Programme Officer Monitoring & Evaluation - Eritrea at Catholic Agency For Overseas Development - CAFOD

Job Profile

• To contribute to CAFOD’s involvement in Eritrea in line with the agreed Core Country Programmes, by taking lead on the day-to-day management of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for CAFOD and Institutional supported programmes and partnerships.
• The Programme Officer Monitoring, and Evaluation will be responsible for and provide technical advice and guidance on monitoring, evaluation and learning components of Eritrea Core Programme and Programme Strategies respectively in collaboration with the Head of Region-Africa, the Programme Manager Eritrea and Eritrea partners.
• To strengthen Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems, ensure their functionality and evidencing of best practices. This will entail developing and/or refining tools and processes in M&E for Resilience, Food/Security/Livelihoods and emergency programmes.
• Responsible for MEL planning particularly at project design, appraisal, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages. It will include management and utilisation of processes, coordination and facilitation in programmes and MEL training.

The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and work 3 days a week. Travel is a requirement for this role and the successful candidate may need to travel up to 12 weeks per year, sometimes at short notice and to areas of potential risk.

*Early applications are strongly encouraged as this role may be closed for applications before the advertised date*

Key Responsibilities

Contribution to Programme management and development

• In cooperation with the Head of Region, programme teams and partners, contribute to the development and management of CAFOD’s Eritrea Core Programmes & Programme Strategies with special reference to Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.
• Jointly with programme staff and partners be responsible for the effective programme design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting on programmes, in line with agreed standards (programme cycle management) and donor requirements with an M&E lens.
• In agreement with HoR, Programme team, HQ Programme Development and Funding Officer and partners, jointly develop programme and project proposals, assess the existing capacities to manage implementation while ensuring that MEL analysed data and learning inform proposal development. This includes preparation of funding applications and reports for CAFOD and external funders.
• Act in line with CAFOD’s partnership standards by promoting and supporting partners’ adherence to jointly agreed Protection, Safeguarding, Accountability, Gender, Supply chain management/procurement, Core Humanitarian Standard good practice.
• Develop, nurture and manage relationships with CAFOD’s partner organisations in line with the principles and standards set in our Partnership Policy, guidance and tools, and in agreement with the HoR.

Develop and manage effective monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches and systems

• Develop and manage effective Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems, tools, approaches and methodologies for capturing and documenting data in collaboration with the programme team and partners.
• Review and regularly update the monitoring and evaluation plan including making recommendations to the Head of Region and the programme team on the improvement of the TPF and risks management strategy.
• Work closely with the programme team to monitor programme activities, tracking progress towards achieving their expected outputs / outcomes, and sustainability of achieved results.
• Liaise with the HoR, programme staff and the Organisational Performance & Evidencing team and other relevant teams in the planning and undertaking of various MEL activities including the development of the baseline studies, assessment surveys, review of the Theory of Change, programme strategy performance/impact indicators, and management of the evaluation procedures for programmes.
• Design, in collaboration with the programme team and the Organisational Performance & Evidencing team, a MEL database system for all institutionally funded projects aligned to the overall programme proposal and log frame.

Support partner MEL capacity development and strengthening

• Invest in partners’ capacities jointly with the programme team and partners, identifying monitoring, evaluation and learning capacity needs, developing strategies and plans and training materials to address identified capacity issues, identifying sources of support and allocating resources accordingly.
• Build, develop and/or strengthen partners’ capacities by implementing capacity development plans / training to include understanding MEL, support to design and implement MEL systems, use of and accessing of MEL tools for CAFOD and donor funded programmes.
• Contribute to the development of programme proposals and report writing for donor funded projects through review of documents and advise on suitability of M&E frameworks and tools.

Contribute to the development and management of Safeguarding /SADI Procedures, processes and systems

• Work with the Head of Region and Safeguarding Advisers to develop solid action plans for delivering CAFOD’s Protection mainstreaming work including Safety, Accessible, Dignity and Inclusion (SADI) for quality and safety of our programmes.
• Lead on capacity development and strengthening of programme officers, partner staff and communities on Safeguarding / SADI. This will include support for partners to embrace and to adhere to quality and safe practices in programmes, individual organisations and in communities where we work.
• Work with partners to put in place complaints and feedback systems. This will include consultations with communities and people on the design, implementation and monitoring of complaint-handling systems, processes and access to safe and responsive mechanisms to handle complaints.
• Work with partners to ensure organisational commitment to act on complains, that the complaints system is clearly communicated to relevant stakeholders especially communities, prioritises the safety of the complainant, they cover sexual exploitation and abuse, that communities are aware of the expected behaviour of humanitarian staff regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse and other emerging issues according to defined policies and processes.
• Ensure appropriate and adequate documentation of complaints and evidencing those complaints are managed timely, fairly and appropriately, and generate periodic reports to inform management decisions.

Documentation and dissemination of lessons learnt and best practices

• Ensure effective use of CAFOD’s programme management information systems for documentation and dissemination of programmes lessons learnt and best practices.
• Capture, document, and disseminate learning and experiences from partners work across the organisation, networks and working groups.
• Compile beneficiary case studies / stories of change, project materials including photographs, documentaries and best practices to support cross organisational learning, reporting and fundraising.
• Communicate effectively with teams within CAFOD (Communications and media team, Supporters, Communities of practice and working groups) to ensure that the Eritrea programme is well understood and profiled; and substantial information is available for fundraising and communications including publications, media briefings, education, etc.

Essential Criteria

• Knowledge of Catholic values; understanding the importance of safeguarding to church, faith-based and other partners.
• Understanding and experience of international development and programme management and quality standards within the context.
• Experience working with multicultural teams and in/with different cultural settings and faiths.
• Speaks and writes fluent English: able to communicate effectively at a distance and across cultures making effective use of technology.
• Understanding of donors and ability to ensure compliance to donor requirements.
• Full understanding and practical application of good financial standards and PCM
• Experience in monitoring and reviewing expenditure, recognizing errors, issues and fraud.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge and experience of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning concepts, frameworks and tools; as well as ability to manage, analyse and interpret M&E data.
• Ability to develop and/or adapt M&E tools for practical use.
• Clear understanding of policy issues and international and national legal laws impacting development and humanitarian context in Eritrea.
• Understanding and experience of institutional funding priorities, trends and donor conditions.
• Experience using programme cycle management tools effectively to deliver work within an agreed programme framework.
• Experienced in working with and committed to developing the capacity of local partner organisations / National NGOs.
• Ability to work with and build the capacity of programme staff and partner organisations.