BACKGROUND

Effective agriculture has the power to change lives. It underpins prosperity, food security and stability the world over. Farm Africa focuses on transforming agriculture and managing natural resources sustainably. We champion a holistic approach that boosts yields, protects the environment and connects smallholder farmers to thriving markets.

Farm Africa has been implementing a project titled ‘Integrated approach to improve rural livelihoods, empowering communities and partners programme’ which is funded by SIDA (The Swedish International Development Agency). This project has been implemented by Farm Africa and the Union of Ethiopian Women Charitable Associations (UEWCA).

The overall goal of the programme is to contribute to achievement of the Ethiopia's Growth and Transformation Plan II (GTPII) through agriculture business development, capacity building in project implementation and delivery, civil society strengthening and embedding climate smart practices in identified development interventions. This overarching programme is divided into three key projects:

• Project 1: Delivery of institutional capacity building services to local institutions and partners contributing to Ethiopia’s GTPII. This will involve the development and delivery of bespoke training packages for institutional development for government institutions and civil society organisations.
• Project 2: Close collaboration, capacity building and technical support to the project partner UEWCA (Union of Ethiopian Women’s Charitable Association) in natural resource management and climate resilience. The project will support the organisation to build its member associations ability to support women to increase their socioeconomic resilience and integration.
• Project 3: The cultivation of climate-smart focused agricultural value chains to empower smallholder famers in SNNPR. This project will be delivered directly by a Farm Africa team under the Programme Manager and will work with several producer cooperatives and farmers.

The project is operating in different regional state and Farm Africa is taking a lead role for the programme implementation, quality assurance, technical backstopping, monitoring and evaluation, partner management and donor reporting.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Expert is a technical post responsible for ensuring consistent and high quality collection, use and reporting of results data across the SIDA programme. The post holder will ensure that all projects within the SIDA programme develop and implement appropriate MEL plans, based on robust logical frameworks, and adhering to Farm Africa’s core standards and approaches, including the global indicators.

Within the programme, the MEL Expert will work with the Programme Manager and Project Coordinator, to ensure management decision making is evidence based. The MEL Expert will work with the Project Officers and Community Development Staff to ensure a clear understanding of the programme’s MEL framework at the field level, with all methods and tools clearly understood and communicated. The post holder will develop appropriate tools, systems and training to support SIDA field teams to understand and use robust evidence of project results as a vital input to management decision making.  The MEL Expert will provide technical as well as capacity building support to partner organisations, including the UEWCA; ensure use of relevant FA’s standard data collection tools; provide critical analysis and technical input to project evaluation processes, ensuring Farm Africa can maximise the learning potential of all studies and evaluations undertaken within the project.

The role also acts as an interface between the SIDA programme and Farm Africa’s Country Office on issues relating to results measurement and reporting, working closely with country office MEL coordinator and the Programme Manager to ensure continual improvement of organisational systems and processes

KEY TASKS AND RESPONISBILITES

Key areas of responsibilities are:

Planning

• Coordinate and facilitate the development and use of appropriate MEL systems and plans and provide technical guidance and leadership to the programme PM, PC and POs in implementing them.
• Take responsibility for ensuring the SIDA programme’s MEL systems are fully compliant with the donor and Farm Africa’s requirements for reporting results. Ensure project teams are familiar with these.
• At start-up, work with field teams and PM, PC to ensure that the indicators and targets are SMART, and the methods for collection and analysis are clearly understood and will fulfil reporting requirements at all levels.
• Coordinate the development of integrated work plans that help to facilitate the implementation of the four projects (ET 88, 90, 91 &97) with shared responsibilities and joint efforts
• In consultation with the PM and consortium members review and prepare the project’s work plan and budget during the annual planning process each year.
• Liaise with the PC and PM to adequately budget for and utilise resources to undertake MEL activities.

Implementation

• Coordinate and implement baseline surveys and evaluation exercises.
• Build capacity of field staff and local partner staff on data collection, management, analysis and results-based monitoring principles and ensure understanding of Farm Africa’s core standards and approaches.
• Work to ensure project team are able to disaggregate data by gender and age, where appropriate, by devising and disseminating simple data collection methods.
• Provide a ‘quality assurance’ function to ensure that data reported by all 4 projects within the programme is relevant, accurate and verifiable.
• Undertake regular monitoring and assist the team of all consortia partners at field level that program activities are implemented and outputs achieved as planned.
• Ensure the project’s log-frame and data collection plans are regularly reviewed and refreshed, and the project is collecting the breadth of indicators required at a frequency and timing in line with reporting purposes.
• Ensure that the project is regularly (at least quarterly) conducting beneficiary surveys, collecting basic data as per the data collection plan from relevant sources , developing case studies and collating photos
• Ensure data reported by all 4 projects feeds back and is used for programme management and decision making.
• Provide technical and capacity building support to project implementing partners;
• Work closely with relevant staff of UEWCA and other project partners to ensure regular data collection, analysis and reporting;
• Participate project quarterly review meetings and biannual Project Performance review (PPR) workshops;
• Identify learning questions, document and disseminate learnings

