Senior Officer, Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation and
Reporting Quality Assurance
(3 positions)
Duration: 1 year (renewable)
Unit/dept/delegation: Africa Zone / Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation and Reporting Unit
Background
IFRC Zone offices regularly publish documents on their public website in the form of DREF bulletins, Emergency Appeals and development plans, as well as related updates and final reports.
Africa Zone is responsible for publishing many such documents
every week, and they are at the heart of strategies to raise funds for the
vulnerable and meet commitments on accountability to donors.
Good monitoring and evaluation practice promises improved clarity, a basis for sound management and accountability, as well as opportunities for organisational learning.
Good monitoring and evaluation practice promises improved clarity, a basis for sound management and accountability, as well as opportunities for organisational learning.
Good monitoring and evaluation practice requires improvements in
both organisational cultures—what staff are expected to do—as well as
improvements in individual capacities.
These apply at all levels, from National Societies to the
Delegations/Representation that support them. They also apply across different
levels of staff, especially project managers/budget holders accountable for
project performance, but also senior managers with authority to enforce
accountability and apply learning.
The Africa Zone Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation and Reporting (PMER) Unit is supporting further development of good monitoring and evaluation practices in 49 sub-Saharan African National Societies through 5 IFRC Representations and 8 Country Offices, as well as managing a large number of Emergency Appeals, DREF operations and their associated reports.
The Africa Zone Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation and Reporting (PMER) Unit is supporting further development of good monitoring and evaluation practices in 49 sub-Saharan African National Societies through 5 IFRC Representations and 8 Country Offices, as well as managing a large number of Emergency Appeals, DREF operations and their associated reports.
Support is directed at different levels of staff, especially
project managers/budget holders accountable for project performance, as well as
senior managers with authority to enforce accountability and apply
learning.
Recently, IFRC has invested in PMER, and developed improved
procedures and tools in the form of ‘monitoring and evaluation plans’ and
indicator tracking tables to manage data, as well as improved training
materials, including an online training package in PMER fundamentals.
Purpose
As a member of the Africa Zone PMER team, the overall purpose of this position is to assure the quality of PMER practice, in the process growing and maintaining a culture and practice of credible, reliable, timely, and cost-effective planning, monitoring & evaluation and reporting for IFRC multilateral work in Africa.
Purpose
As a member of the Africa Zone PMER team, the overall purpose of this position is to assure the quality of PMER practice, in the process growing and maintaining a culture and practice of credible, reliable, timely, and cost-effective planning, monitoring & evaluation and reporting for IFRC multilateral work in Africa.
This will result in better information for management decisions,
and strategic planning, as well as accountability and learning.
Key tasks and responsibilities
A. Reporting
Key tasks and responsibilities
A. Reporting
- Undertake
quality control and final editing of all appeal-based documents (Disaster
Relief Emergency Fund bulletins, Emergency Appeals, related updates and
reports), ensuring all documents reflect sound monitoring and evaluation
practice and are accurate, clear and informative.
- Ensure
reporting deadlines are met and publish appeal-based documents on
www.ifrc.org along with sending out relevant notifications.
- Liaise
closely with the Zone Finance Unit, for validation of financial reports.
- Ensure
that the IFRC APPLE database is kept correct and up-to-date regarding all
appeal and pledge based reports.
- Proactively
track documents due and completed using IFRC Business Objects software,
and provide targeted support to offices in cases where deadlines are not
going to be met.
- Facilitate
African National Societies uptake of the Federation-Wide Databank
Reporting System (an online tool to facilitate monitoring and reporting of
performance in a consistent and transparent manner, thereby enabling
individual National Societies and the collective Federation in promoting
accountability and positioning for greater influence and growth).
B. Planning
- Review
the overall quality and consistency of plans for logic, coherence, clarity
and provide feedback and assistance to improve, paying attention to such
concerns as:
- Ensuring
programming is informed by assessment.
