Global Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager

Global Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager

ETG | Beyond Beans Foundation

Location: Hybrid (Amstelveen, the Netherlands and from home)

The Organisation

The Beyond Beans Foundation is the implementation partner of international commodities trader ETG for sustainability programmes in cocoa, coffee, and cashew. We are currently working with 70,000 farmers from ETG’s supply chains across West and East Africa and Latin America, developing programmes with and for industrial clients. In close cooperation with our sustainability teams in origin countries, commodity suppliers and programme partners, we support farmers to improve their farming practices towards a living income, help communities to tackle child labour, strive to empower women, support income diversification, and protect the natural environment with agroforestry and conservation efforts.

Beyond Beans is based out of the Netherlands, and our core programmes and activities are implemented through subsidiary foundations in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Togo and Ecuador. The Foundation’s rapidly-expanding 100+ FTE operational team consists of a multidisciplinary team of managers and field staff with experience in a wide range of topics, from tackling child labour to climate-smart agroforestry and promoting gender equity.

The Job

We are seeking a highly experienced and driven individual to join our team as Global Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager. In this role, you will have a broad scope of responsibilities, including overseeing Beyond Beans' current M&E strategy, managing databases and tooling, and coordinating field data collection methods. You will also be responsible for continuous improvement and innovation of the M&E system. Additionally, you will play a key role in adapting ETG | Beyond Beans’ M&E operations and data management to comply with existing and upcoming due diligence legislation and other external requirements for the cocoa sector. To achieve these aims, you will provide leadership to a team of technical experts, project coordinators & managers and field officers, in various origins across West Africa, Latin America, and the Netherlands.

The Team

You will be working in our dynamic sustainability team that is spread over the Netherlands (Amstelveen), West & East Africa and Latin America. You will report to the Global Programme Manager. In the Netherlands you will be managing 2 M&E specialists. Internationally, you will manage and work in close collaboration with 6 M&E coordinators, specialists and supervisors in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria.

Key activities and responsibilities:

1. Coordinate current M&E activities (25%)
   • Oversee and coordinate all work related to M&E, at HQ as well as in origins.
   • Ensure the timely submission of high-quality data to Account Managers and other colleagues, for distribution to clients, donors, and other stakeholders.
2. Continuous improvement & innovation of the M&E system (25%)
   • Review Beyond Beans' existing M&E strategy, databases, tooling, and field data collection methods to identify areas for improvement and ensure alignment with organisational goals.
   • Work closely with stakeholders to understand specific data and reporting requirements across various geographical locations, ensuring that M&E systems capture relevant information and produce actionable insights.
   • Stay informed about best practices and emerging trends in M&E and data management and recommend novel approaches and tools to enhance Beyond Beans' M&E processes.
3. Adapting the M&E system to new regulations & other external requirements (25%)
   • Stay updated on existing and upcoming legislative and compliance requirements relevant for the cocoa sector and ETG | Beyond Beans, such as EUDR, and analyse the operational and data management implications for the organisation's M&E processes.
   • Conduct a comprehensive review of internal systems and external requirements, and, based on this, develop updated M&E frameworks, systems, and processes that both comply with the legislation and support effective monitoring and evaluation.
   • Collaborate with internal teams and external partners (suppliers, service providers) to design and implement data collection tools, protocols, and reporting templates that align with new M&E frameworks.
4. Team & budget management (25%)
   • Assess the capacity and structure of the M&E teams across the various origins and identify gaps or areas for improvement.
   • Monitor and evaluate the performance of internal M&E teams, providing guidance, mentoring, and feedback to support their professional development and ensure high-quality outputs.
   • Create clarity on the responsibilities of the M&E team members as well as other pillar leads (Agroforestry and Environment, Community Development and Farmer Livelihoods) on their role and responsibilities within the M&E system.
   • Guide the M&E team in budgeting exercises, monitor realised expenses and create insight into the cost-effectiveness of various M&E activities.

Qualifications and qualities we are looking for:

• Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., international development, data management).
• Minimum 8 years’ experience in Monitoring and Evaluation, Data Analytics, or in a similar position.
• Proven experience in reviewing and enhancing M&E strategies, systems, and processes in a global context.
• Experience with projects that required the translation of new legislation and industry practices into internal processes and systems.
• Knowledge of existing and the upcoming due diligence legislation for the cocoa sector (including EUDR) and its implications for M&E in the industry is a plus.
• Strong understanding of M&E concepts, methodologies, and tools, including experience with quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
• Familiarity with data management and reporting requirements for regulatory compliance.
• Familiarity with smallholder agricultural production systems and the field reality of M&E in this context.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data sets and generate actionable insights.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to prioritise tasks, meet deadlines, and manage multiple assignments simultaneously.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders across cultures and geographies.
• Experience in team management and capacity building, with the ability to lead and motivate teams to achieve high performance.
• Fluent in English; French is a plus.
• Proven ability to adapt to changing environments and work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic setting.
• Commitment to quality, accuracy, and attention to detail in all aspects of work.

What we offer you
You will be part of a fast-growing organisation and broad network with excellent future career opportunities. We offer an annual gross salary of between €65-75,000 (based on experience and including holiday pay, but excluding employer pension contribution) for a 40-hour working week and many other benefits, including substantial freedom in your work, engagement in a broad range of sustainability topics and personal development opportunities. You will learn about the newest tools and programmes to bring a positive change to cocoa farmer livelihoods and the environment. You will be based in Amstelveen, the Netherlands with the opportunity to work from home up to 2 days per week. Applicants should be willing to travel to West Africa around 3-4 times per year.

Interested?

Please send your application comprising a CV and motivation letter no later than Sunday 6th August 2023 to: application@sustainabilityworks.eu mentioning ‘Beyond Beans: Global M&E Manager’ in the subject line. Please feel free to email Alex Carter at alex.carter@sustainabilityworks.eu for any further information or to schedule a call.