RDI - MEL Specialist
Dubai Government
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Job summary
Dubai Future Foundation seeks a MEL Specialist to build and operationalise Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for the Dubai RDI Grant Programme. You will establish systems, indicators and reporting across the portfolio, ensuring evidence-based decision-making and learning across initiatives.
You will collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams and external partners to embed results-driven management, contribute to governance dashboards, and improve impact measurement through structured frameworks.
Qualifications
- Expert in Theory of Change, logframe, RBM and outcome harvesting.
- Experience designing quantitative and qualitative indicator sets.
- Ability to design dashboards and reporting systems for monitoring and learning.
Responsibilities
- Develop and operationalise MEL framework for the Dubai RDI Grant Programme.
- Establish indicators, baselines, data sources, collection methods and reporting mechanisms.
- Lead ToC workshops with diverse stakeholders to align on strategy and indicators.
- Design dashboard and reporting system requirements for real-time monitoring and public accountability.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
About Dubai Future Foundation:
Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) was established in 2016 to institutionalize future-shaping for Dubai and strengthen the city’s position as a leading global city of the future. The Foundation works in partnership with government and private-sector entities to imagine, design and accelerate Dubai’s future. Its work spans five strategic areas: future foresight, knowledge dissemination, capacity building, future design and future acceleration. At the heart of DFF’s mandate is turning future-focused ideas and opportunities into tangible outcomes. The Foundation embraces risk-taking, agility and foresight as key attributes in navigating emerging opportunities and challenges. DFF is guided by a core belief that leading in the present is not enough; the future must be actively imagined, designed and executed.
Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) aims to realize the wise vision of Dubai’s leadership to institutionalize the envisioned future and forward-thinking methodologies, while positioning Dubai as the leading city of the future.
In partnership with its local and global partners from governments, companies, startups, and entrepreneurs, DFF drives joint efforts to collectively imagine, design, and execute the best possible future for humanity.
Under the supervision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of DFF, the DFF runs and oversees many futureproofing projects and initiatives, such as the Museum of the Future, Area 2071, The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE, Dubai Future Accelerators, One Million Arab Coders, Dubai Future Academy, Dubai Future Solutions, Dubai Future Labs, Dubai Future Forum, etc.
DFF’s efforts to share knowledge, adopt innovation, support entrepreneurs and innovative startups, build capacity, and promote forward-thinking and foresight principles contribute to Dubai’s ambitions to be a role model for the cities of the future through the power of unlimited imagination, innovation, foresight and disruptive mindset.
For more information on the initiatives, projects, and programs of Dubai Future Foundation, please visit the website: www.dubaifuture.ae
The Dubai RDI Grant Programme, established under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is building a portfolio of grant-giving mechanisms that span the full RDI value chain from Talent Discovery through to Industrialisation & Scaling.
The MEL Specialist plays a critical role in establishing the measurement, evaluation, and learning infrastructure required to ensure that the programme's investments deliver measurable and verifiable outcomes.
The role will build the programme's Theory of Change, logical framework, and real-time impact monitoring infrastructure from the ground up, turning the programme's ambition of being "the most trusted, outcome-driven RDI hub by 2030" into measurable, verifiable reality.
As the MEL Specialist, you will lead the development and operationalisation of the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework for the Dubai RDI Grant Programme.
You will establish the systems, frameworks, indicators, and reporting mechanisms required to measure the performance and impact of the programme across its portfolio of grant instruments.
The role will work closely with the RDI team and a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure that evidence, learning, and impact measurement are embedded into grant management and programme decision-making.
- You will co-design a multi-level ToC with the RDI team covering all grant instruments, including project grants, challenge funds, discovery grants, translation grants, and rapid innovation funds.
- You will map causal pathways from inputs → activities → outputs → outcomes → impact, aligned to Dubai's four priority sectors: Cognitive Cities, Health & Life Science, Environmental Science, and Space.
- You will document assumptions, risks, and external factors affecting the change pathways at each Technology Readiness Level (TRL) stage.
- You will develop a master logframe with SMART indicators at output, outcome, and impact levels for each grant instrument in the portfolio.
- You will define baselines, data sources, collection methods, and milestone targets for all indicators.
- You will build a supplementary Results Framework to track cross-cutting contributions, including Emirati researcher participation, IP generation, private sector co‑investment leverage ratios, publications, and spinout creation.
- You will define requirements for a real-time, dashboard-driven monitoring system accessible to DFF leadership and external stakeholders, enabling transparent, public accountability.
- You will specify KPI taxonomy, data flows, reporting cadences (monthly/quarterly/annual), and milestone-based tranche release tracking logic.
- You will produce a Data Management Plan covering collection tools, storage, access rights, and quality assurance protocols.
- You will design grantee reporting templates aligned to the logframe and milestone schedule.
- You will develop mid-term and end-of-grant evaluation protocols, including contribution analysis across the portfolio.
- You will establish a Learning Series framework structured around semi-annual reviews, surfacing lessons from both successes and failures across all grant streams.
- You will train RDI programme staff on MEL principles, data collection, and evidence-based grant management.
- You will produce a MEL Handbook as a standing institutional reference for current and future team members.
This role is key to ensuring that the Dubai RDI Grant Programme is able to measure, demonstrate, and continuously improve the impact of its investments across the RDI value chain.
By establishing robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks, the role will enable evidence-based decision-making, strengthen accountability, and provide leadership with clear insights into programme performance and outcomes.
The role will also help embed a culture of learning across the grant portfolio, ensuring that lessons from both successes and challenges are captured and used to continuously improve future grant programmes and investments.
We will offer you a unique opportunity to work with people who are passionate about the future and establishing Dubai as one of the leading cities of the world.
You will have the chance to work on exciting and new projects, work in a highly diverse and fast-paced environment that fosters creativity, disruptive ideas, and innovation.
- You will be an expert in Theory of Change, logframe design, Results-Based Management (RBM), and outcome harvesting.
- You will have experience designing quantitative and qualitative indicator sets, including baselines, targets, and data quality assessments.
- You will have experience specifying dashboard and reporting requirements and be familiar with Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent platforms.
- You will have knowledge of research funding ecosystems, TRL frameworks, and innovation value chains.
- You will be proficient in developmental evaluation, contribution analysis, and portfolio-level impact assessment.
- You will have experience leading ToC workshops with diverse stakeholders, including academics, government entities, industry partners, and funders.
- You will have the ability to translate complex MEL data into accessible insights for leadership and public audiences.
- You will have a Master's degree in International Development, Public Policy, Evaluation, or a related discipline.
- You will have a minimum of 7 years of experience in MEL roles.
- Experience within an R&D programme or innovation ecosystem is strongly preferred.
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