Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist/MEAL Director at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Band:                    10

Department:       Programs

Reports To:        Chief of Party

Location:            Adamawa

Job Ref Code:    MEL210119

Full JD Link:       https://goo.gl/K4skmG

Project Background:

CRS is bidding for a multi-million-dollar, multi-year USAID/Nigeria Water for Agriculture Program.  This program seeks to develop and implement interventions that will sustainably increase water availability and management, towards increasing agricultural productivity in in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states of Nigeria.  This effort will contribute to CRS’ agriculture and livelihoods signature program area and ongoing efforts to promote resilience, recovery and development within Nigeria and neighboring countries around the Lake Chad Basin. 

Job Summary:

The MEL Specialist will oversee all Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) activities across the Water for Agriculture Program that leads to robust evidence for data use and decision making, including assessments /surveys & routine gathering of Program implementation information collection; accountability to beneficiaries, donors and other stakeholders; document retention and archival; capacity development of Water for Agriculture Program staff on MEL; compliance with USAID MEL requirements; cross-learning among Programs; and, CRS and USAID reporting.

Specific Job Responsibilities:

Strategic guidance and leadership on MEL

• USE SMILER method to lead the development and regular updating of Water for Agriculture MEL tools, approaches, frameworks and databases, these include but not limited to: Theory of Change, Theory of change narrative, Proframe, Logframe, IPTT, DIP, MEL plan, FRM, Data flow, Stake holder analysis, reporting flow map…
• Ensure application of standardized MEL tools and approaches across the program with respect to the MEL Policies and Procedures.
• Support the CoP to monitor Water for Agriculture Program implementation progress on a regular basis against USAID and CRS quality standards and international humanitarian principles through monitoring visits, data quality audits, spot check against reports and review of implementation reports.
• Build the capacity of Program staff and implementing partners in collection and analysis of data (method, formats, software, etc.), indicator measurement, feedback and response mechanisms, negative impact analysis, etc.
• Provide technical support to program staff for the implementation of monitoring and evaluation activities, data management and integration of cross-functional issues.
• Directly lead on Program wide assessments and surveys including baseline, midterm and end line evaluative surveys.  This might entail leading recruitment, orientation, deployment and management of external consultants.
• Support iterative program development ensuring lessons learnt from implementation / assessments are incorporated into implementation.
• Foster a learning environment, Lead learning and knowledge management within the Program and ensures such best practice is communicated across CRS Nigeria.
• Ensure that Program data are protected and shared according to CRS and donor principles.
• Encourage the integration of good ICT solution to ease the process of collecting, management, analyzing and protection

Vertical and horizontal accountability

• Work closely with CRS and partners’ Gender and Accountability Specialists to ensure robust and participatory beneficiary accountability and feedback mechanisms are established, used and reported against.
• Support the CoP in compilation of donors, Government Ministries and Agencies (MDAs) and CRS reports as per the agreed upon reporting schedules.
• Build the capacity of Water for Agriculture in international and CRS humanitarian accountability frameworks including ‘Do No Harm’ and ‘Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability’ (CHS) (HAP, People in Aid and SPHERE).

Cross-cutting

• Directly supervise Water for Agriculture Program MEL Staff and consultants.
• Coordinate consortium partners’ MEL staff attached to the Water for Agriculture Program.
• Build capacity of CRS and consortium partners’ MEL Coordinators / Managers / Officers to address their job requirements. 
• Provide technical review and support across all components of Water for Agriculture Program. 
• Incorporate required and emerging good practices into CRS regional MEL efforts and ongoing technical support
• Integrate the MEL community of practices
• Create opportunities for reflection and learning among MEL advisors and practitioners within the Consortium, Country Program and the Region. 
• Communicate agency approach to MEL and key findings, to Consortium Partners, Country Program and Regional colleagues.
• Contribute to regional and agency technical guidance. 
• Share MEL learning and experiences in broader regional and global agency discussions, and with peer organizations. 
• Determine and address regional or sub-regional priorities for advancing MEL.  
• Commitment to gender sensitive programming and management

Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or related field.
• At least 5 years’ senior MEL experience on a similar program (agriculture-based, rural development and / or resilience). 
• Demonstrated ability to design and use geographical information systems.
• Prior MEL experience on Programs of a similar size and scope in developing countries; experience in providing MEL services on multi-sector, multi-year programs is desirable. 
• Experience with USAID rules, regulations and requirements is preferred.
• Experience working in similar context (i.e. conflict and harsh environments) in sub-Saharan Africa required.  Prior experience in North East Nigeria is preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.  Knowledge of local languages preferred.
• Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of office applications.

Required Travel: To field locations in Nigeria

Work Environment: Office environment in the field (Adamawa State).

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory:   ICT4D Data Manager, at least two (2) MEL Officers and MEL consultants.

Internal:  Water for Agriculture DCoP, Program Managers and Sectoral Team Leads; Water for Agriculture Consortium Partners; CoPs and Program Managers of other CRS Programs; MEL coordinator at the CP level, TA MEL Support Departments including Operations etc.

External:  Government Ministry Agencies (MDAs); UN agencies; Peer agencies (NGOs) and Community Representatives.