ROLE PURPOSE:
The job holder is responsible for providing oversight for the Comprehensive Home-grown, Inclusive, Learning and Development School Feeding Project Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning functions and will work with the Director of the project and other staff to ensure harmonized and aligned data collection, analysis and reporting to inform decision-making, accountability, reporting and learning in a timely and strategic manner. In addition, the job holder ensures that Quality Benchmarks are used during implementation and puts in place a tailor-made documentation strategy for impact stories, reports, and best practices. The Monitoring and Evaluation Manger will cultivate a culture of learning within the RSFP partnership and ensures that lessons learnt are communicated on time.
BACKGROUND
Ethiopia is facing multiple emergencies threatening children’s survival, well-being and participation. This usually results in Internally Displaced Children. Moreover, Ethiopia is hosting big number of refugee population from which about 30% is children.
There are so many factors that affect learning. Some studies indicate that School Feeding has strong effects on access to education and can, when supported with other interventions, improve learning outcomes. School meals have a positive effect on enrolment (+8pp and +6pp for boys and girls respectively), attendance (+3pp and +0pp for boys and girls respectively) and dropout rates (-5pp and -6pp for boys and girls respectively). In this regard, the MOE 2020 Draft National School Feeding Policy objectives aims at:
- Enhancing children’s access to education, improve learning outcome and internal efficiency of pre-primary and primary students;
- Reducing the gender disparity among boys and girl students;
- Increasing local farmers’ income and productivity and creating job opportunities for youth and women, by creating a link between school feeding and local agricultural production, and
- Establishing high-level leadership and effective multi-sectoral co-ordination system for joint implementation of school feeding program.
- In relation to the draft policy, the Comprehensive Home-grown, Inclusive, Learning and Development School Feeding Project (CHILD SFP) aims at improving equitable access to quality, safe and inclusive pre- primary & primary education including students with disabilities (SWD), IDPs, and Host Communities in 12 targeted Woredas of 5 regions. Through the provision of school feeding and associated major activities such as delivery of energy saving modern institutional stove, WASH & capacity building training, the project is planned to attain the outputs such as improving access and retention of pre and primary school children especially girls, SwDs and IDPs; strengthening systems and capacity to improve the resilience of regional emergency response; and improving learning and development outcomes. The project realizes these in partnership with MOE, REBs, WEOs, PTSAs, the community members and SCI. It also works in partnership with Ethiopia School Meal initiative in Waghamra Zone of Amhara region.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
- Reports to: Project Director
- Dimension: The Monitoring, Evaluation, accountability and learning manager will be based in Addis Ababa with frequent travel to the field in the areas of project intervention as well as non-intervention areas as required. Anticipate about 50% of the job to be travel away from duty station.
- Staff directly reporting to this post: None
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY :
Management and Leadership
- Provide overall supervision and leadership on the MEAL functions and strategy delivery at Project level
- Prove supervision, mentorship and professional development to MEAL staffs in Project so that staffs have the required capacity and enthusiasm to undertake their responsibilities
- Provide oversight of MEAL budget and ensure effective and timely utilization for the appropriate MEAL activities
- Be the key link among the MEAL team, project staffs and Project level operations team
- Ensure MEAL evidences of the project (IPTT, project performance/action trackers, etc) are used for management decision making and continuous performance improvement and be part of the Project level management team members/
MEAL System Development and Management
- Undertake responsibilities for the roll-out of the MEAL system in specified project implementation areas
- Leads the design and development of harmonized monitoring tools and aligned indicator definitions for the project in close collaboration with the project staff.
- Ensure that project staff understand the various steps and tools for the MEAL system and that this is used consistently across projects / areas
- Enhance use of digital data management with in the project, Conduct routine data quality assessment and continuous quality improvement of the project to ensure efficient implementation and quality reporting.
- Participate/coordinate the design of quantitative and qualitative participatory Program evaluations (baseline, annual and final evaluations), assessments, reviews and other special studies.
- Ensure the project using Quality Benchmarks as part of their day to day implementation and quality monitoring practices
- Support on the design and roll-out of standardized monitoring tools and methodologies as required by the project director and field level teams.
