualifications:

The ideal applicant will combine technical expertise in higher education inclusion, strong familiarity with the displacement context in multiple geographies of focus, exceptional partnership management skills and relationships, an ability to get things done, and strong organization, coordination, and communication skills.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., International Development, Public Policy, International Relations, Statistics).
• 3+ years of experience supporting the implementation of MERL systems for development or humanitarian programs, preferably in the African context.
• Practical experience in data collection, management, and quality assurance, including the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.
• Demonstrated commitment to social inclusion and knowledge of the specific constraints and realities faced by refugee and displaced groups.
• Complete fluency in English (written and verbal) is essential.
• Fluency or professional competency in French is a strong asset.
• Strong organizational, planning, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work hands-on and independently.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with experience synthesizing data.
• Knowledge of and commitment to the concept of gender equality and intersectionality within programming.

Other requirements:

• The headquarters of this initiative is located in Nairobi, Kenya; the MERL Officers are expected to be based on the African continent, and must already possess the relevant work authorizations in the country they are/will be residing in.
• The role will require frequent travel across the continent, and occasional international travel for conferences, workshops and meetings;
• Ability to work a flexible schedule.

WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers, representatives and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence, and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation or abuse of any form. Successful applicants will be required to undertake an enhanced criminal record check where appropriate.