About Us
Agriculture is the key to unlocking a better future for billions of people. But while rural families sustain the world, they struggle to sustain themselves. At the same time, they face increasingly urgent challenges, from volatile crop prices to extreme weather.
Root Capital is a social impact investor that provides financing and business training to agricultural enterprises so that they can transform rural communities. We work with enterprises in the “missing middle” of agricultural finance: those whose credit needs are too big for microfinance and too small or risky for commercial banks.
Since 1999, we have loaned over $1.9B to more than 800 businesses and we have trained more than 1,800 ones—improving the lives of 10 million people. As these agricultural businesses succeed and scale, they become engines of impact for their local communities, raising incomes, creating jobs, uplifting women and young people, preserving vulnerable ecosystems, and building rural prosperity.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Root Capital currently works in a dozen countries in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and has associated offices in Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Ghana, and Kenya.
Position Overview
The Senior Associate, Impact MEL, at Root Capital will act as a steward of Root’s monitoring systems, especially those established for our Honduras program portfolio. The position will play a critical role as a liaison between the global Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning team and implementation partners, both internal and external. The Senior Associate will facilitate robust data collection, perform routine analyses to ensure data quality, and monitor trends to identify deviations in planned progress.
Responsibilities
USAID Grant Support (50%)
- Act as official MEL liaison for USAID project tracking and support, especially USAID Honduras.
- Join USAID Honduras Mission Trips to client sites, as needed, in coordination with Root Capital advisors to advise on data collection. Join other USAID mission trips as needed.
- Provide the Grants Management and External Affairs team with updates on key impact metrics, interpretation of results, and other Impact MEL -related reporting inputs.
- Assist with the review and adjustment of USAID Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plans and DIS indicators.
- Support on new applications and renewal applications for USAID grants, by providing relevant data and analysis of Impact MEL data validated by Impact MEL management.
- Review project partners’ incoming MEL data and work with Impact MEL to process necessary adjustments to ensure data adheres to Root Capital’s data quality standards and meets project needs.
- Conduct site visits to Root Capital and project partner clients to monitor project activities and promote proper data collection methods among field staff.
Data Cleaning & Analysis for Impact Data (25%)
- Act as data steward for impact data for Root Capital’s Lending and Advisory portfolio, cleaning, performing quality assurance, and compiling data on a quarterly basis.
- Ensure the successful, day-to-day operations of impact data entry and storage processes, especially from Root Capital official indicator list.
- As needed, analyze and report on impact data for internal and external audiences, contributing to regular reports, like Root Capital’s Quarterly Performance Report; ongoing requests from the External Affairs and Grants Management teams; and ad-hoc regional requests.
Knowledge Management & Coordination (10%)
- Coordinate the development of MEL learning content and act as Impact MEL team liaison for Learning Management System support.
- Support Impact MEL projects pertaining to Root Capital’s Learning Agenda, included by not limited to reporting on updates to our learning agenda, consolidating summaries on questions answers, or informing other organizational stakeholders of Impact MEL’s advancement in answering learning agenda.
- Maintain key knowledge management systems, such as Impact MEL Salesforce reports, the Impact MEL Intranet page, and Impact MEL Box folders.
Administrative & Budget Support, etc (10%)
- Provide coordination support to Impact MEL team, such as coordinating data quality training events, scheduling cross-organizational meetings, organizing translation and interpretation services.
- Serve as the Impact MEL team budget liaison, working closely with Strategy department operations associate to ensure the team is providing the necessary inputs and feedback on a quarterly basis.
- Ensure timely completion of personal professional development yearly goals (E.g. Language coursework, yearly professional development.)
- Support on data inventory and data governance responsibilities, including developing and maintaining a repository of Root Capital’s MEL data collection tools and metrics collected.
- Perform other relevant duties as assigned.
Social and Environmental Reviewer (5%)
- Review the Social & Environmental Metrics, Additionality Rating, Social & Environmental Scorecards, Clients Profile and Loan History, Impact Ratings, and Impact Return Hurdles to assess if loans move to next stage of approval.
- Compile questions and communicate directly with Loan Officers to validate potential environmental and social performance concerns.
- Fulfill administrative procedures to complete S & E review.
Other relevant tasks could be assigned.
Skills and experience required
- Bachelor's degree in international relations, economic development, social sciences or related fields.
- At least one year of demonstrated experience in data collection, cleaning and analysis for Impact is required.
- At least one year of experience in MEL and knowledge management. Familiarity with key concepts, such as theory of change, logical framework, outputs, outcomes, results, indicators, etc.
- Preferably, experience with data visualization software (Tableau or similar) and data collection platforms (doForms, etc.).
- Superior written and oral communication skills in both English and Spanish are required (ability to read and write internal and external communications).
- Ability to prepare clear reports and/or presentations to different stakeholders in both languages.
- Meticulous attention to detail; strong organizational and project management skills, including the ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and manage functions independently.
- Commitment to Root Capital's mission.
- Have legal authorization to work in any country with a registered office in Root Capital.
Applications
More information about Root Capital is available at www.rootcapital.org. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply using the form below as soon as possible, making sure to include a resume and cover letter that describes your interest, qualifications, language abilities, salary requirements, and how you learned of the position. Finalist candidates will be required to provide at least three work-related references.
Root Capital provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed or national origin, race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, active military or veteran status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions related to medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding and breast pumping), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender identity, gender identity, gender identity, gender identity, gender expression, or gender identity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Root Capital is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that upholds our leadership principles of: empowerment, equity, equality, and respect leadership principles of: empowerment, equity, integrity, service and transparency.
