SPIR II Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

Number of Position: One

Duty station:  SPIR II Consortium Office

Strengthen PSNP Institutions and Resilience II (SPIR II) is an anticipated 5-year USAID/BHA funded Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) led by World Vision and including consortium partners CARE, ORDA and IFPRI. World Vision and its partners will create a strong, shock responsive ecosystem of public, private, and community level actors to support PSNP households to graduate from poverty and sustain income and food security gains in 17 targeted woredas in Amhara and Oromia regions. Building from key formative and research studies during an initial refinement period, SPIR II will use continuous learning to drive program level reflection, analysis, and adaptation.

Purpose of the position:

The SPIR II Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist will play an important role for the design, strengthening and implementations of the SPIR II MEL system, MEL plan and MEL tools, products, processes across all teams as per the BHA M&E policy and guidance as well as SPIR II project needs and requirements. S/he is responsible for data cleaning, reviewing, analysis, aggregation and ensuring SPIRII data quality regularly submitted by each IPs for the use by the management for decision making. S/he is also support the production of quarterly and annual results reports (ARR) as per the quarterly and ARR guidance, templates and requirements. S/he should possess rich experience in designing and implementing complex M&E systems and tools following USAID/BHA M&E policies, guidance and requirements and need to have proven experience and knowledge of those policies and guidance and use of indicator performance tracking table (IPTT), performance Indicator Reference sheet (PIRS) and other USAID MEL tools and processes.  S/he is responsible for ensuring quality data collection, cleaning, processing/ summarizing and aggregation of the routine monitoring data collected and then calculate indicator values for use during reporting, learnings The post holder is also responsible for conducting routine or internal data quality assessment (RDQA) so as to ensure that the data meet the required standards and can be used for reporting and decision makings.

S/he should ensure that the complex MEL systems and requirements of USAID is met and possess rich working experience on USAID or USAID/BHA MEL guidance, policy and requirements and is responsible for MEL capacity building or for ensuring MEL capacity of implementing partners and field level M&E team is built. Possesses rich skills in quantitative data collection, cleaning and analysis and in the use qualitative approaches. S/he support the conduct of external or donor Data Quality Assessments (DQAs)/data auditing by availing all the required data, source documents and evidence. S/he also supports implementation quality monitoring and related assessments. S/he should extend effective support to the SPIR implementing partners for the smooth implementation of key M&E functions and also in the full implementation and toll out of mobile-based data collection (MDC) and SPIR management information system (MIS),

Major Responsibilities:

Support SPIR II M&E system design, strengthening and its implementations and ensure ownership and implementations of USAID/BHAs intensive M&E policies, guidance and requirements

• Closely work with M&E Lead for the refinement of  SPIR II theory of change, log frame, indicator lists, and also in the development of SPIR II Indicator Performance tracking table (IPTT) as well as its Performance indicator reference sheet (PIRS) as per USAID/BHA M&E policy and guidance,
• Together with the rest of M&E and technical  team at all levels, support in development of new data collection tools, updates of existing ones, and development related assessment tools and checklists and map indicators which each of the tools,
• Closely work with M&E Lead, other M&E specialist, MIS, database and GIS specialists to ensure all MEL activities of the project are implemented as per the required time, quality and standard,
• Ensure ownership, familiarization and use of SPIR II baseline and annual monitoring indicators, data collection tools for annual monitoring indicators, IPTT, PIRS, log frame and theory of change,
• Support smooth implementation of SPIR II mobile data collection (MDC) and MIS systems by closely working with SPIR II MIS team and all IP’s M&E and technical staff,
• Provide day to day support for production and smooth flow of quality M&E data as per the USAID/BHA M&E policy and guidance, Indicator handbook, SPIR II PIRS,  data collection tools, and its instructions (including related guidance) for each quarter and annual reporting,
• Support the technical team for setting SPIR II base values, annual and LoA targets for SPIR II  annual monitoring indicators and ensure revisions of those targets during PREP development and ARR submission
• Ensure that each indicator targets in the IPTT (both BL/EL and annual monitoring targets and LoA targets) are set as per the definitions and counting/ data collection methods of each of BHA and SPIRII custom indicators in the IPTT,
• Support M&E Lead in the development of a comprehensive M&E Plan for SPIR II with all its annex, and other requirements
• Ensure that all IPs team adherence to BHA M&E policy and guidance during implementations of SPIR II M&E deliverables and requirements,
• Support IPs to prepare Detail Implementation Plan, and Indicator Tracking Table with targets for monitoring progresses of tasks, and in the production of DIP charts and aggregation of data as per tracking table which will input to the IPTT indicator values during annual results reporting,
• Familiarize SPIR II technical and M&E team with SPIR II M&E processes, tools and requirements
• Closely work with IPs and CL SPIR M&E  team in  SPIR data cleaning, analysis, aggregation, indicator counting and its use for Indicator Performance Tracking Tables (IPTT) reporting,
• Conduct routine data quality assessments at least once in a year and support the IPs M&E team in conducting the routine data quality assessments.
• Support the IPs technical team and M&E staff in conducting implementation quality monitoring (i.e., in monitoring quality of project implementation at regular interval),
•  Coach/mentor IPs and field level team to collect, review and clean routine monitoring data with the required quality and standard using appropriate data collection tools, and then analyze and use the data for reporting, learning and adaptations at each IPs,
• Support the M&E Lead in managing the conduct of participant-based survey (PaBS) each fiscal year
• Document and share critical findings with the regional teams and purpose technical team members on a regular basis,
• Support the production of quarterly and annual results report (ARR) as per ARR and quarterly reports guidance, templates, and requirements,

