MEL Assistant

About PEAS (Promoting Equality in African Schools)

PEAS (www.peas.org.uk) is a fast-growing education charity organization with a mission to ‘expand access to sustainably delivered quality secondary education across Africa.’ We run the fastest-growing network of sustainably financed secondary schools in Africa.

At PEAS, we are passionate about delivering quality education at a low cost so that we are able to educate the poorest rural communities in Zambia and replicate our model across other communities. We work closely with the Zambian Ministry of Education (MoE) to help achieve their national goals and have partnered with the MoE to build an exemplary network of secondary schools in Zambia.

PEAS Zambia has achieved great things over the last 12 years, and we know we can achieve even more in the next 10 years. Building on the solid foundations of our programme, we want to grow our impact in our own secondary school network and beyond. Our ambition is to be true exemplars of quality education and to drive improvements across the Zambian education system.

The Role

Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Assistant
Location: Ndola or Kasama

Reports to: MEL Officer

As Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Assistant, you will play a key role in supporting the fulfilment of PEAS MEL team objectives across the whole programme, and particularly in terms of MEL support to the PEAS School Network.
Critically, the MEL Assistant will aid in the collection, entry, and analysis of programme data, working with the PEAS MEL team, the wider PEAS team, and PEAS schools to ensure necessary evidence is available to aid effective decision-making. You will also aid in donor reporting by providing required data.

Roles and responsibilities

This is a key delivery role with a broad scope. Across the responsibilities below, the MEL Assistant will at times be delivering directly themselves, and at other times supporting team members to deliver. The exact nature of the balance will change to meet the needs of the team as it grows and evolves over time.

Supporting Implementation of MEL workplan and related tools and training

• Work with team members to ensure MEL activities for school network are conducted according to annual plans, and that tools capture data needed for programmes, strategy and grants teams.
• Remain informed of PEAS strategic goals, and donor MEL requirements and suggest ongoing adjustments to workplan where necessary.

Supporting use of data and results to aid learning and decision making

• Working  with the Senior MEL Officer and Global MEL team to provide quality data analysis through existing – and where necessary, new – templates, for Senior MEL Officer to incorporate into programmatic and strategic discussions
• Support the Senior MEL Officer to help PEAS School Leaders understand how to use data to make decisions about their schools and how to best support students, including vulnerable girls
• Train or support the training of School Support Officers to also support School Leaders in the above.

Contributing to data collection systems and processes

• Create data collection forms through KoboCollect, ensuring built-in quality assurance and user-friendly structure
• Conduct data collection in PEAS schools through a supportive approach; follow-up on any data gaps
• Participate in data collection exercises including through onsite visits when needed
• Support others to enter data into Kobo, Excel and SchoolTool+

Supporting delivery of SchoolTool+

• Support schools to effectively use School Tool+ (PEAS’ School Information Management System), including through trainings, school visits, entering data and generating reports
• Work with schools to ensure that their data is submitted on time for upload onto the central server
• Coordinate with Senior MEL Officer and wider PEAS team to continue to test the tool and ensure it meets school needs

Contributing to fulfilment of PEAS’ evaluation and reporting priorities

• Support the implementation of research and evaluations through provision of internal data where needed
  Support Senior MEL Officer to ensure data and evidence documents meet grant-based MEL reporting timelines to donors such as FCDO

Quality Assurance to ensure validity, reliability, and integrity of data gathered

• Conduct onsite spot checks as quality assurance of data being reported by schools
• Conduct data cleaning and check data for consistency and accuracy using tools such as Excel and Kobo Toolkit
• Provide constructive feedback to staff and schools to ensure continuous learning and improvement

Other

• With support of MEL Global team, collaborate with MEL colleagues in Uganda and Ghana to share learning
• Support Senior MEL Officer and wider team in other duties as required.

Experience & Qualifications

• Minimum 1-2 years’ experience in a MEL related role
• BA or above in relevant field
• Experience working with data management systems and data-handling and processing
• Right to work in Zambia
• Willingness to travel regularly within Zambia to conduct school visits

Desired 

• Experience working in the education sector

Skills & Personal Attributes 

• Some data-handling and processing skills, including strong ability to work in excel
• Highly numerate
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and under pressure
• Flexibility and ability to adapt priorities in response to emerging team needs
• Ability in report writing, communication and presentation skills; proficient in MS Word and PowerPoint.
• Strong team-working skills
• Willingness to learn

Desired

•  Strong data analysis skills
• Able to present data analysis in concise and compelling formats
• Experience in working with Kobo Collect

How to Apply

Fill this form: MEL Assistant, then send your cover letter and CV to the email below

Interested candidates should send their CV and a cover letter outlining their suitability for the role to zambiarecruitment@peas.org.uk by June 13, 2025. Please include “Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Assistant – Ndola” in the subject line of your email.

Address your application letter to

The Human Resource Officer
Promoting Equality in African Schools Zambia LTD
39 Kabinga Street, Northrise.
Ndola.