MEL & CLA Lead 208 views0 applications

Project Background

The Feed the Future (FtF) Policy LINK Activity will strengthen the capacity of local actors and institutions to lead and manage the agricultural transformation process and contribute effectively and collectively to improved, broad-based food security policy outcomes.

Specifically, the program aims to strengthen food security policy systems by investing in and reinforcing productive human and social capital and developing strategic partnerships that help bring these innovations and capacity investments to scale to achieve a critical mass of local actors with the ability and opportunity to effect positive policy change through collective action.

Policy LINK’s general approach is grounded in facilitative leadership and collaborative governance, which emphasize engaging stakeholders from civil society and public and private sectors in consensus-oriented decision-making, collaborative problem-solving, and adaptive learning.

Policy LINK in Ghana

FtF Policy LINK Ghana is a five-year USAID-supported Activity with the overall objective of fostering behavior change that strengthens the capacity and ability of Ghanaian stakeholders to participate in a more transparent, inclusive, and evidence-based agriculture and food security policy process that leads to improved food and nutrition outcomes and broad-based economic growth. Specifically, the activity will facilitate the transition towards a policy development paradigm driven by multiple stakeholders.

This approach to policymaking will strengthen the capacities of Ghana’s main agricultural policy system actors and institutions and support them to engage stakeholders traditionally excluded from decision-making, including academia, financial institutions, the judiciary, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector representatives from the national, regional, and local levels.

This approach is underpinned by Policy LINK’s overarching theory of change focused on increasing human and social capital, engaging policy system actors in collaborative processes, and developing mechanisms for collaborative governance and dynamic learning systems and platforms to sustain collective action.

Position Objectives

The MEL Officer will support the day-to-day data collection and reporting for the Activity as guided by USAID. The MEL Officer will work with the MEL & CLA Lead and other staff to ensure that clean and complete project data is collected, properly captured, and reported in a timely manner.

S/he will continually reinforce Policy LINK’s agreed-upon core purpose and principles, and ensure all decision-making is rooted in those purposes and principles. S/he will contribute to fostering a learning environment in which personal and team growth is supported, with a shared understanding that the “team” always comes before the “individual.”

Responsibilities

The MEL Officer will be responsible for the following:

Specific responsibilities of the MEL Officer at the sub-national and national levels of Policy LINK Ghana will include;

1. Support in developing and implementing a monitoring and evaluation plan that aligns with the project’s overall goal and objectives;
2. Collecting and analyzing data to track progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the project. This may involve working with local partners to gather data, conducting surveys or focus groups, and analyzing data to identify areas where the project is succeeding or falling short to guide in decision-making;
3. Training and Capacity Building – contribute to the development of the MEL Framework, indicator framework, templates, and data collection tools and plan and conduct staff training on key M&E concepts, data collection tools, and processes and provide guidance in their use,
4. Evaluation and Learning – provide support to conduct external mid-term and final evaluations; develop Terms of Reference for external evaluation and conduct desk studies, compile results from data collected and synthesize information as requested.
5. Assist in the monitoring of timely and consistent data collection and reporting at the national and sub-national level;
6. Work closely with the MEL & CLA Lead to reconcile inconsistencies in monthly and quarterly data reports sent from Activity-supported partners and stakeholders;
7. Provide technical assistance to technical staff and partners in the M&E area to ensure high-quality record-keeping and data management processes at the subnational level to meet program objectives.
8. Assist with the preparation of internal and external reports and communication materials for management and program staff to facilitate project-wide and activity-based learning;
9. Assist in organizing and facilitating feedback sessions with key internal and external stakeholders;
10. Assist in the planning and execution of needs assessments, quality assurance assessments, data quality assessments (DQAs), formative research, and other required evaluations; and
11. Communicate the results of the M&E to project stakeholders, including USAID staff, local partners, and project beneficiaries. This may involve producing regular reports, holding workshops or seminars, and presenting findings to project partners and stakeholders.

Reporting

The MEL Officer will report directly to the Accra-based MEL & CLA Lead with a dotted line to the Tamale-based Regional Senior Manager. S/he will coordinate closely with Activity Team Leads overseeing activities.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The MEL Officer will not have any supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications

Local Ghanaian candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

Additional qualifications:

Education:

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as international development, project management, demography, economics, statistics, or social science.
• A master’s degree in a relevant field, such as international development, project management, or evaluation, could be an added advantage.

Work Experience:

1. At least five (5) years of experience in monitoring and evaluation, social science research, or another relevant field.
2. Demonstrated experience with quantitative and qualitative research methods, including surveys and focus groups discussion and key informant interviews.
3. Strong analytical and data visualization skills with the ability to communicate to a range of audiences.
4. Experience working on donor-funded programs, with preference given to experience supporting fast-paced donor-funded programs focused on agriculture, value chains, digital tools, food security, or similar technical areas.
5. Experience providing procurement and consultant management support to donor-funded programs (USAID preferred).
6. Experience in project management and understanding of the project cycle management.
7. Experience working with government and non-government partners.
8. Knowledge of M&E best practices and frameworks.
9. Strong computer skills and experience using monitoring and evaluation software, including data management and analysis tools.
10. Knowledge of and experience with monitoring and evaluation methodologies in the context of international development and aid programs.
11. Experience in capacity building of local partners and staff.

Skills:

• Attention to detail.
• Ability to balance competing priorities and information shared by colleagues, policy and procedure manuals, stakeholders, etc.
• Accuracy in working with a large amount of data.
• Ability to respond effectively to time-sensitive demands and inquiries.
• Proficiency using Microsoft office suite, and other relevant software;
• Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills as well as exceptional customer relations both internally and externally.
• Excellent organizational skills with a willingness to take initiative and be proactive.
• Excellent communication and personnel management skills and ability to relate to people at all levels of an organization and of different multicultural backgrounds.
• Professional fluency in English and other Ghanaian languages.