Back Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability & Learning Consultant

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY OPPORTUNITY AT WORLD VISION SOUTH SUDAN

World Vision is a Christian Relief, Development and Advocacy INGO dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. All employment in World Vision is conditioned upon successful completion of all applicable background checks, including criminal record checks where possible.

World Vision South Sudan is now seeking for a qualified and dynamic Individual (Man or Woman) who is willing to share in our vision and promise to Children, to join us in the position below.

Consultancy: Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability & Learning Consultant

Reporting to: Project Director & Programme Quality and Strategy Manager

Location: Kuajok, South Sudan**

Duration of assignment: October to December 31, 2020

Purpose of the assignment:

The MEAL Consultant in the interim period is responsible for achieving the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) function for the EU funded FORESITE project. FORESITE targets to improve food security in South Sudan. In future, the MEAL Consultant in collaboration with the MEAL Coordinator will provide consortium leadership on MEAL[1]. This project is implemented as a consortium of World Vision, NRC and AVSI and thus the MEAL Consultant will support the MEAL Coordinator (when recruited) to achieve technical leadership of MEAL processes and officers in World Vision, NRC and AVSI. S/he also oversees achievement of quality and standardized MEAL. The MEAL Consultant reports to the FORESITE Project Director with matrix reporting to World Vision South Sudan Program Quality and Strategy Manager, and supports a team of four: MEAL Coordinator ( When recruited), and three consortium Monitoring and Evaluation Officers. The overall objective of this assignment is to build the consortiums MEAL capacity to meet FORESITE EU MEAL requirements and to ensure that MEAL products (surveys, assessments, etc.) are disseminated effectively among the consortium at all levels

Scope of work:

Consortium leadership and Guidance

· Engage with project managers to validate targets, indicators in the Performance Measurement Framework, ensuring the framework contributes to the project’s effectiveness

· Support the MEAL Coordinator to implement EU guidelines and tools to ensure that all consortium members have shared standards for monitoring project progress

· With the MEAL Coordinator lead the design and execution of planned data collection exercises for example quarterly surveys, annual outcome monitoring, planned assessment, gender assessment, environmental analysis, mid-term evaluation and final evaluations

· Develop, roll-out and track progress on accountability frameworks associated tools and use of feedback from project participants. This includes implementing the humanitarian accountability tools and protocols ( AAP)

· Ensure that the monitoring outputs, online reporting community information systems, dashboards, monthly reports, are populated with accurate data, and reflect progress against targets

· Oversee implementation of the EU and internal project monitoring system through regular field monitoring visits and tracking of key performance indicators

· Advise the Project Director on the progress of the project implementation

· Coordinate and facilitate, and generate development of the project’s annual work plans, as well as quarterly, and annual reports—according to donor and WVA requirement and submit to the project Director for his review;

· Provide technical guidance to the MEAL Coordinator and FORESITE field staff during implementation of project-related surveys and assessments.

· Ensure that consortium monitoring and evaluation budget is effectively managed and utilized according to planned activities and schedule.

· Support the MEAL Coordinator to update project MEAL documents, data, and other information required for planning and reporting are documented, prepared and submitted on time and in compliance with the requirements of EU.

Evidence and Learning :

· Establish MEAL Technical Working Group and meetings

· Support to coordinate consortium special interest working groups to effectively consolidate, analyze and disseminate lessons learned and other key evidence gathered through assessments, surveys, and action-reflection on project activities.

· Support the MEAL coordinator to generate and review information integration of best practices in project activity implementation trough the promotion of action-reflection events where evidence and recommendations are shared with project top and mid management, both at the consortium level and on the ground with each consortium team.

· Collaborate with the MEAL Coordinator to organize project staff and stakeholder reflection meetings to reflect on results and develop action plans to support the consortium.

