MEL Officer at TechnoServe

Requisition Number: MELOF01296
Category: Operations

Description

• Business Women Connect (BWC) seeks to address the constraints women in agriculture face in accessing information on improved agricultural practices, access to finance, market and labor-saving technologies for their agro-enterprise which are important in increasing their incomes and improving their overall livelihoods.
• The project aims to increase economic opportunities for 1,000 women in Northern Nigeria (Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa States) involved in rice production, rice and/or groundnut processing by developing their capacities for higher productivity to increase their income and control over resources through improved agri-business practices and access to financial services.

Primary Purpose

• Under the overall guidance of the Project Coordinator, the MEL Officer will be focused on activities and technical details of project implementation and monitoring & evaluation.
• S/He will provide technical M&E support on project-specific assessments (in accordance with the donor and TechnoServe requirements). It should be understood that the tasks outlined below are the key responsibilities, but the candidate is expected to perform any tasks that are necessary within the context of the evolving needs of the project.

Duties & Responsibilities

• With support from the Project Coordinator and Regional MEL Advisor, develop Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks as well as Performance Monitoring Plan
• Plan and oversee MEL data collection and analyze such data to ensure relevancy and accuracy on a regular basis.
• Support the program management to integrate MEL data into program planning
• Share analyses and trends with project team members to help synchronize project decision-making processes with MEL results
• Monitor, review and analyze data for report writing and impact evaluation
• Recommend changes to performance monitoring and work plans
• Supervise the data collection and management process from primary data source (implementing communities and farmers through the LCTs) to final reporting to ensure quality
• Develop and manage a DQA system for all Monitoring and evaluation activities on the project
• Conduct periodic data verification exercises and provide feedback with recommendations for improvement
• Ensure databases are updated regularly
• Supports the documentation of best practices and facilitate the use of such data to drive program design and decision making. Produces information to share lessons learned and for advocacy purposes.
• Any other tasks that may be assigned.

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in social sciences, agricultural sciences or other relevant fields;
• 2 - 3 years of experience related to monitoring and evaluation required
• Prior experience working on agribusiness project with a strong gender component is highly desirable
• Ability to develop well written, cohesive analyses and reports
• Excellent communication, analytical and strategy skills
• Understanding of Hausa language would be an added advantage
• Understanding and practical experience using CommCare for data collection, analysis and reporting will be an added advantage
• Proven experience with relationship building and team-building skills
• Experience with relevant software packages, including Microsoft Excel, SPSS and PowerPoint

Desired Skills:

• Self-starter, energetic, and friendly
• Comfortable with new ways of thinking and working
• Engages people and empowers them to deliver on promises
• Maintains integrity and personal reputation
• Ability to analyze complex issues and propose solutions
• Reviews information quickly and does not hesitate to try out solutions
• Passionate about knowledge learning and sharing.