Job Description
Job Title: Manager- Monitoring & Evaluation/IMPROVE Project
Requisition Number: I480
Area of Interest: Emergency
Position Type: Full Time
Location: Sudan/Bor
Job Description:
Job Title: Manager Monitoring & Evaluation/IMPROVE Project
Location: Bor, Jonglei State, South Sudan
Reports to: CoP IMPROVE Project
This position is contingent upon funding approval
Background
USAID FFP is funding a 3 year MYAP in Jonglei State called the IMPROVE project. Starting mid 2011, IMPROVE will support the role of the South Sudan government and address the root causes of household food insecurity in the state. CRS as lead of the consortium (hoping to implement) implementing the IMPROVE project will undertake a range of infrastructure activities in soil and water conservation to support expanded food production by pastoralists and agro-pastoralists and roads improvement to enhance market access. The project will have 8 field locations and will conduct community asset building programs using FFA and community work force in all bomas and payams of eight target counties. The IMPROVE consortium includes CRS and two other international organizations. The project will be led from a Program Operations Coordination Unit( POCU ) based in the state capital of Bor and be implemented through a total of 7 other field offices and teams in Jonglei State managed either by CRS or one of its consortium partners.
Job summary
The Monitoring and Evaluation Manager is a senior management and technical post which reports directly to the COP of IMPROVE and is located in the POCU in Bor. The post holder will work closely with technical leads in program areas (agriculture, livestock, savings & credit, etc.) and the Regional Technical Advisors for M&E and Livelihoods in CRS EARO to develop indicators and definitions for the monitoring and evaluation of program activities across the IMPROVE consortium. The post holder will manage one M&E Officer and Assistant directly and provide technical direction to an M&E Officer and Assistant based in all 7 consortium field offices. The post-holder will lead on the development and implementation of IMPROVE’s M&E plan, based on accurate and timely collection of quality data, analysis and data utilization for learning to enable evidence- based decisions and actions to adjust program implementation. The M&E system will use a range of monitoring and evaluation surveys, regular program reporting and analysis and special studies. The M&E Manager will lead on the on the design, implementation and utilization by all the IMPROVE partnership of introduction of the digitized approach to monitoring and evaluation pioneered by CRS known as the SMILER (simple measurement of indicators for learning and evidence-based reports) approach.
The post holder will take a lead role in ensuring that the M&E system and data are used creatively and appropriately to report progress to IMPROVE staff and to stakeholders and funders, including to USAID, Jonglei State and GOSS Ministries, county and payam administrations, IMPROVE’s beneficiaries at community level and the headquarters of the IMPROVE consortium partners. The Manager will play a key role in designing appropriate reporting for different stakeholder groups, using charts and graphs and other visual presentations which illustrate achievement, challenges and gaps in different sectors and geographical target areas supported by IMPROVE.
The Manager must effectively manage relationships with CRS and partner staff and support them in creating and implementing M&E systems that will lead to improved program quality.
A key part of the IMPROVE M&E system is the use of participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) methods. Community level agents and group leaders will be trained in PM&E which engages beneficiaries in defining performance indicators at their level. Community representatives and program staff undertake periodic joint assessments of progress against indicators to enable local stakeholders and beneficiaries to assess community-level changes and stimulate participation in IMPROVE activities
The post holder will be responsible for active capacity building on M&E of all staff in the consortium, both M&E specialists and other program and operational teams. This will include providing sufficient M&E technical training to all program and operational staff to enable them to undertake accurate and comprehensives M&E duties at field implementation levels.
Primary Responsibilities:
I. M& E Systems set up
1. Design, lead and manage participatory processes to establish IMPROVE M&E systems with consortium partners and stakeholders;
2. Design, implement and manage the standards and functionality of the SMILER approach;
3. Coordinate program-wide M&E events, including baseline and end line surveys, mid-term review and final evaluation, and special studies such as formative research and barrier analysis;
4. Design bi-annual “quality of service delivery” monitoring surveys and the Year 2 annual beneficiary-based monitoring survey.