- Employing
a sound and clear logical framework.
- Employing
sound and practical indicators to provide evidence.
- Publish
Long Term Planning Frameworks on www.ifrc.org and Operational Plans on the
FedNet intranet.
C. Monitoring & Evaluation
- Support
monitoring and evaluation processes using IFRC tools and provide guidance
to staff and partners in their use. Routinely perform quality control
checks of monitoring and evaluation work, overseeing that planned
monitoring and evaluation activities are taking place.
- Track
planned evaluations and ensure that evaluation reports are obtained and
shared to facilitate learning. Help promote sharing of lessons learned
from programme monitoring and evaluation to improve future programme
selection, design and implementation.
- Liaise
and coordinate with Partner National Society focal persons to standardise
PMER requirements, including formats and procedures.
- Take
part in monitoring and evaluation networking with Non Governmental
Organisations, United Nations and other external partners, as well as with
National Society PMER focal points, partners and beneficiaries, to
coordinate field monitoring and evaluation activities, stay current on
best monitoring and evaluation practice and to support quality programming
and accountability standards.
D. Organizational learning and capacity
building
- Provide
regular feedback to improve quality of documents at their source.
- Enhance
corporate learning, capacity building and codification of knowledge
through regular contributions on the PMER communities of practice.
- Contribute
to training of National Society and IFRC PMER focal persons and Regional
Disaster Response Team (RDRT) members on good PMER practices.
- Maintain
database to track National Society and IFRC focal points and their PMER
capacities.
Duties applicable to all staff
- Actively
work towards the achievement of the Secretariat’s goals.
- Abide
by and work in accordance with the Red Cross/Red Crescent principles.
- Provide
surge support within Africa Zone if necessary during emergencies
- Perform
any other work related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by
the line manager.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications : Required
Education/Qualifications : Required
- Bachelor’s
degree in social sciences or related field.
Preferred
- Further
training in communications/journalism or related area.
Experience: Required
- Minimum
of 5 years relevant experience in written communication for an
international enterprise.
- Strong
interest in humanitarian and development work.
Preferred
- Minimum
1 year experience working in organisational monitoring and
evaluation.
- Knowledge
of IFRC and National Society operating environment.
Skills/knowledge: Required
- Strong
background in report-writing and product delivery to tight deadlines.
Ability to write, edit and analyse complex reports
- Sound
background of social research methodologies, including a highly developed
analytical and communication skills and ability to assimilate and process
information for wide-ranging audiences
- Excellent
computer skills. (e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat).
Ability to perform page-layout, incorporating text, photos and other graphic
elements for a printed page.
- Excellent
verbal and written communication skills in English and French (fluent)
- Sound
understanding of basic project finance (e.g. ability to explain variance
between budgeted and actual expenditure).
- Knowledge
and commitment to Red Cross Red Crescent Fundamental Principles, and
ability to model those Principles in relationships with colleagues and
partners and translate them to development practice.
- Basic
understanding of legal framework of humanitarian operations, as well as
gender, protection, social or human vulnerability issues.
- Excellent
inter-personal skills and cultural sensitivity.
Preferred
- Working
knowledge of French
Competencies
- Drive
for results.
- Orientation
to attention to detail.
- Strong
time management and organisational skills.
- Self-motivated,
with good judgment and initiative.
- Able
to work with and manage others under stress sometimes with limited access
to basic facilities.
- Strong
interpersonal skills and ability to motivate colleagues to meet deadlines.
- Able
to prioritize and achieve results through collaboration.
- Must
be flexible and adaptive to change.
- Strong
capacity to handle complex tasks independently and as part of a team.
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter stating how
their qualifications, experience and career ambitions match the requirements of
this position together with a detailed curriculum vitae with contact telephone
details and names of three referees to zone.africa@ifrc.org indicating
‘Senior Officer, PMER’ on the subject line so as to reach us not later than
28th July, 2012.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted