Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

About KIND:

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is a global leader in the protection of unaccompanied refugee and migrant children. Launched in 2008, KIND champions a world in which every child’s rights and well-being are protected throughout their journey to safety. Since 2008, KIND has accepted over 23,000 referrals of children seeking legal representation in their immigration proceedings. KIND has welcomed more than 41,000 attendees to trainings since its founding, cultivating partnerships with over 700 law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and bar associations across the country.

KIND’s social services program ensures that migrant and refugee children – who have often endured trauma – receive counseling, educational support, medical care, and other comprehensive services.

To address the root causes of child migration from Central America and strengthen the protection of unaccompanied children, KIND advocates for policy changes and educates lawmakers, the media, and the broader public on the conditions that drive these children to flee their home countries. KIND supports children returning to their home countries by connecting them to essential support services and sponsors gender-based violence prevention programs in Central America to protect children in countries of origin and transit.

KIND is also building upon its expertise in the protection of unaccompanied children to encourage the development of pro bono initiatives across Europe in partnership with European NGOs.

Position Summary:

KIND is committed to continuing its work across all sectors to protect unaccompanied children and ensure that migrant children and youth who are fleeing poverty, violence, and dangerous conditions in their homelands do not face further abuse and exploitation in the U.S. KIND’s approach to preventing and responding to exploitative labor practices facing migrant children leverages our expertise in child migration and culturally responsive legal and social services. KIND will engage its staff and extensive network of pro bono attorneys, corporate partners, and other community and law enforcement partners on the signs of labor exploitation, the vulnerability factors contributing to the exploitation of migrant children, and the preventive, all-of-community approaches that enhance protective factors around migrant children and youth.

The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer will work closely with KIND’s Legal Programs Team, and in collaboration with other KIND staff, including in the Development and Data Strategy Teams. The incumbent will collaboratively design and implement measurable program outcome frameworks, conduct data driven analysis of the impact of KIND’s labor exploitation and prevention programming, including strengths and areas for growth. The incumbent will develop monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks, tools, and systems to meaningfully measure, strengthen, and communicate the impact of KIND’s work and work closely with program staff, KIND’s data strategy team, and partner organizations to implement M&E systems. Provide guidance, training, technical assistance, and strategic oversight to ensure effective implementation of all M&E activities. The M&E Officer will also contribute to developing and carrying out plans for the expansion and scalability of KIND’s programming in this area. The M&E Officer will support KIND’s labor exploitation prevention programming as well as a range of future M&E projects for the Legal Programs Department.

This a headquarters position based remotely from any location in the U.S.

Essential Functions:

• Works with program staff and partner organizations to support program design and develop program-specific and cross-program monitoring and evaluation frameworks and plans for KIND’s Legal Programs Team.
• Provides thought leadership in developing and implementing effective and innovative strategies and tools for monitoring and evaluating programs and activities.
• Participates in the development and refinement of program-level and cross-program theories of change, ensuring that all M&E activities align with those theories.
• Works with program staff and Data Team to identify, recommend and implement tools and technologies to effectively collect, monitor and evaluate data, consistent with monitoring strategies and program capacity.
• Works with program staff and partner organizations to develop and implement strategies for substantively engaging program participants (children, youth, family members, teachers, etc.) in program evaluation to ensure M&E measurements reflect client-centered indicia of program success and impact
• Works with program staff to track the performance of program activities against expected results using qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Works with program staff to analyze the outcomes and impact of programs. Makes data-driven recommendations for program growth and improvement and works with program staff and partner organizations to ensure that outcomes and lessons learned are integrated into program design.
• Identifies capacity building needs and provides training, technical assistance, and coaching to KIND program staff and partner organizations to effectively carry out monitoring and evaluation.
• Works with program staff and Development and Data teams to ensure collection of necessary data for funders and timely and accurate reporting of M&E results following funder requirements.
• Works with program staff and Development, Communications, and Policy teams as appropriate to use M&E results to effectively communicate the impact of KIND programming to government, private sector, and philanthropic actors to prioritize and invest in the rights and protection of migrant children.
• In collaboration with KIND’s Data Strategy Team, produces high-quality reports on program results and impact for internal and external audiences including KIND leadership and board members in a timely manner.
• Provides support for proposal development, including contributing to M&E components of grant proposals, concept notes, or other applications for funding.
• Stays up to date on current practices in monitoring and evaluation and participates in relevant external forums.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Advanced degree in social sciences, international development, economics, statistics, demographics, public policy, data management, or related field. Significant professional experience in monitoring and evaluation may substitute for advanced degree.
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a monitoring and evaluation role responsible for designing and implementing M&E activities. Experience ideally should be in child migration, children’s rights, gender, refugee, immigration, or livelihoods/economic development area.
• Proven success in designing, implementing, and operating project M&E systems from program/project design to closeout stages.
• Experience developing monitoring and evaluation strategies and tools using a child focused lens preferred.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of projects with diverse funding streams
• Knowledge of evaluation methodologies and experience with qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods, including basic statistical analysis. Experience with or interest in participatory evaluation methods.
• Experience with training or capacity building related to monitoring and evaluation highly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with a variety of diverse stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suites (such as Teams, Excel, etc.).
• Ability to work collaboratively and multi-task, managing numerous priorities and emerging opportunities, and working with a sense of urgency in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to work on multiple projects in a deadline-oriented environment. Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate as appropriate.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, and communication styles.
• Committed to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as embracing transparency and authenticity in daily work life.
• Be disciplined and nimble to ensure delivery on our core mission of access to justice and protection of children’s wellbeing and rights.
• Committed to practicing and supporting wellbeing and a work-home life balance.
• Experience working and communicating in a remote environment.

KIND requires all U.S. based staff be COVID vaccinated with the exception of those who have medical or religious beliefs exemptions.

Benefits: Discover the perks of working for KIND