II. Capacity strengthening
1. Recruit all new M&E staff in CRS and provide training and mentoring to all M&E staff in the consortium;
2. Provide leadership to M&E team members under his/her direct supervision;
3. Provision of strategic leadership to IMPROVE consortium partners and direction of team activities managed by field teams of CRS in all M&E related activities;
4. The post is a senior member of a multi-disciplinary team and will be required to provide appropriate and timely input to other technical sectors in order to achieve broader project objectives;
5. Form and facilitate a consortium level M&E Technical Working Group to review and address M&E needs;
6. Provide training and follow-up refresher training to all program and operational teams in IMPROVE on M&E, sufficient to equip them to undertake effective monitoring and evaluation at field level in all implementation areas of IMPROVE.
7. Act as the technical liaison point for IMPROVE and CRS at a senior level on all matters related to M&E with the MoAF and MoLF in Jonglei State and the MoA in the GoSS.
8. Provide technical assistance, mentoring and ongoing support on M&E to the Jonglei State MoAF and MoLF supervisory teams at state and other levels tasked with supervising the design and implementation of IMPROVE.
Reporting
1. Compile and analyze data and facilitate learning-to-action discussions (a CRS process for ensuring that M&E data are used in decision-making) with IMPROVE program and technical leads;
2. Gather and share success stories and lessons learnt.
3. Prepare monthly reports to track progress for the leadership of IMPROVE and CRS.
4. Design and prepare appropriate reporting content for different audiences on quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports for key stakeholders and funders, for USAID, Sudan Government and beneficiary communities.
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
· Serves with Integrity
· Models Stewardship
· Cultivates Constructive Relationships
· Promotes Learning
Emergency Competencies
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff working in emergencies to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
· Communicates strategically under pressure
· Manages stress and complexity
· Actively promotes safety and security
· Manages and implements high-quality emergency programs
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:
Internal: IMPROVE CRS COP, technical team leader, managers and field office coordinators, technical leads and field office managers of IMPROVE consortium partners, CRS South. Sudan Country Representative, CRS/EARO Regional Technical Advisors (RTAs) in M&E and Agriculture & Livelihoods, CRS/EARO Deputy Regional Directors
External: GoSS and Jonglei State government ministries, local and US Catholic agencies, USAID mission, other funding agencies, local/international NGO offices, UN agencies, and the US Agency for International Development/ Office of Food for Peace.
This post will be one member of a multi-national team. It is essential that the successful applicant demonstrates the capacity to operate effectively in a multicultural environment. The post-holder must be willing and prepared to work extended hours in often difficult circumstances.
Essential qualifications and experience:
· Post graduate degree from a recognized university in a relevant discipline such as operations research, quantitative analysis, monitoring and evaluation, statistics, etc.
· At least eight years of relevant professional post-qualification M&E work experience.
· At least 5 years supervisory and team management experience, some of which should be in a developing country setting.
· Excellent communication skills in English, both oral and written.
· Demonstrable capacities in design and implementation of M&E systems
· Experience in large scale quantitative household surveys and in qualitative data collection approaches and tools.
· Familiarity with DQA and improvements approaches and tools.
· Capacity to facilitate work with community level actors in program planning, design, implementation and M&E.
· Demonstrable track record in effective team membership and communications at a management level.
· Demonstrated M&E field experience and competencies in collecting, manipulating, synthesizing and analyzing data.
· Ability to conceptualize, perform and direct team research and writing of technical documents.
· Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training, mentoring, and other formal and non-formal methods.
· Excellent and high level analytic and computer skills for database use and management in database packages such as MS Access, CS Pro, etc. and data analysis packages such as SPSS, STATA, etc. as well as the MS Office package.
· Experience with management information systems and project management.
This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
Desirable qualifications and experience
· Advanced level study of a one of the areas covered by IMPROVE (e.g. livelihoods, environment, agriculture etc) at a recognized university or institute would be an advantage.
· Professional experience of working with a USAID funded project, especially with FFP and using the FFA modality would be an advantage.
· Professional working experience in Eastern Africa, especially in South Sudan, would be an advantage.
Mental / physical Requirements:
1. Must express thoughts and ideas by spoken and written word; listen effectively.
2. Must sit for prolonged periods of time; drive to various locations; work at a computer.
3. Ability and willingness to travel up to 30-50% of the time within S. Sudan with sub-region visits in-country to project sites; travel within or outside EARO and to HQ when requested.
4. The position is based full-time in Bor, Southern Sudan. This is a non-family post in location with limited amenities
Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position
