Country AME Manager at ACTED

Department: Appraisal, Monitoring & Evaluation Unit (AMEU)**

Direct hierarchy: Country Director

Contract Type: Fixed

Location: Nairobi Kenya.

Starting date: January 2018

AMEU ROLE:

AMEU is an independent unit dedicated to improving the relevance, quality and accountability of ACTED’s programmes by facilitating Project Cycle Management and conducting research and assessments to inform and influence policy and practice. By actively promoting research, learning and the implementation of best practices, AMEU aims to promote commitment to quality within ACTED.

Specifically AMEU supports the effective design and implementation of ACTED’s interventions by:

• conducting research and project-related assessments;
• developing and promoting the use of information and data management systems;
• facilitating information-sharing and the translation of lessons learned into improved practice;
• Ensuring that research is effectively linked to good programme design and implementation in order to bring about changes in policy and practice.
• Ensuring a functional complaints response and feedback mechanism to promote programme related accountability
• Supporting in proposal development and programme quality and accountability

Main Objective

AME Manager’s main role is to directly manage all AMEU Team in the field bases in order to ensure effective implementation of all AME functions at the field level. With the support of the Country Director,s/he will also oversee design and implementation of all appraisal, monitoring and evaluation (AME) functions for the mission program.

Responsibilities:

Oversee the AMEU Department in Somalia

• Ensure the independence, neutrality and quality of work of the AMEU department activities in Somalia, including advising on strategy, problem solving and reporting issues.
• Direct management of all field based AMEU teams (Officers or AMEU field focal points and Accountability officers) and indirect line management of AMEU assistants.
• Management of workplans, daily follow ups, AMEU Team outputs and inputs to as needed to proposal ad project development with the PDD team.
• Support the delivery of finalized high quality AME related reports
• Collaboration with the finance, human resource and logistics teams for AMEU department needs and monthly planning of activities.

Development of AME project monitoring and evaluation plans, data collection tools and methodologies

• Design AME methodologies, terms of reference (TORs) and data collection tools to monitoring progress and outcomes of ACTEDs projects (including for verification of beneficiaries, baseline surveys, needs assessments, monitoring and project evaluations);
• Ensure that monitoring and evaluation activities are in-line with expected project goals, objectives and measure the defined indicators;
• Collaborate with Field Coordination, Programme Development Department and Implementing Partners to design logical frameworks and indicator collection plans;
• Work closely with the GIS team, Programme Development Department and Implementing Partners in order to provide useful information for mapping and project reporting, as necessary;
• Liaise with partner/collaborating organizations for AME activities, as required.

Facilitate the collection of accurate, reliable and useful data for project implementation and development**

• Plan and conduct field-level data collection, at different stages of the project to support project cycle management;
• Ensure that monitoring activities are based on project indicators to ensure that the project meets its goals and objectives;
• Conduct pre-testing and provide critical feedback and modifications of the design and provide translation of these tools and methodologies where necessary.
• Develop and conduct training for AMEU staff and enumerators to implement activities effectively, including training on objectives, methods and tools required for AMEU activities;
• Provide field supervision and plan logistical arrangements for conducting AMEU activities;
• Communicate regularly to the AMEU Team on the implementation progress of field missions;
• Ensure accurate/reliable information is collected by checking questionnaires and ensuring all team members are clear on the TOR and methods used;
• Conduct data collection using qualitative and quantitative methods and secondary data (reports, government statistics etc);
• Supervision of data entry and conduct data checking/cleaning for quantitative and qualitative data when necessary;
• Ensure that AMEU information is stored and managed effectively and confidentiality is maintained in accordance with ACTED procedures.

Coordinate with the ACTED Data Analyst on quantitative and qualitative analysis and write timely and useful reports for programme development, management and implementation

• Coordinate the analysis of quantitative data, including preparing cross-tabulations, graphs and statistical analysis when required;
• Conduct qualitative analysis including writing up field-notes and use different methods to improve programme implementation, such as SWOT analysis, Problem-Solution tree, etc.
• Facilitate field team debriefing sessions;
• Write AME reports and memos on AME activities in English;
• Facilitate quick and accurate reporting of monitoring result to ensure that ACTED, donors and other organizations can build upon successes and lessons learnt during the programme.

Management of AME team in Somalia and external relationships under his/her responsibility

• Frequently communicate with Capital AMEU Officers on most matters, keeping the CD informed;
• Daily supervision of AME team including development of work plans;
• Manage the AME activities for the mission
• Support the training of AME staff;
• Communicate weekly with field AME Team to coordinate monitoring schedules – requiring approval for all technical matters;
• Communicate daily with respective Heads of Office requiring approval for all administrative, financial and logistical matters;
• Complete a monthly AME Reports
• Work with management and support staff to comply with ACTED rules and procedures;
• Completing any other additional duties and tasks, in accordance with the functions and duties of the AMEU as requested by the line manager

Beneficiary Accountability and Management of Complaints Response Mechanism

• Responsible for overseeing recording, sharing, following up and consolidating complaints / feedback about ACTED’s interventions, and ensuring community feedback is fed back into the project cycle management.
• Develop guidelines and provide technical support to the programme team and partners to design, implement, and monitor accountability strategy and mechanisms.
• Working closely with field program teams, area coordination and AMEU area referent.
• Providing useful and constructive information to target communities about ACTED’s programmes.
• Conduct brainstormings, trainings and workshops with program teams on a regular basis, including an orientation at the beginning of each new project, to ensure that they are aware of the processes and procedures of accountability mechanisms.
• Providing monthly analytical reports and recommendations to programme teams / coordination on the basis of complaints and feedback received from target communities.
• Ensuring that urgent and sensitive complaints are addressed in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Ensure the confidentiality of complaints data is respected, and this information is not shared with any irrelevant staff members or external person / organization.

Learning

• Support the relevant staff in conducting learning reviews as per standards.
• Support the project team and partners in extracting lessons learnt and good practices, and documenting case studies which demonstrate qualitative and quantitative changes over the period.
• Organize events in order to share relevant learnings and findings with country team, project teams, partners and stakeholders in appropriate format to ensure the whole programme benefits from and applies the learning.

Subordination:

• The AME Manager is under the direct supervision and the technical and functional subordination of the Country Director

Qualifications/Skills/Profile Required

• A masters /Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, Community Development, WASH, Rural Livelihoods or related field.
• Extensive experience of social research methods to conduct monitoring and evaluation for humanitarian and development initiatives/interventions. Knowledge and experience of participatory rural appraisal methods an asset.
• Excellent analytical skills in order to interpret qualitative and quantitative data and discern useful recommendations for programme implementation and development.
• Statistical analysis and IT skills, including use of SPSS and Excel for data analysis;
• At least 3 years of work experience in a similar field; former experience with humanitarian organizations is an asset.
• Good English communications skills (both oral and written) and ability to travel to Kenya and other Somalia bases where ACTED is operational.
• Strong team player of high integrity, pleasant personality, ability to work under least supervision and meet strict deadlines.
• Computer literate and with excellent IT Knowledge.
• Strong people management and leadership skills.