· Build capacity of the project officers and MEAL team on documentation of change stories and in close collaboration with project team facilitate in generating, storing and sharing knowledge (success/change story, meta-analysis, research/evaluation summary reports, etc.).

· Support the consortium to set up mechanisms/ forums/ platforms to use for learning and generating knowledge for decision making and project improvement promoting utilization of information. This will include among others collating information collected through assessments for reflection and adopting.

· Together with the project managers facilitate the project annual key stakeholders and community review meetings to reflect on progress, lessons learned, and formulate action plans for respective contexts

· Assist in any communications, publication work, and liaison with communities, project/impact areas and partners

· Support the consortium to develop/generate significant change or success stories demonstrating how the project has changed community lives under each of the objectives, and use this material to improve monitoring tools.

MEAL System Development and Management

· With the MEAL Coordinator ensure that MEAL team and project staff members understand the steps and tools for the MEAL system and their use consistently across project areas.

· Collaborate with the MEAL Coordinator to ensure that regular monitoring/MEAL reports are received and communicated effectively to Project Director

· Support the MEAL coordinator to review periodic reports are as per the standard quality, standard template, and time frame and communicated accordingly (e.g., field visit reports and field activity reports).

· Support the MEAL Coordinator to comprehend the indicator requirements for each indicator in the MEAL plan and community information system, using practical approaches on how to report/ track indicators in line with MEAL plan.

· Ensure that evidence generated through MEAL processes are incorporated into program planning and review processes.

· Develop detailed and comprehensive tools to help gather information for each indicator as per the MEAL plan

· Support the MEAL Coordinator to plan, coordinate and conduct stakeholder review meetings and joint supportive supervision visits.

People Management, Technical Support and Capacity Building

· As a mentor, identify MEAL capacity gaps across consortium staff (especially MEAL and field Officers) and areas for growth, and develop MEAL relationships that foster a working environment that prioritizes learning, innovation, excellence and efficiency in MEAL practices for the consortium.

· Provide guidance to the MEAL Coordinator on recommended tools/ techniques to supervise M&E Officers to achieve the best out of them through on-going capacity building and conduct periodic performance evaluations

· Mentor/ build capacity of the National MEAL Coordinator using different techniques and continuous staff capacity assessment, and develop capacity building plans for M&E officers.

· In collaboration with the MEAL Coordinator, provide trainings and capacity building for field-level staff as required

· Sets standard and agreed performance objectives for direct report and conduct midterm and end line performance review

· With the national MEAL Coordinator, support and participate in donor and head office field visits, and provide project briefs as required.

· Attend other internal and external meetings as required.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

· A Master’s Degree or higher in related field

· At least 5 years leadership experience in program design and development, program monitoring and evaluation, information management, capacity building, and compliance

· At least 5 years field experience in a relief or development environment

· Experience in User-focused and/or participatory evaluation methods

· Previous experience with MEAL and research agenda promotion and development with large grants preferably consortia with experience using different resilience and food security measurement tools/approaches.

· Capacity building experience in project design, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation

· Computer knowledge including Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Google sheets, Power Point

· Knowledge and skills on research packages (e.g. SPSS, EPI Info, NVIVO, etc…)

· Excellent written and spoken English

· Proficiency in using statistical analysis software, such as SPSS.

· Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and to meet deadlines under pressure

· M&E technologies- ODK, Kobo, SMAP, GIS,

HOW TO APPLY

Interested individual consultants who meet the above criteria should submit their applications which shall include a cover letter, together with an updated CV with at least three referees with their telephone and email contacts.

Address your application to: The People and Culture Business Partner, World Vision South Sudan. Qualified female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply. Applications should be submitted to this email recruitsdno@wvi.org

Closing date for receiving applications is: October 10, 2020

Please note that only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted and documents once submitted will not be returned to the candidates.

[1] This is a 3 months role as the project recruits a MEAL Coordinator. Hence during this time, the consultant will work independently. Overlaps or collaboration will start after recruitment.