Monitoring and Evaluation Officer _ at WeForest, Ethiopia

Reporting to: Wof – Washa Project Manager and M&E specialist

WeForest

WeForest (www.weforest.org ) is a fast-growing international non-profit organization with headquarters in Belgium. We develop restoration projects to combat global warming and extreme poverty. Our mission is to conserve and restore the ecological integrity of forests and landscapes by engaging communities to implement and deliver lasting solutions for climate, nature and people.

In Ethiopia, WeForest is engaged in large-scale Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) programs in Northern Ethiopia (Amhara and Tigray regions). Through our intervention, we contribute to the country’s Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy and Growth Transformation Plan. Partnerships with research institutes and universities are promoted across our interventions.

Ethiopia Wof-Washa Project

WeForest has been actively engaged in the restoration of fragmented and degraded remnant forests of Wof-Washa Forest since 2023. The organization has launched a project entitled “Restoring the Ethiopian Central Highlands Biodiversity Hotspot: Wof-Washa Forest, Amhara Regional State.”

The project is being implemented within the Wof-Washa natural forest and in close collaboration with the surrounding communities. Its primary objective is to restore 7,000 hectares of the natural forest, rehabilitate adjacent degraded communal lands, and improve the livelihoods of 8,436 households dependent on the Wof-Washa forest ecosystem. Furthermore, the project aims to mainstream sustainable forest stewardship practices within the landscape, strengthening long-term ecological resilience and community-based forest management in the area.

Role

WeForest is seeking to recruit an experienced Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) officer with proven expertise in forest landscape restoration and livelihood programs.

The M&E Officer will work closely with WeForest technical experts and the Project Manager based in Debre Birhan, engaging with smallholder farmers, local and international non-governmental organizations, and government partners. The role will support the effective implementation of long-term, sustainable, and scalable Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) initiatives in Ethiopia, with a particular focus on the Wof-Washa Forest landscape.

The successful candidate will be responsible for reviewing and refining the project’s existing M&E logframe, developing appropriate monitoring and evaluation tools and formats, coordinating baseline, midline, and endline assessments, and ensuring systematic data analysis and reporting to inform adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making. The officer will be responsible to coordinate for the implementation of M&E embedded applied research with partners. In addition, the officer will be
responsible to support other operational activities (governance, forest restoration, livelihood and soil and water conservation) of the project in consultation with the project manager.

Terms & Conditions

• Start date: As soon as possible
• Duration of Contract: One year, with potential to extend subject to performance and funding availability.
• Probation Period: 60 working days
• Salary: Based on the organization scale and prior experience.

Location: Debre Birhan, Amhara region, Ethiopia. with significant travel in remote rural areas of the project, the position is primarily field-based. Frequent travel to Addis Ababa will also be required to provide coordination, technical support, and reporting as needed.

Working hours: Full-time, working Monday through Saturday morning, up to a maximum of 44 hours per week. Hours will vary depending on project needs and flexibility is essential.

Responsibilities include:

Monitoring & evaluation

• Lead and directly conduct biophysical, socio-economic,, and spatial data collection (baseline, midline/intermediate, and endline assessments) in line with approved methodologies.
• Ensure high-quality data cleaning, management, validation, and preliminary analysis to support timely reporting and decision-making.
• Review, and revise the project Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) logframe, indicators to ensure alignment with project objectives.
• Develop and refine data collection tools, digital forms, and M&E protocols in consultation with WeForest M&E specialists and the Project Manager.
• Collect, organize and manage photo monitoring data and georeferenced evidence for Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) intervention areas and livelihood beneficiaries.
• Ensure systematic organization, documentation, and submission of socio-economic, biophysical, and spatial datasets in accordance with established data handling protocols.
• Monitor project implementation against the approved logframe and activity plan, identify performance gaps, and recommend corrective actions.
• Prepare high-quality weekly updates and periodic reports (quarterly, biannual, and annual) for internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the Project Manager and M&E Specialist in planning overall project and M&E activities.
• Provide technical support to the project team in establishing and tracking appropriate output, outcome, and impact indicators.
• Maintain efficient, transparent, and timely communication with the Project Manager, M&E Specialist, local team, forest-dependent communities, and relevant stakeholders.

Applied Research and Partnership Coordination

• Conduct field data collection activities required for applied research initiatives in collaboration with academic and research partners.
• Ensure collected datasets meet agreed scientific standards and sampling protocols.
• Facilitate field logistics, stakeholder coordination, and community engagement necessary for research implementation.
• Participate in validation workshops and learning events to support interpretation and integration of research findings.
• Contribute to documenting lessons learned and incorporating research results into adaptive management and restoration planning.

Technical leadership

• Provide technical leadership in the design and implementation of socio-economic and ecological resource assessments and long-term monitoring systems within the project landscape.
• Oversee and coordinate participatory community mapping processes (including boundary demarcation and resource mapping) as well as socio-economic data collection in collaboration with local stakeholders.
• Support the effective communication and dissemination of livelihood program results, ecological research findings, and best practices to partners, government stakeholders, and local communities.
• Organize and facilitate technical training and capacity-building sessions for experts, development agents, and farmers at regional and district levels to strengthen restoration and livelihood interventions.
• Promote knowledge sharing, learning, and adaptive management to ensure evidence-based implementation of forest landscape restoration and livelihood programs.
• Support WeForest’s implementing partner institutions in MEL reporting and provide appropriate trainings to ensure alignment with WeForest’s MEL standards.

Programme development

• As required, contribute to the development and design of new forest landscape restoration initiatives in Ethiopia, including technical input on restoration strategies, monitoring frameworks, and livelihood integration.
• Provide technical support in the preparation of grant proposals, including development of logical frameworks, indicators, budgets (M&E components), baseline information, and supporting technical documentation.
• Contribute to concept notes, donor reports, and technical justifications by integrating evidence, lessons learned, and best practices from ongoing project implementation.

Essential:

• Bachelor degree or equivalent experience in forestry, Natural/Land resource Management, rural development or related areas
• Fluent in English (both speaking and writing)
• Minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience in Monitoring and Evaluation of forestry projects, preferably in Northern Ethiopia (Amhara region), with strong familiarity with the local culture and context.
• Demonstrable experience in social and biophysical data collection and analysis, developing livelihood value chains in collaboration with local stakeholders, farmers, communities and business sectors
• Excellent coordination, training, reporting and communication skills
• Flexible in terms of traveling and living conditions
• Excellent team player
• Experience in developing log frames and work plans and delivering projects against milestones and targets
• Strong understanding and practical ability to use GIS for spatial data management, mapping, and basic spatial analysis.
• Proficiency in digital data collection tools and platforms, preferably
• KoboToolbox, including form design, data management, and quality control.

Desirable:

• Strong command of Amharic and English, with excellent spoken and written communication skills in both languages.
• Track record in Monitoring and Evaluation and research
• Track record with gender-sensitive participatory, governance and inclusion approaches