Advice from the pros: tips for succeeding as an M&E specialist

Described by one professional as the “joker card” of development roles, monitoring and evaluation — more commonly known as M&E — specialists vary from one organization to the next. Often, individuals will specialize in a specific sector with a range of titles that fall into the field, from M&E officer to monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning director. “The terminology varies from organization to organization because the specific needs may differ,” said Guillermo Robert de Arquer, M&E specialist at Lepra, “but I think there are core issues that are cross-cutting.” A large part of an M&E role is to analyze and interpret data. “Historically, program managers used to absorb this role, so M&E has been growing,” de Arquer said, especially since donors are increasingly focused on impact. Devex spoke with de Arquer to get his insights into the role, including how to succeed as an M&E specialist and what skills are needed. 1. Leadership and management M&E specialists have to work across lots of different teams. As an M&E officer, de Arquer oversees data collection among all field staff, which means coordinating teams and training them in specific technologies and methodologies for program implementation. He is also responsible for ensuring projects are “delivered safely, on time, and on budget” in coordination with the programs team. Every quarter, de Arquer travels to the field to make sure that everything is working well and in accordance with the program design and plan. In addition, de Arquer is also deeply involved in the analysis and interpretation of data, and the dissemination of the results to different stakeholders — working with the communications team to distribute them — and finally helping to inform and influence decision-makers. All parts of the role require working with different teams and people at all levels. He identified learning management, capacity building, training, and communicating evidence as key components of the leadership skill set required for an M&E officer. This leadership aspect is an “increasing need for M&E people,” de Arquer noted, because they have the greatest understanding of the data, results, and analysis that other roles do not hold. It is not only the communication across different teams but the coordination that is important, he emphasized, “to bring people together for decision-making.” 2. Adopt a ‘theory of change’ methodology “Everything starts with the theory of change. Whenever you want to design a project or whenever you want to evaluate a project,” de Arquer stated. Theory of change considers the desired impacts of a project first and works backward to identify what inputs and activities are needed to achieve them. Usually, the process will determine definitions, which indicators will be used, what the core barriers are, and how the causal pathway moves from a to b, to ensure clarity and a shared understanding between teams and staff, he explained. de Arquer prefers to do this in a workshop setting involving “everyone that has a strong or a senior influence within the implementation program,” he said. Senior personnel, project managers, M&E officers in the field, and specialists — such as doctors and clinical staff, when considering the health sector — should all participate in these workshops. This process also helps with standardization, he noted, since data collection and analysis can be challenging when projects operate across different countries or states. “It is my responsibility to standardize processes, because we want to cross-compare results and [see] what interventions have been more effective or even more efficient compared to other states or other countries,” he said. That, in turn, helps to produce quality evidence that can be used to communicate impact, he explained. Theory of change is a methodology often learned in academic courses, “but this is something that you also learn with experience,” de Arquer highlighted. “All M&E people are involved with evaluation … [and] nowadays, most people start with the theory of change when evaluating.” There are courses and resources available to help you adopt a theory of change methodology, including online and in-person courses. 3. Focus on the outcomes (not the outputs) The theory of change segments a program into five steps: Inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. Too often, M&E specialists focus on the outputs and not the outcomes, said de Arquer. Outputs tend to measure quantifiable results — such as how many people have been trained in a day — whereas outcomes are more impact-focused, with those results being analyzed and evaluated. M&E roles in the field can vary to those in headquarters. In the field, M&E roles are normally only focused on the outputs of the program, whereas staff in headquarters are typically involved in the broader process of evaluation, including outcomes and the overall impact of a program. de Arquer works from his company’s head office, overseeing M&E professionals working in the field. “Switching from output to outcome is a must for M&E people at the headquarters,” he stressed. “People jump straight to M&E and this is a risk of the organization because these judgments — this leadership, this technical [knowledge], this eye for detail — will not be accomplished if you haven’t been in the field.” --— Guillermo Robert de Arquer, M&E specialist at Lepra 4. Don’t start out in M&E There are two routes to become an M&E professional, de Arquer explained: One is to start directly as a junior in M&E and then work up to a senior position, while the other is to enter into a specific field of development — such as health or agriculture — and gain more field experience to eventually enter M&E at a more senior position. He advocated the latter as being more valuable because of the in-field experience and expert topical understanding that will be gained along the way. It’s possible to do a combination of the two routes, “but you need technical knowledge,” he reaffirmed. “One of my strong suggestions for anyone who wants to forward their careers in M&E is to start from the projects. Don’t start directly on M&E because you will have a constant lack ... spend some time in the field, spend some time on designing projects, before moving to M&E,” he said. “I can see that this is not done in so many contexts: People jump straight to M&E and this is a risk of the organization because these judgments — this leadership, this technical [knowledge], this eye for detail — will not be accomplished if you haven’t been in the field.” 5. On the horizon: Technology “M&E roles are increasingly turning into technical advisors,” de Arquer said. The need for, and use of, a range of technologies such as data collection and analysis tools is increasing, he noted. When hiring for an M&E position, it doesn’t matter which technology the applicant has experience in, but having experience in at least one makes it easier to learn another, he explained. Experience with data collection tools — such as the Open Data Kit, GIS or KoboToolbox — is particularly key, as well as those in data analysis — Stata and SPSS are the two most commonly used — and tools for interviewing through mobile or tablets. “Projects are growing in size and complexity,” he said. And while every project varies, “the need for technology increases, definitely.” 6. Stick to your sector If a job description does not specify that it’s within the same sector in which de Arquer has experience, then he would not apply, “because that means that my technical knowledge is not valid,” he explained. “The theory of change is directly linked to your area of interest of implementation,” he explained. So, if you have experience in one sector, it’s not easy to transfer that across to another unless there are close links between the two. For example, having worked in nutrition, de Arquer had a natural shift into health, whereas a shift into climate change would have been less feasible. “Some people may disagree with me [on this], but I would strongly say so,” he said. 7. Become a strong influencer M&E specialists have to “influence strategic decision-making,” de Arquer said, and it’s the way information is communicated, rather than the evidence that changes policies. As an M&E officer, “you are the one analyzing the data and interpreting [it], so you hold … a crucial part of the know-how of the organization,” and are in a good position to advise and influence decision-makers on what to invest in and pursue, he explained. M&E professionals have to influence people both internally within an organization and externally to donors or the international community. This can be particularly hard for a small organization with strong evidence, he noted. “[M&E experts] know what works and what doesn’t work in the field, so this can feedback to international communities or protocols or standard ways of doing things. You can influence because you hold the evidence and the knowledge of what works and what [does] not in your context,” de Arquer said. But you need to be able to strongly communicate this and make sure you are heard in order to have any lasting input or influence, he said. Visualizing data is one strong way to communicate findings effectively. 8. Build visualization skills Visualization skills are increasingly desirable among many global development jobs. For M&E, it can be an effective tool for communication between various teams and stakeholders. Infographics, Power BI, and dashboards that use Excel, were both advised by de Arquer. “At least be familiar with how to present your graphs, your visuals — not only copying and pasting graphs into a report document,” he said. GIS tools are also an incredibly useful method for visualizing findings and providing potential new insights for analysis. “Your stakeholder may not be a technical expert, so showing them on the map, in the geographical context … it is a way of pointing out the needs for resource allocation; … the hotspots that require more interventions; understanding coverage of your interventions; and so on,” de Arquer said. If you are interested in working as a monitoring and evaluation specialist in global development, see current related job opportunities on Devex here. Advice from the pros is a new Devex series highlighting experienced professionals working across the global development sector and their advice for succeeding in this field.