Ensure quality data collection, cleaning, storage, processing, aggregation, analysis and reporting on a timely basis with the required frequency

• Ensure that that data is collected with maximum accuracy, and reliability meeting the required quality standards (including USAID data quality standards),
• Strongly contribute to all processes of data management across each stages of data life cycles by closely working with the data management specialist on database management and its use,
• Work closely with MIS, GIS and database specialists to enhance ICT-based/e-M&E processes to enhance data quality across all dimensions and ensure the establishment, maintenance and updates of database, and aggregation of data, its analysis, visualizations, and use,
• Support the IPs data management processes at all stages and levels to ensure effective functioning of all the M&E processes, tools, systems and products,
• Support IPs and consortium level team specially database specialist both offline and on-line data management, its update and maintenance and ensuring the presence of back-up for each data.
• Ensure data collected using MDC per weeks, months,  quarters and year are accurate and reliable, and conduct internal/routine data quality assessments (RDQA) or systematic desk review and field validation/ ground truth to improve data quality and consistence coherent data management flow
• Further cleaning, aggregation, analysis, and use the evidence for production of high quality report (monthly, quarterly and annual result reporting) for management and donor as well as for leaning,
• Provide technical support in managing the conduct of participant-based survey (PaBS) starting from its design, data collection, assuring quality of the data, cleaning of the data, data analysis and indicator estimation as per the relevant USAID/BHA and FtF guidance and policies
• Ensure submission of PaBS cleaned data set (in CSV/excel format) with data dictionary/code book and in a usable format with syntax and output files with all computed variables both in SPSS and STATA, variable transformations STATA file, sampling weights, edit rule for cleaning data etc.
• Provide authentic data/ inputs required to prepare quarterly reports, ARR and PREP and for updating IPTT table and its targets PIRS, etc.,

MEL capacity building for consortium level and IPs staff at all levels

• Based on M&E capacity assessments or existing gaps around SPIR M&E functions, the post holder will  continuously build the MEL capacity of SPIR II staff at all levels specially focusing on the field level M&E staff,
• Training on intensive donor (USAID/BHA) M&E policies, guidance and requirements
• Capacity building on data collection, data cleaning, processing, aggregation, analysis, and reporting for IPs M&E staff at all levels (focusing on field office staff where there is real capacity gaps),
• Mentoring of the IPs and field office MEL staff using various techniques (continuous daily support and, and mentoring MEL and program staff) on top of field level training so that all staff could own the MEL tools, processes, requirements (ensuring that all MEL task and requirements are delivered and adhered too) and use the data generated via M&E systems

 Required Professional Experience:

•  Minimum 7 years and above working on designing and implementing M&E systems for international NGOs as M&E Coordinator, M&E specialist, learning and measurements or program quality specialists. Experience working on FFP or BHA/USADID projects or Feed the Future Project is highly desirable

Qualification required:

•  Master of Science Degree in Economics, Statistics, Social sciences, Development Studies and related fields

Preferred Knowledge and Qualifications:

• Very good knowledge of diverse M&E approaches, practices, and tools; analysis and use of M&E data,
• Good understanding of integrated rural development and food security and transformational development,
•  Understanding of USAID MEL systems, practices and approaches
• Excellent presentation, communication, writing, networking and partnering skills.
• Highly skilled in data analysis using computer packages like Epi-info, SPSS, STATA,MS-Word, MS-Access, MS-Excel
• Participatory program design and M&E and management,
• A strong aptitude for organizational change, innovation, learning, team building
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy, excellent problem-solving skills, flexibility, and ability to work independently

Working Environment / Conditions:

·         Office based with travel to the field

·         Travel: 35% Domestic travel is required