Reporting

• Ensure regular and sufficient communication with other organisational SMT including the Senior Programme Manager and Regional Quality Advisor on overall MEL development and coordinate and cascade any learning that will enhance MEL activities at the Country Office and programme level.
• Work with the Regional Quality Advisor to develop tools and methods for capturing and documenting lessons learned from the programme’s implementation, and ensure that they are shared with the communities, partners and across the organisation.
• Ensure that the quarterly reports produced by the projects have case studies, success stories and lessons learnt so that there is continuous information that will feed into the overall learning process.
• Collate monthly, quarterly and annual reports from all consortium partners - ensuring required quality, and report to the PM with specified deadlines.
• Prepare progress reports quarterly, outlining progress, issues and actions being taken in the standard format to the PM.
• Together with the PM participate in quarterly project progress review sessions with the Steering Committee (including Country Directors) including: in-depth review of financial spend/burn rate; achievement against activity and output plan, and a forward look on whether the project is achieving against its objectives.
• Support the PM in ensuring the timely submission of narrative and financial reports to the donor as per the reporting requirements.

Capacity building

• Provide technical as well as capacity building support to partner organisations, including the UEWCA; ensure use of relevant FA’s standard data collection tools
• Provide critical analysis and technical input to project evaluation processes,
• Ensuring Farm Africa can maximise the learning potential of all studies and evaluations undertaken within the project
• Prepare different training documents on the area of MEL, project management and coordination and deliver for FA and other partner staffs
• Facilitate different capacity building trainings and workshops

These essential functions are not to be interpreted as a complete statement of all duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other job related duties as required. All work responsibilities are subject to having performance goals and/or targets established.

REPORTS TO:  SIDA Programme Manager

REPORTING TO POSTHOLDER: None

DURATION & HOURS: One year with probation period of 60 days

Our VALUES

Investing in smallholder farming is the number one way to combat poverty in rural Africa. Farm Africa is a leading NGO specialising in growing agriculture, protecting the environment and developing businesses in rural Africa.

EXPERT. Deep expertise and insightful evidence-based solutions are at the heart of everything Farm Africa does.

GROUNDED. Positive change starts with Africa’s people, so our experts work closely with local communities, engaging them in every level of decision-making.

IMPACTFUL. We take a long-term view so we can deliver lasting changes for farmers and their families.

BOLD. We model innovative new approaches and are not afraid to challenge strategies that are failing.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education, qualifications & other knowledge

Essential

• MSc./MA in numerate/analytical subject (e.g. statistics, economics, econometrics, sociology, development studies, applied social science)
• Demonstrable knowledge of rural development issues in Ethiopia
• Knowledge of the development and policy environment in Ethiopia

Desirable

• Academic qualification relevant to Farm Africa’s areas of operation (preferably agriculture and climate change)
• Awareness of broader trends in international donor landscape, relating to MEL and results-monitoring
• Knowledge of value chain development and climate smart agricultural practices

Essential

Experience

• Demonstrable understanding of monitoring, evaluation and learning principles and practices, including the application of the log frame approach
• A minimum of 5 years proven experience of conducting quantitative and qualitative field research and analysis for large, multi-purpose projects
• Experience in synthesising data and drafting clear written reports/briefings
• Proven experience in training and capacity building in MEL practices

Desirable 

• Previous NGO work experience in rural development
• Experience conducting field research in a rural context
• Communicating technical information to non-technical, ‘lay’, audiences

Skills & abilities

Essential

• Strong communication skills (verbal and written)
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Ability to ensure quality standards are adhered to and understood
• Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues
• Ability to provide challenge and critique others in a constructive and open manner
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic
• Firm belief in teamwork and gender equality
• Very good facilitation and coordination skills
• Methodological, thorough approach with attention to detail
• Excellent record keeping and report writing skills
• Proficiency in MS Office packages
• Ability to work in a multi partner environment

Desirable 

• Strong partner relationship management
• Using evidence for impact communication
• Ability of data base creating and data management
• Proficient in Advanced Excel, Word, and ability to programming and statistical/data analysis/ software