IFDC Recruits for Regional Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Specialist 2SCALE West Africa

IFDC (www.ifdc.com) is an International Public Non-Profit Organisation striving to improve the livelihood of people in developing countries throughout the world. JOB SUMMARY Company     IFDC Industry     NGO Category     Policy/Monito... Location     Accra Job Status     Full-time Salary     GH¢ Education     Master'... Experience     10 years Job Expires     17 Apr, 2012 Contact     ... Job Description Background: IFDC is an International Public Non-Profit Organisation striving to improve the livelihood of people in developing countries throughout the world. IFDC seeks qualification seeks qualified candidates to fill the positions below for the new  2SCALE Project. The Dutch-funded project entitled "Towards Sustainable Clusters in Agribusiness through Learning in Entrepreneurship" (2SCALE) aims at improving rural livelihoods and food security in Africa, in support to the six per cent agricultural growth target set under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) of the African Union's New Partnership for Africa's Development (AU-NEPAD). The 2SCALE project will develop a portfolio of 500 agribusiness clusters in nine target countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including four West African countries (Benin, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria). These clusters are defined as a collaboration between all actors needed to build profitable commodity-based value chains (producers and their organisations, input suppliers, finance suppliers, processors, warehouses managers, traders, business development service, etc). The agribusiness cluster approach is designed to help rural smallholders move from subsistence farming to farming as a business and supply food for local, national, regional, and international markets. The project will partner with national and multinational agro-companies to improve efficiency and sustainability of supported agribusiness clusters. A special project intervention area focuses on the poor, who form the vast majority of people, and, therefore, the largest market for food products in Sub-Saharan Africa. IFDC is seeking to contract full-time staff for the position which details are given below. Position Summary: The Regional Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Specialist for 2SCALE in West Africa is responsible for leading the execution of the overall project Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (PMEP) and orchestrating related activities within the project and via partners in West African 2SCALE target countries. She/he will design and orchestrate efforts that monitor outcomes against targets; enable management, donors and partners to gain feedback and deduce lessons; determine the direction and magnitude of progress; and make vital requirements to interventions for optimal effectiveness of translation of project inputs into outcomes in the form of changed behavior and practices on the part of local development clients. She/he is also responsible for providing timely and relevant information to project managers, partners and donors. The 2SCALE Regional M&E Specialist will contribute to the development of institutional capacity and M&E initiatives of divisional and global scope. Tasks Design the 2SCALE M&E System: Draft and Refresh the PMEP: Identify the core information needs of the project management, the advisory committees, the main door, private-sector contributors and other co-operating institutions Take an integral role in working with the M&E consulting firm as it executes its terms of reference to design the PMEP that includes (but is not limited to) the following task areas: Refine the key indicators for each component and fine-tune the project indicators matrix Guide the process for identifying the key performance questions to assess the effectiveness of interventions Facilitate engagement with cluster actors to review their existing approaches and management information systems and agree on any required changes, support and resources Make annual adjustments to refresh the PMEP each year: adjust the conceptual framework to incorporate new learning; define and operationalise indicators; elucidate the approach, methodology, and tools for data acquisition; describing the roles and responsibilities of partners involved; set targets for each year; and outline the supporting operations and procedures for data collection, quality control, analysis and reporting functions Scope out activities that will complement the PMEP ( for example, annual project reviews, participatory impact assessments, and lessons-learned workshops) Identify, recruit, guide and supervise organisations or consultants that are contracted to implement special surveys and studies required for evaluating project out-comes and impacts Ensure that all service provider contracts include specifications for the internal monitoring required of them, the reporting system and the penalties for failure to report as specified Establish the 2SCALE M&E System: Execute the PMEP: Steer and craft the installation of the M&E system to realise a balance of credibility and practicality Work with Cluster Advisors to develop guidelines and survey instruments in line with the PMEP including databases or tally sheets for collecting routine data Undertake regular visits to the field to support implementation of M&E and to identify where adaptations may be needed Orchestrate the active involvement of country-level Cluster Advisors, cluster-level M&E Facilitators, independent research or consulting firms, and external consultants and students to assure that the data are collected in a reliable fashion and that M&E has been effectively integrated into each country interventions Design, organise and undertake a training system for participatory capacity-building on M&E, particularly for the BSS agents who conduct the function of data collection in clusters Incorporate mixed methods to capture information on cluster members and value chain performance including