Monitoring & Learning Director, Play to Learn

* Applicants must already be based in Amman w/ legal authorization for employment in the country, region, territory

* The monthly salary range is an estimate to be discussed in detail during the interview process

About Sesame Workshop:

Sesame Workshop is the global impact nonprofit behind Sesame Street and so much more. For over 50 years, we have worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts, all in service of empowering each generation to build a better world. Our beloved characters, iconic shows, outreach in communities, and more bring playful early learning to families in more than 150 countries and advance our mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

Learn more at www.sesame.org and follow Sesame Workshop on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.

Position Overview:

The Monitoring and Learning Director for the Play to Learn program, is a member of the Impact Programs team and reports to the Middle East Regional Director for Play to Learn. The position is based in Amman, Jordan, with international travel required regularly in the MENA region, and to the US and Bangladesh on an annual basis. This is a term-limited position.

Primary Responsibilities:

Sesame Workshop is looking for a seasoned professional to lead Monitoring and Learning of the Play to Learn project, a multi-country global program focused on advancing scalable solutions for early child development in crisis and conflict settings, working across teams and countries to ensure the project is delivered on time, on budget, and achieve results, in close collaboration with regional and global partners, including IRC and BRAC. This position is a senior role with responsibilities at the consortium level as well as at the programs level for Sesame Workshop. This person should have enthusiasm for establishing and implementing strong country and global monitoring frameworks, collecting and analyzing data, developing learning agendas and writing high-quality learning documents, and conducting data and program quality visits and audits. They should have familiarity with scaling effective program models and educational or media content, project implementation in humanitarian settings, working with and through coordination bodies, and experience working with local and national stakeholders and NGOs. They should be able to partner with local and international NGOs and provide reviews and technical assistance to monitoring and learning. This person will also be responsible for collaborating with Sesame Workshop colleagues globally to support the implementation of organizational monitoring and learning approaches.

Program Delivery:

• Ensure that the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan is implemented and resourced adequately.
• Supervise any monitoring or learning staff or consultants. 
• Writing and keep current all grant-required monitoring and learning documents (e.g. the Consortium Monitoring and Learning Plan, the Indicator Framework, the Indicator Reference sheets).  
• Complete regular program quality visits and make plans with partners for continual improvement of media use for the benefit of young children in Bangladesh, Jordan, and other countries as needed.

• Ensure quality monitoring data are submitted annually as part of reporting.  
• Manage one data quality audit as well as designing and implementing mitigation strategies.
• Facilitate annual learning meetings and writing three annual learning syntheses.  
• Present data and information in relevant and compelling ways to internal and external stakeholders as required.  
• Ensure other deliverables related to monitoring and learning are met.  
• Conduct local trainings and provide technical assistance to implementation/distribution partners.

Monitoring and Learning Strategy: 

• Adapt monitoring tools to ensure the use of media to support children’s engagement in learning is captured.  
• Work with Programs team to provide accurate operational requirements for monitoring and learning activities.
• Support continuous improvement of data management systems and data analysis, data visualization and using data to tell compelling stories in reporting, communications, and advocacy. 
• Work with Research and Education teams across locations to agree to a relevant learning objective each year and provide technical assistance for its implementation.  

Engagement:

• Serve as a representative of Sesame Workshop within the Play to Learn consortium and represent our work to key stakeholders, including local implementing partners, funding partners, government bodies, and UN agencies, to increase reach and impact.
• Participate in regional and global Monitoring and Learning networks to share Play to Learn findings and stay up to date on best practices in the field.
• Partner with Regional Director and Play to Learn staff to help raise Sesame Workshop and Play to Learn, and Ahlan Simsim profile in the Middle East.

Minimum Qualifications Required:

• Master’s degree, or relevant combination of qualifications and experience, in education, math, statistics, or social sciences, or equivalent experience working in monitoring and learning for early childhood programs. 
• Demonstrated experience in leading monitoring or learning functions for projects that are least $10 million.  
• Demonstrated work experience in conflict-affected settings and/or with displaced populations.  
• Demonstrated understanding of how to plan, staff, and resource monitoring or learning activities in light of operational and staffing capacity.  

• Able to interpret and explain monitoring and learning data for other departments/teams (like education, research, and program management). 
• Experience with programs that serve young children. 
• High level of writing and communication skills.
• Ability to work cross culturally.
• Based in Amman, Jordan and legally eligible to be employed in the country, region, territory.
• Fluency in Arabic and English languages.
• Ability to travel internationally.

Other Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in media and humanitarian response is highly desirable.
• Other Middle Eastern languages and dialects a plus.

Equal Opportunity Employment (EOE) Statement

Sesame Workshop is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy-related condition, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

PSEA Statement

Sesame Workshop is an equal-opportunity employer. All employment decisions are based on the business needs, job requirements & suitability of the candidate. Sesame Workshop strictly follows the Child Safeguarding Policy, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of program participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Sesame Workshop staff, consultants, visitors to the program and partner organization, and the standards of behavior expected from them.