Context and background
The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) is an independent non-profit organization that combines innovative research, market systems development, and strategic partnerships to spread sustainable agricultural solutions for improved soil health, food security, and livelihoods around the world.
‘Building Resilience and Inclusive Growth of Highland farming systems for rural Transformation’ (BRIGHT) will target over 100,000 Ugandan highland households in Kigezi, Mt Elgon, and Rwenzori regions, building project interventions from the ground up that are based on the aspirations and needs of targeted farming households and communities. BRIGHT seeks to build the resilience capacity of farm households and the farming systems to recover from external shocks in an ever-changing context through absorption, adaptation, and transformation and, in so doing, increase incomes and food and nutritional security of all farmers, from subsistence-oriented farm households to more market-oriented ones.
The proposed project aims to achieve the following main impacts:
- Increased resilience, nutritional outcomes, and income for smallholder farm households; and
- Increased eco-efficient farming, making sustainable use of and protecting natural resources
IFDC is seeking to recruit a qualified individual to fill the position of MELS Manager for this project, to be based in Fort Portal field offices.
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Position summary
The MELS Manager will track and capture progress of program results, which is vital for accurate reporting, adaptive management and ensuring the transparency of program performance for the Netherlands Embassy, project partners, and beneficiaries. The MELS Manager will also assist with the adaptive management as well as oversight and technical inputs for the delivery of action research products and reports. The MELS Manager will be based in Fort Portal.
Main tasks and responsibilities
- Develop and implement the project’s MELS system, including developing and refining indicators; setting targets; monitoring project progress; ensuring timely data collection; writing quarterly and annual reports.
- Provide inputs to the technical team by assisting in developing program goals and objectives; MEL systems, tools, and strategies, including database(s); and providing monitoring data to inform the decisions on project performance and future direction to the project.
- Regularly produce high-quality reports on the results of the project against the project goals and objectives to the project management team, and others as needed.
- Collaborate with the technical and management teams to identify essential project activities, processes, and outcomes to document, and design a system for capturing lessons learned and best practices
- Develop a clear roadmap of M&E objectives and related activities to be integrated into the project planning and budgeting cycles.
- Ensure overall coordination and streamlining of M&E activities in the operation and harmonization of indicators
- Support the development of results chains for each activity that maps out how the activity generates outcomes and impact in line with the project theory of change.
- Develop a tailored monitoring and results measurement plan for tracking performance of the results chains.
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- Build capacity of project staff and Implementing Partners (IPs) in data collection, reporting and overall monitoring and evaluation.
- Ensure the coordination of learning agenda activities as well as oversight and technical inputs for the delivery of action research products and reports.
- Effectively inform project leadership, key personnel, partners and the donor advisory committee in making vital adjustments for maximizing project effectiveness.
- Design standard data collection and survey tools based on project needs and conduct pre-tests and adjustments for uniform comprehension.
- Ensure compliance with International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standards and reporting
- Contribute to planning and execution of baseline, mid-term, annual surveys, and impact evaluation studies at household level.
- Provide guidance on data collection, measurement, and sampling methodologies to ensure quality data is collected and entered into the project database.
- Maintain data storage, data quality and conduct data analysis
- Support the development of work plans and annual reports.
- Assure quality of trainings and other activities delivered by local partners and compose reports of observations and recommended actions.
- Seek advanced technical support from and collaborate with regional and global monitoring and evaluation advisors for overall coordination of priority M&E activities.
- Perform other related duties as required.
Supervision and team collaboration
The MELS manager is supervised by and reports to the project manager. She/ he works in close collaboration with project colleagues, other IFDC staff and colleagues from other project consortium members. The MELS Manager will supervise 2 MELS Officers who will be based in Mbale and Kabale field Offices.
Position and duty station
This is a national position with a duty station in the Fort Portal field offices.
The position requires intensive travels (up to 50% of the time) in target regions in Uganda and may require some international travel to other IFDC countries.
Required Experience
- Advanced degree in a relevant discipline (statistics, evaluation science, demography , social sciences, political science, or other related degree);
- Post graduate Diploma in Monitoring and evaluation is a added advantage.
- At least 3 years of demonstrated experience designing, and implementing monitoring and evaluation activities in developing countries
- Excellent command of monitoring and evaluation methodologies including research skills.
- Previous experience implementing and managing a rigorous M&E system including experience in setting up systems and rolling out performance monitoring frameworks is required; experience managing Management Information Systems (MIS) is strongly preferred
- Knowledge of data collection protocols to ensure accurate data collection and verification; ability to identify data trends and communicate this information for strategic decision-making in program implementation
- Excellent organizational, verbal and written communication skills to manage project communications and disseminate project information are required
- Excellent skills in MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint; proficiency in MS Access preferred and Knowledge of other statistical packages like SPSS, STATA has an added advantage.
- English language fluency required.
- Must be a self-directed, highly organized person who can effectively prioritize and follow through on multiple initiatives simultaneously.