private sector partners, traders and consumers, including qualitative methods (outcome mapping, after action review, focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, 'what if' questions, secondary sources and case studies) and methods to assess effectiveness of project interventions and capture indirect effects for understanding dynamics of cluster facilitation Design periodic impact studies to 1) provide an analysis of whether project objectives (outcomes and impacts) were achieved and can be attributed to project operations 2) demonstrate that the observed changes would not have occurred naturally in the absence of project interventions Co-ordinate and support the project internal and external evaluations Join in external evaluation and supervision missions - of funding and other agencies - by screening and analysing monitoring reports as well as furnishing direct personal knowledge of the field situation Ensure that project monitoring arrangements comply with the donor's requirements and expectations Analyse data collected in terms of impact evaluation and identify the causes of potential bottlenecks in project implementation Work with project management and the independent M&E firm to design and roll out experimental pilots that can demonstrate incremental effects of changes in service mode or absence/presence of interventions and/or with/without comparisons Reporting/Communication: Design the format for performance reports Guide staff and implementing partners in preparing progress reports. Assess and provide feedback on reports in terms of problems and actions needed. Prepare consolidated progress reports for project management, in accordance with approved reporting formats and timing Make regular reports to the Regional Agribusiness Co-ordinator, highlighting areas of concern and preparing the documentation for review at meetings Plan for and execute regular occasions to share M&E findings, identify lessons learned and elicit ideas on the implications for the project and local development partners' next steps. Make sure that time-sensitive findings from monitoring are shared in the appropriate forum and in a responsive fashion Work closely with the project Communications Specialist to identify results and success stories that should be highlighted in public relations materials Through travels into West Africa 2SCALE countries and resultant knowledge of project interventions, forge ties for learning and sharing between individuals, IFDC units and projects working on similar technical areas and tasks Any other assignment that the supervisor deems necessary for the success of the project or contribution to the work of IFDC as a global institution Required Skills or Experience Core qualifications: Master's degree in Social Sciences (International Development), Business Administration, Agricultural Economics or other related field Minimum of six years relevant professional experience ( or a Bachelor's degree with at least 10 years of experience), including a minimum of three years in an M&E position with an international donor-funded development project/organisation Demonstrated knowledge of the logical framework approach Experience with development programmes in the agricultural sector is highly desirable Fluent in English and French. NB: Candidates who are not able to work in both languages will be disqualified Participatory approaches: Experience in participatory design (outcome mapping, after action review, structured interviews, focus groups, case studies, surveys, and secondary data analysis techniques) and/or implementation of an M&E system which may include designing and conducting survey exercises, data collection and data management Competent in facilitating learning-oriented analysis sessions of M&E data and other capacity building programmes with multiple stakeholders Familiarity with and a supportive attitude towards processes of strengthening local organisations and building local capacities for self-management Solid understanding of rural development, with a focus on joint management and gender issues Quality Control: Ability to work closely with technical staff and with partners to explain M&E processes and to assure that staff and partners adhere to the highest standards of quality, relevance and timeliness in M&E efforts Computer skills and software mastery: Demonstrable experience in performing statistical analysis Excellent command of computers and statistical software, especially experience with MS Access and SPSS or STATA. Ability to manipulate large data sets Approach to work and values: Strong analytical skills and ability to write clear reports Ability to work independently and to take initiative Demonstrated value for strengthening local organisations and building local capacities for self-management Service-oriented attitude towards work- providing positive and timely feedback to colleagues and staff of partner institutions Ability to explain highly technical results at a layman's level of comprehension Very rigorous and well-organised Willingness to travel extensively (up to 50% of the time) and in difficult conditions to undertake regular field visits and interact with different stakeholders, especially primary beneficiaries   How To Apply Application Guidelines: Please read these carefully. Failure to comply will adversely affect your application. Both positions require fluency/proficiency in both English and French. Candidates who cannot read, write and speak in both languages will be disqualified. Interested applicants are kindly requested to send their applications in French or English in the form of a one-page letter and current CV describing their experience, language skills and other qualifications and three references by email to recruitment2scale@yahoo.fr with cc: lbello@ifdc.org and jfagbegnon@ifdc.org latest by close of business at 17:00 hrs on April 17, 2012. Only short-listed candidates will be invited for a face-to-face or phone/Skype panel interview and a language test (French/English) in May. No telephone queries will be responded to. Search for Other Jobs Here