- Ensure functional accountability mechanisms are in place as the four pillar of accountability (Information sharing, participation, establishing and implementing Compliant and Feedback Mechanisms (CFM), and staff capacity building.
- Ensure that regular monitoring/MEAL reports are received and communicated effectively to project director and other relevant bodies
- Ensure periodic report are as per the standard quality, standard template, time frame and communicated accordingly
- Ensure communities and children know their rights and entitlements, have access to project information and participate in decisions that affect them
- Ensure communities and children have access to safe and responsive mechanisms to handle their complaints and feedback
Learning and Knowledge Management
- Facilitate documentation of results, impact, best practices and significant changes. Document learning and best practices; disseminate learning, reports, publications and participate in learning sessions, and ensuring that the lessons learnt are utilized to inform programming and advocacy.
- Support the project in the identification of learning objectives and evidence gaps.
- In close collaboration with program team, facilitate generating, storing and sharing knowledge (most significant change story, meta-analysis, research/evaluation summary reports, etc).
- Ensure utilization of learning and knowledge generated in decision making and program improvement (maintain up to date Project action tracker and monitor the utilization and application)
Technical Support and Capacity Building
- Provides technical guidance and capacity building of staff and stakeholders (including Education Bureau level teams) on implementation of MEAL within the Project; to include capacities for data management: collection, analysis, storage and reporting
- Undertake continuous staff capacity assessment and develop capacity building plans
- Provide training and capacity building for field-level project staffs as required
- Ensure relevant staffs received proper orientations, inductions, training to help them deliver their MEAL responsibilities
Partnerships:
- Provide routine periodic partner monitoring and regular guidance and support to ensure partner’s effective implementation of MEAL according to best practice and donor requirements.
Planning, Budgeting and Reporting:
- Coordinate with technical specialists and project team for appropriate planning and utilization of of MEAL resources and budget.
- Provide day-to-day direct support to the project and partners in preparation and review plans and reports, ensuring that project reports meet SCI and donor reporting standards.
- Oversee effective MEAL budget utilization to ensure timely implementation of MEAL activities
Communication and Networking
- Foster a culture of information sharing, learning and collaboration.
- Create and sustain positive working relationships internally with other technical staff; externally with the Regional Education Bureaus and other stakeholders.
- Ensure coordination with government activities and structures in the implementation of the ECW Project.
- Child Safeguarding:
- Emphasize a culture of zero tolerance of abuse of children.
- Report any suspicion of safeguarding incidents immediately
SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS (our Values in Practice)
Accountability:
- Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modeling Save the Children values.
- Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
Ambition:
- Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same.
- Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
- Future orientated, thinks strategically
Collaboration:
- Builds and maintains effective relationships with their team, colleagues, government counterparts, Members and external partners and supporters.
- Values diversity sees it as a source of competitive strength.
- Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
Creativity:
- Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
- Willing to take disciplined risks
- Integrity:
- Honest, encourages openness and transparency
Job Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in either Statistics or Development Studies with Post Graduate training in M&E or Project planning and Management.
- Minimum of eight years working experience in monitoring and evaluation working experience (preferably in education/protection, education in emergencies, related programs with an International NGO).
- Knowledge and use of various survey methods for monitoring of different programs.
- Training and mentorship of community-based volunteers and regional level partners in data collection management and reporting.
- Experience of working with local partners and regional level partners in Child Rights Governance, Health, Nutrition, Education and Child Protection is an added advantage.
- Strong analytical skills and strategic planning abilities.
- Sound written and oral presentation skills.
- Ability to establish and maintain conducive collegial relations and perform effectively as a member of a team.
- Willingness to travel and work in hard-to-reach areas and/or areas in emergencies Computer literacy and excellent documentation skills are a must. Microsoft office especially word, spreadsheet (Excel), Access, SPSS and GIS applications).
- Availability and willingness to work extra hours during times of humanitarian responses.
- Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
- Ability to intervene in crisis management or troubleshooting as necessary.
- Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills, including influencing, negotiation and coaching
- Excellent time management and planning capacity
How to Apply
The Organisation
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realize the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.
We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
- No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
- All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
- Violence against children is no longer tolerated
We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
More Information
- Job City Addis Ababa
