Senior Associate, Education and MEL

THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE

The Human Development Practice at Genesis works for a world where everyone can develop to our full potential. We are focused on expanding meaningful rights and opportunities for people who are marginalised. Part of a global African firm, we are particularly committed to children, women and young people in Africa and the Middle East.

We work in key human development areas: youth, education and early childhood development; health, nutrition, and WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene); and social protection and social care. Rapid changes in demography, climate and technology are generating massive challenges and tremendous opportunities for human development.

Education Team

The education team works with Ministries of Education and clients to strengthen education systems across the young world. Our deep understanding of effective strategies in enhancing teaching and learning, coupled with our insider's perspective on policy change, equips us to drive positive transformations in the educational landscape.

Our team has a combination of relevant experience as educators, policymakers, advisors and researchers. We work on improving strategy, planning and implementation, improving the quality and coverage of services.

Role:Senior Associate, Education and MEL

We are seeking a technically strong and delivery-oriented Senior Associate in Education and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) to join the Education Team within the Human Development practice. The successful candidate will lead and contribute to MEL projects across all levels of education. We currently have an exciting portfolio of MEL projects in education spanning mixed methods experimental evaluations of pre-primary and foundation learning programmes, providing MEL support across secondary education, and evaluating and designing MEL systems for higher education. All projects apply cutting edge MEL methodologies to deliver impact on education outcomes. This portfolio is growing.

This is a consulting role – focused on applying rigorous analysis to real-world education policy and system challenges. The ideal candidate will bring a strong understanding of the education sector, excellence in MEL, analytical acumen, combined with commercial awareness, and 5-10 years professional experience. We are looking for someone who is a self-starter and can work independently from day one in a highly dynamic setting. We will recruit someone based in Africa for this role, and the work will be focused on (but not limited to) Africa.

Key Responsibilities

Project Delivery and Technical Leadership

• Contribute and progressively lead the design and delivery of education MEL projects, ensuring methodological rigour and policy relevance.
• Translate quantitative and qualitative findings into clear, policy-relevant recommendations and deliverables.
• Supervise, and mentor junior analysts and associates, fostering internal capacity for high-quality MEL work leading to positive change.

Consulting and Client Engagement

• Engage directly with ministries, development partners, and private sector actors to co-create solutions to education system challenges.
• Communicate insights and recommendations effectively through presentations, reports, and workshops to engage decision-makers within the political economy of education systems.
• Manage or co-manage project workstreams, ensuring timely, high-quality delivery and client satisfaction.

Thought Leadership and Business Development

• Support and lead business development, including proposal design, methodological framing, and client engagement.
• Contribute to the team’s intellectual leadership on MEL in education.
• Collaborate across Genesis’ Human Development practice.

Requirements

• Master’s (or PhD) in Economics, Development Studies, or a related field.
• 5-10 years of experience working in consulting or very similar.
• Experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), including strong quantitative and analytical skills with knowledge of STATA or similar software.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to translate technical findings into actionable policy advice.
• A proven entrepreneurial and self-starter mindset.
• Willingness to be based in Africa
• Prior experience in prestigious international development programs such as the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Fellowship, the World Bank (WB) Young Professionals Program, the African Development Bank (AfDB) Young Professionals Program, or similar highly selective programs, is desirable.