About the Role
The Department of Employment and Labour is seeking a Deputy Director Evaluation and Learning for the Jobs Fund, based in Pretoria. This pivotal role is designed to enhance the effectiveness of government jobs initiatives aimed at job creation and economic empowerment in South Africa. By executing the Jobs Fund Evaluation Framework, you will help assess and improve projects that directly impact communities, making this position crucial in fostering sustainable job opportunities across the nation.
In this role, you will not only support evaluations but also synthesize learnings that can guide future initiatives. Your contributions will enable better decision-making and strategic planning within the department, ensuring that the government’s efforts in public service yield tangible results for those seeking employment. Engaging with stakeholders at various levels will be a vital part of your responsibilities, reinforcing the department’s commitment to transparency and collaboration.
About the Department
The Department of Employment and Labour plays a key role in promoting fair labour practices and enhancing the skills of South African citizens to improve their job prospects. Its mission is to create an equitable work environment that empowers individuals and supports economic growth. Working within this department means you will be part of a dedicated team striving to uplift communities through effective employment strategies, making a real difference in the lives of many South Africans.
What You’ll Do
- Execute the Jobs Fund Evaluation Framework and Learning Agenda.
- Support the evaluation of projects and extract valuable learnings from the Jobs Fund portfolio.
- Manage the service provider selection process for project-level evaluations.
- Design and conduct formative, mid-term, and summative evaluations for various projects.
- Analyze evaluation findings and document lessons learned to enhance project implementation.
- Engage with stakeholders to promote learning and evaluation insights at both project and departmental levels.
- Oversee the development of data collection systems and provide training for effective data management.
- Contribute to the creation of compelling outcome stories that showcase the impact of Jobs Fund initiatives.
What You’ll Need
- A degree (NQF 7) in Monitoring and Evaluation, Development, Public Administration, Economics, or related fields.
- A minimum of 6-8 years of experience in monitoring, evaluation, and measurement of development programmes/projects, including at least 2 years at a management level.
- Proven experience in conducting evaluations and writing reports for diverse audiences.
- Strong skills in both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
- Excellent communication and report-writing abilities.
- Familiarity with donor-funded projects and stakeholder engagement.
How to Apply
Please forward your application, quoting the relevant reference number, to the link quoted in the specific advertisement below.
Requirements
A degree (NQF 7) in M&E, Development, Public Administration, Economics or other related field.Honours or Master’s degrees in M&E, social sciences or equivalent experience and education would be advantageous.
Training or certification in statistics and quantitative measurements would be advantageous.
Minimum 6-8 years experience in monitoring, measurement and evaluation of development programmes/projects; conducting evaluations and writing evaluation reports, at least 2 years at management level.
Experience capturing both good practices and lessons learned, in a variety of approaches (e.
g.
end of the project evaluation, special studies); Experience in project design and evaluation; Experience in research, policy analysis and evaluation of donor-funded projects; Experience of Donor Communities and Development of Enterprise Standards; Experience in the preparation of evaluation reports for different audiences – technical, management, government, donors and other stakeholders; Experience in application of leading qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis and reporting tools; Experience in managing projects with multiple stakeholders; Excellent report-writing skills.
Job Duties
Evaluation and Support: Execute the Jobs Fund Evaluation Framework and Learning Agenda.Support the evaluation of projects and extract learnings from the Jobs Fund portfolio.
Provide the inputs to Terms of Reference for evaluations and manage the service provider selection process.
Manage the service providers secured to carry out project-level evaluations.
Provide inputs into the design of baseline assessments, formative evaluations, mid-term evaluations and summative evaluations for projects.
Support partners in the 44 development of results chains for their projects.
Plan for, design and conduct formative, process and summative evaluations.
Utilise evaluation results to improve project roll-out, and to appraise new projects.
Promote and Enhance Learning: Analyse and synthesise findings from project evaluations.
Support awareness sessions with partners on evaluations, results-based management and project close-outs.
Perform benchmarking and learning exercises on job creation, sustainability and systemic change.
Document feedback on learnings from case studies, reviews, project close-out reports and other related factors.
Engage in activities related to the synthesis and dissemination of lessons learned by the Jobs Fund.
Support evaluation outputs and facilitate the implementation of recommendations from evaluations.
Client Engagement: Liaise and engage with stakeholders on learning and evaluation at the project level and Jobs Fund level.
Providing support to Jobs Fund Partners to ensure post-Jobs Fund success.
Appraise the Project Implementation Monitoring Plans and Theory of Change of new project applications.
Advise on the use of job proxies when required.
Evaluation and Learning Framework: Support the JF in meeting evaluation and learning targets.
Support the development of a learning framework with each business unit in the Jobs Fund.
Provide technical support to project managers and the Communications Unit to develop and document compelling outcome and impact success stories, and to foster institutionalisation and internalisation of learning processes.
Contribute to the training of project managers and partners on evaluation methodologies.
Management of Data and Systems: Identify opportunities to optimise the Job Fund’s collection, use, and management of data.
Support the training for Jobs Fund staff on the use of systems and effective data collection, use, and visualisation.
Simplify complex systems and processes into user-friendly guidance for staff.
Collaborate with the grants management system (GMS) team and unit staff on broader system enhancements.
Data Analysis, Research and Learning: Provide technical support to short- and long-term research, analysis, and information gathering assignments in support of evaluation and learning efforts.
Manage, analyse, and effectively visualise large and complex data sets.
Coordinate and respond to internal and external requests for data and data analysis.
Support the synthesis of Jobs Fund knowledge, knowledge dissemination and active engagement of wider market players.
Support the systematic recording of the social impact of Jobs Fund projects.
JFPs already report social impact through narratives in quarterly reporting.
Monitoring and Evaluation System: Execute the overall framework of the monitoring and evaluation activities.
Assess the validity of monitoring and evaluation data through regular and ad-hoc review of activities.
Draft, revise and update tools and data collection procedures (e.
g.
logical framework, project performance tracking, indicators, data flow chart, M&E manuals).
Support the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning Lead in defining and implementing key project performance indicators (KPI) as well as monitoring them throughout the duration of projects.
