IFDC Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant Job in Kenya

Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant

Position Type: National

Reports To: ESAFD M&E Specialist

Location: Nairobi (Kasarani), Kenya

 

The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) is a Public International Organization governed by an international board of directors with representation from developed and developing nations. 

 

The non-profit Center focuses on increasing and sustaining food and agricultural productivity in developing and transitional economies through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise.

IFDC wishes to recruit for the position of an assistant to implement frontline monitoring and evaluation (M&E) as part of the East and Southern Africa Division (ESAFD) team. 

 

The M&E Assistant will work in a supportive capacity to projects in the region, as well as an in institutional capacity, contributing to IFDC initiatives of divisional and global scope. 

 

The incumbent will contribute to efforts that monitor outcomes against targets and that enable management, donors and partners to gain feedback and deduce lessons, determine the direction of progress and make vital adjustments to interventions for optimum effectiveness.

Essential Job Functions:

Data Collection and Handling

• Design data collection and survey exercises in the Mobenzi Researcher platform based on Division and/or project needs and conduct pre-tests and adjustments for uniform comprehension
• Train enumerators in the using the Mobenzi Researcher platform and mobile devices in data collection and conduct pre-testing of the instrument
• Undertake data collection tasks and supervise data collection logistics
• Receive, inspect, screen/filter and handle questionnaires, as required
• Maintain data storage and data quality
• Conduct data analysis, including creation of GIS maps
• Avail data in required formats, along with contextual interpretation, to support decision making and periodic reporting
• Support vital links between IT systems (e.g. working closely with AMITSA)
• Support development of work plans and annual reports
• Working closely with project leadership, provide guidance to stakeholders and  partner institutions, in particular grant recipients, to strengthen their capacity to utilize and benefit from the data collected from them

Evaluation Exercises

• Contribute to planning phases of baseline, program, and impact evaluation studies
• Support evaluations by providing guidance and solutions
• Handle survey logistics

Quality Assurance

• Assure quality of trainings and other activities delivered by local partners and compose reports of observations and recommended action, as requested

Institutional M&E system

• Train Country office project personnel to interact with M&E systems and draw on lessons in their work
• By virtue of operating within the M&E system, generate adjustments for continuous improvements in ease of use; provision of relevant information; and integration of technological advances
• Follow trends and interventions that are working such that they may form IFDC M&E standards, best practices and recommendations. With travel within the ESAFD region and resultant knowledge of divisional programs, forge ties for learning and sharing between individuals, units and programs working on similar technical areas and tasks
• Draft reports and communications pieces required
• Assist in analyzing M&E aspects of proposals and plans and implementing M&E guidelines
• Contribute towards reporting against the IFDC Strategic Plan
• Participate in other initiatives and systems as the evolution of M&E capacity requires

Africa Soil Health Consortium (ASHC) Project M&E (35%)

• Serve in an internal evaluation capacity as an integral part of the CABI + IFDC ASHC project team to assess the evolving process for engaging multidisciplinary teams; vet soil fertility messages and materials formats through field testing and work through client/partners to integrate M&E techniques for monitoring effectiveness of materials dissemination strategies and behavior change
• The above requires application of mixed methods involving but not limited to team debriefings on country context; client/partner consultations and needs assessments; facilitating team reviews, after-action reviews, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews; documenting observations; administering workshop evaluations
• Organize findings in effective formats for utilization for learning within the team
• Active participation in regular meetings at CABI offices located at ICRAF/World Agroforestry Centre

Working conditions

• Job may occasionally require travel (presently there are projects requiring M&E support in South Sudan, Rwanda, Mozambique and Tanzania and other projects on the horizon; other potential travel to Ghana and Mali in West Africa) and occasional work on nights and weekends.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Statistics, Agricultural Economics or other related fields
• Minimum three years experience with participatory monitoring and evaluation which may include designing and conducting survey exercises, data collection (key stakeholder interviews, focus groups, surveys, and secondary data analysis techniques), and data management
• Experience in private sector, economic  and/or agricultural donor-funded projects
• Demonstrable experience in performing statistical analysis and interpreting results correctly
• Excellent command of computers and statistical software, especially experience with MS Access and SPSS or STATA. Ability to manipulate large data sets.
• Ability to work independently and to take initiative
• Service-oriented attitude towards work-- providing positive and timely feedback to colleagues and staff of partner institutions
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, including the ability to present materials in meetings and at conferences and to write project documents (including evaluation design plans, results frameworks, data collection and data analysis plans, and progress reports)
• Proficiency in additional languages spoken in Eastern and Southern Africa is highly desirable

Applications:

Qualified applicants are invited to send an application consisting of a letter of introduction that outlines the applicant’s educational background, relevant work experience, and major areas of professional interest, and an up-to-date curriculum vitae including the name, address, telephone, fax and e-mail contact addresses of three referees to the following contacts email addresses:  ifdckenya@ifdc.org.

Please reference the job title “M&E Assistant” in the subject line of your email.  Screening of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. 

 

Only short listed candidates will be contacted for interview. No phone calls are accepted.  IFDC is an EOE.