Monitoring & Evaluation Assistant at World Food Programme (WFP)

JOB PURPOSE:

The M&E Associate has an essential role in the implementation of the Country Office M&E Strategy/ M&E Action Plan at the field level. The staff coordinates all M&E activities at field office level including conducting and managing data collection, ensuring monitoring findings are discussed with field office and partners and are escalated for action, that data is submitted for further analysis and disseminated through appropriate channels to inform operational decision-making and strategic reorientation. Ensuring monthly monitoring reports are developed and shared in a timely manner. The staff members engage frequently with WFP’s participants and partners. The M&E Associate will work under the direct supervision of the head of field office and overall technical guidance of the Head of M&E and will perform the following responsibilities:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

Implementation of Country Office [M&E Strategy/ M&E Action Plan]

• Ensure Field Office meets corporate Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) standards in monitoring activities, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), the Corporate Results Framework (CRF), other corporate monitoring guidance as well as data protection and privacy policies. Maintain close communication with CO M&E team for latest guidelines, updates and support.
• Continuously identify evidence of needs in consultation with head of field office and technical units.
• Establish and maintain good partnerships with WFP’s participants, communities, Partners, and Third Party or Outsourced Monitoring partners where applicable.
• Ensure gender, equity, disability, protection, human rights and other inclusion issues are mainstreamed in all M&E work at the FO level as appropriate.

Data Collection

• Prepare monthly monitoring plans with overall guidance from the CO ensuring minimum monitoring standard for the respective office are met.
• In coordination with partners, provide information about activity sites to the CO to inform sampling plans.
• Develop samples for the respective office through the corporate risk-based sampling framework.
• Lead data collection for process and outcome monitoring data, including distribution monitoring, activity implementation monitoring, Post-Distribution Monitoring, retail performance monitoring, surveys and qualitative monitoring methodologies (i.e., Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions), using questionnaires and question guides developed by the CO.
• Support in setting up remote monitoring arrangements as relevant at field office level.
• Support the design of questionnaires, question guides and data analysis plans for FO specific information needs.
• Coordinate all M&E related data collection exercises at the field level in cooperation with local partners and stakeholders.
• Keep track of monitoring visits and coverage, with more frequent visits to priority sites. Report on actual monitoring visits to CO on monthly basis.
• Ensure ethical guidelines are followed during monitoring activities
• Assist in organizing technical support missions from the CO M&E team, evaluation teams or other missions related to M&E.

Data analysis, reporting and use of evidence

• Verify, clean, analyze, interpret and visualize monitoring data according to information needs of different audiences at field office level.
• Ensure datasets are submitted to centralized databases managed by the CO.
• Submit back-to-office reports from field missions and use an escalation system for reporting on issues, assigning focal points to take action and tracking actions taken.
• Conduct meetings with WFP and partner staff to review monitoring findings and agree on actions.
• Deliver timely information to participants about the actions taken based on monitoring findings.

Reviews and evaluations

• Support, as appropriate, data collection exercises related to reviews, research and evaluations.

Management and oversight

• Manage enumerators and TPM at field office level
• Support line manager in preparing and tracking detailed budgets for evidence generation activities at the field level.
• Provide timely information to support CO monitoring plans and budgets as requested by the CO.
• Ensure data collection by WFP staff or outsourced partners is supervised. Conduct regular data quality checks at different stages of the monitoring cycle, ensuring that monitoring data and reports are timely, complete and of high quality.
• Help build monitoring capacity enumerators, TPM, partners and government actors in the area through provision of learning and development opportunities and information sharing.
• Based on knowledge of the county context and community needs, suggest improvements to field monitoring processes and procedures for efficient and effective implementation of WFP programmes.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• A degree in Social Sciences, M&E, Project Management, community development, Development Studies or statistics.
• A minimum of five years progressively responsible work experience including at least one year in Information systems management, project monitoring and evaluation, data collection analysis and report writing.
• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methods, analysis, reporting and dissemination and follow up of findings and recommendation.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy is essential.
• Ability to write correctly in English and to communicate matters orally and in writing.
• Should be able to maintain accurate/precise records, to perform detailed work and to handle a large volume of work quickly and accurately under time constraints.
• Should be able to work independently with minimum supervision.
• Courtesy, tact and the ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• Has experience collecting programme output and outcome data, conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses, and reporting findings to management team, partners and other stakeholders.
• Has experience utilizing WFP monitoring and evaluation systems and standards.

Language: Fluency in written and spoken English and Kiswahili