M&E Assistant at Self Help Africa

Job Purpose:

SHA Kenya desires to recruit an M&E Assistant to support implementation of the BaRINGO Resilience Initiative: Nurturing Greater Opportunity programme funded by the European Union and implemented in Baringo county. The 5-year project is in its third year of implementation and seeks to contribute to improved food, nutrition and income security for 60,000 beneficiaries in Baringo Kenya through: increased agricultural production and diversification and agri-enterprise development; promotion of nutrient rich crops and fruit trees, kitchen gardening and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practises and improved nutrition and dietary diversity awareness; improved agricultural and livestock productivity and farmer level organisation; improved land and water management, integration into profitable value chains and improved access to market information and financial services.

SHA seeks to recruit the M&E Assistant with technical experience in either livelihoods and resilience projects; and or community dryland forestry and agroforestry to implement the project. The two officers will be working on separate projects.

Key Responsibility

Effective Planning and Implementation

• Support the development of monitoring and impact indicators for the project success
• Participate in the planning and execution of M&E related activities for the project as stipulated in the project M&E plan including surveys, evaluations, and research
• Ensure the project focuses on the right beneficiary and households as intended.
• Ensure that business processes, standards and guidelines related to Livelihood, resilience, and/or carbon credit initiatives are effectively applied in project implementation.
• Support the M&E Officer to maintain a Master Project file for all project data, reports, photographs, correspondences, donor reports and documentaries for future reference
• Ensure timely and effective implementation of all project interventions as well as the successful achievement of proposed outcomes and intended impacts

Quality Assurance – Monitoring, Reporting and Documentation

• Monitor project interventions in strict adherence to EU, SHA, Kenya government regulations and other agreed standards.
• Undertake monitoring visits to the field throughout the project implementation period as needed to support and or supervise data collection or verify data quality
• Support the Programme Manager and the M&E Officer in compiling quarterly, annual, and other reports required by the donor with input from programme team
• In liaison with the Communication Officer, ensure documentation of case studies and impact stories is done and that accurate project data is utilized for press releases, social media, and website among others.
• Contextualization and utilization of reporting guidelines.
• Ensure that the project achieves acceptable financial and operational audit results by implementing activities in accordance with established norm and policies
• Submit timely monthly and quarterly reports indicating progress for each of the targeted groups
• Support staff to fill in the daily questionnaires while in the field as part of data collection and reporting.
• Support project staff to manage and maintain an up-to-date project database system.

Enhanced Empowerment & Capacity Building

• In liaison with the M&E Officer, identify training needs, develop a capacity building plan and facilitate capacity development of the project staff on project related Monitoring and Evaluation process
• Participate in regular reflection and learning events.

Advocacy, Engagement, Networking and Partnerships

• Strengthen networking with relevant government agencies and departments especially Ministries of Forestry and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, and Water and Irrigation, NDMA, KEFRI, KALRO, KFS to lobby for their active participation in building relevant structures for sustainability.
• Ensure that Project interventions are in synergy with other related Programs within the area of coverage for sustainability.
• Participate in the Baringo County Government’s Planning and Budgeting process and influence resource allocation to the priority needs within the sector.
• Ensure active engagement on policy at county level on issues to do with the food and nutrition security sustainable use of natural resources.
• Work with partners to engage in advocacy activities with the government structures at the County level, to address the needs of local communities.

Other Duties

• Perform any other duty assigned by the supervisor.

Key Relationships:

Internal:

• SHA Finance, Logistics and Administration Team,
• Country M&E Advisors
• Kenya Agriculture and NRM Advisor,
• Programme Teams for KEJ5 and CAM

External:

• Baringo County Government
• Baringo Conservancies
• Local NGOs
• Farmer groups

Knowledge, Experience, and Other Requirements

Essential:

• BSc in Forestry, Agroforestry, Rangeland Management, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Extension, Agricultural science, or related discipline.
• Minimum of 3 years of technical experience in M&E related work
• Experience of M&E work in a Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration Is a plus for CAM project
• Possess households, land and soil survey skills.
• M&E Experience in soil and water conservation, watershed management and landscape restoration.
• At least 3 years of working experience in an NGO or in government or private sector.
• Commitment to international and humanitarian NGO codes, standards and practices
• Experience of working with pastoralist and agro pastoralist communities.

Microfinance experience.

• Experience of collecting data in an integrated nutrition, agriculture, forestry and NRM projects (nutrition sensitive).

Desirable:

• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work as part of team across different cultures
• Diplomacy, tact and empathy with local communities.
• Good writing skills
• Strong coaching and mentoring skills
• Able to take initiatives and work with limited supervision
• A strong commitment to the aims, objectives and values of the SHA Kenya Country Programme
• Good working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and general IT skills
• Prepared to use/ learn to use a motorcycle on poor roads in hot and dusty conditions.