Short Term Consultancy for a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist - ZAMBIA

SNV Netherlands Development Organisation Zambia 

 

 Apply by 16 June 2014

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Job Description

SNV is a not-for-profit international development organisation. Founded in the Netherlands nearly 50 years ago, we have built a long-term, local presence in 38 of the poorest countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Our global team of local and international advisors work with local partners to equip communities, businesses and organisations with the tools, knowledge and connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to basic services – empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and guide their own development.


Purpose
As SNV Zambia moves into a new era of programming, and focuses more on evidence-based advocacy and results-based programming, more attention needs to be paid to monitoring and evaluation of current programmes and improving our internal abilities to design programmes with interventions that address specific needs of different social and economic groups.

To do that, the team of staff working in SNV Zambia is looking to develop an enhanced capacity in monitoring and evaluation techniques – specifically focusing on measurement of impact and outcomes. Gender sensitive monitoring needs to be strengthened and we need to understand better the manner in which our programmes differently impact men and women.  The team needs to expand their knowledge of the range of quantitative and qualitative tools that are available, and develop greater understanding of the circumstances in which they are most appropriate to use, and the requirements for using them.

Background
SNV implements programmes in Renewable Energy, Agriculture and WASH. The current portfolio in Zambia is 14 programmes that illustratively include biogas for milk chilling, climate smart agriculture, dairy hub development, community-led and school-led total sanitation, improved rural water sources, and improved access to alternative energies and technologies for cooking and lighting, amongst others.  SNV operates out of two offices, Lusaka and Kasama and runs its operations through a Country Director, three Sector Leaders who oversee each of the three sectors and to whom the Project Managers in each sector report. Much of the work is done with local partners who work directly with individual project managers and officers.

Objective
The M&E Specialist will work primarily with the Project Managers and Officers on each project to review the aims and objectives of the project against the current monitoring plans; explore the possibilities to expand and adapt the range of indicators to develop a better understanding of the impacts and outcomes of the projects; work with the project team to develop the sets of tools that will enable them to gather the data that they need and put in place a tailored monitoring plan for each project. While SNV’s portfolio is currently 14 projects, the objective is for 10 to be subject to the treatment outlined here.

Through the process of interacting with the teams, the Specialist should also note the common and generic M&E skills required by the group that would enhance the performance of the team as a whole. During the course of the assignment, the Specialist will develop a training programme around those needs that will be delivered to the whole team in the last weeks of the assignment. Should there be a requirement to bring in additional support to deliver that training then the specialist will develop that proposal together with the Country Director.

The assignment is aimed at being very hands-on, with the specialist working side by side the project teams in order that they develop the enhanced understanding of the tools and methods they need.

Activities

1. Review all project documents, reports and tools, SNV’s online Project Monitoring System and global PME policy and directives;
2. Review each project together with the project managers and officers to understand current targets and objectives and also identify any room for improvement in what is being monitored and how;
3. Work with the project teams to develop tailored project monitoring plans with clearly specified aims, objectives, activities and targets for outcomes, impacts and outputs;
4. Work with the teams to develop the tools they will need to monitor against the plans;
5. Field test a selection of the tools with the teams so that they learn by doing;
6. Review the skill sets of the team and develop an outline training intervention that can benefit the whole team ;
7. Deliver the training to the team; and,
8. Draft final report including recommendations as to future steps to build capacity.

Key Deliverables/Outcomes

1. Tailored Monitoring plan for each of ten projects, complete with the tools required to implement the plan
2. Training outline for generic M&E skills building of the whole team
3. Completed team training
4. Final report with recommendations for further interventions to build team capacity.

Place of Performance
Lusaka and Kasama, Zambia

Period of Performance
July 21st – November 21st 2014

Consultant Supervisor
Sue Ellis, Country Director

Payment Plan
The consultant will be paid monthly for days worked on the basis of timesheets and invoices submitted. SNV Zambia operates under a five day/ 40 hour working week. SNV will cover logistics costs and reasonable business expenses during the assignment and per diem in line with SNV Zambia policy.


How to apply

Applicants should submit a letter of interest, full CV, rate history for the last three years, and three project references for previous project work that they have carried out.  Failure to submit any of the required items means they will not be considered.
Please complete your application by clicking on the apply button above and uploading your CV and motivation letter in English not later than Sunday June, 15th 2014.

Credits:  https://www.devex.com/en/jobs/short-term-consultancy-for-a-monitoring-and-evaluation-specialist-18713