Career Opportunity at Cuso International

Cuso International is a development organization that works to reduce poverty and inequality through the efforts of highly skilled volunteers, collaborative partnerships and compassionate donors. Cuso International's work is driven by authentic engagement with and accountability to the people and communities involved.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION OFFICER

SUMMARY
Cuso International is currently implementing a five year project titled, Youth Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Access and Development Project (YouLead) funded by Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development that will support the creation of youth-led enterprises and employment for young women and men in the natural resource sector in Cross River State, Nigeria.Cuso International and implementing partners will develop a youth-driven approach to support sustainable economic activities in key sectors (forestry, agriculture, aquaculture and eco-tourism) identified by the CRS government and other key stakeholders. The project will also strengthen capacity of government at State and LGA levels, youth serving civil society organizations, training organizations, and financial institutions to develop and implement a gender-responsive NRM ‘green jobs/green economy’ policy framework as the basis of increasing employment, self-employment and secured livelihoods for young women and men in the natural resource sectors.



Reporting to the MEAL Manager, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer ensures that the project continues to monitor, evaluate and report on strategic outcomes based on reliable evidence and engages stakeholders in learning for planning project course corrections and communicating results.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Accounting for Project Outcomes
• Implement the performance monitoring plan with all relevant staff, volunteers and partners

• In conjunction with the MEAL Manager and the M&E consultant collaborate with project staff and partners to develop evaluation plans/frameworks, data collection protocols, tools and systems

• Ensure that the MEAL system fully reflects and incorporates Cuso International’s gender equality commitments as outlined in the Gender Equality Policy, Strategy and Approach

• Support the regular production and updating of key lessons learned from the project

• Assist the MEAL Manager in ensuring the implementation of all aspects of the YouLead MEAL system in close collaboration with the Cuso International MEAL Team

• Work with the project staff to improve YouLead accountability to our local beneficiaries and other stakeholders

• Support baseline survey, internal mid-year and annual reviews and external program evaluations

• Support monthly reporting on activities by project component managers, to ensure effective monitoring and documentation of project progress as per Annual Work Plans and the project Performance Measurement Framework (PMF).

• Support internal mid-year and annual reporting requirements, and the needs of external program evaluations.

• Support monitoring and evaluation capacity building initiatives of the project with project partners and stakeholders.

• Support periodic reflection and analysis of lessons learned by project component managers and their teams, internally and through focus-group discussions in collaboration with partners and other stakeholders.

• Carry out other duties as required by the YouLead Project Team Leader, from time to time.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
Development knowledge
◦Significant practical, analytical and theoretical knowledge and experience of international development work in Nigeria including:
◦a strong awareness of gender and equity issues and knowledge of issues affecting young women and men (key target groups for YouLead) in the context of GESI [Gender Equality and Social Inclusion]
◦an appreciation of the contribution that the private sector and business development approaches can bring to development
◦proven ongoing commitment to staying a--- of current development thinking

Technical knowledge and experience in monitoring and evaluation
◦Significant proven experience with:
◦logical framework approach to defining project outcomes and indicators
◦methods for monitoring and evaluation (including quantitative, qualitative and participatory)
◦planning and implementation of M&E systems
◦capacity building in M&E development and implementation
◦facilitating learning-orientated focus group discussions with multiple stakeholders
◦Demonstrated experience with integrating and measuring gender equality results including:
◦gender disaggregated and gender sensitive baselines, indicators and targets
◦gender sensitive data collection & analysis
◦gender equality objectives in partner’s capacity building plans
◦Familiarity with and a supportive attitude towards processes of strengthening local organizations and building local capacities for self-management.
◦Demonstrated experience in measuring and tracking vulnerable groups in programs and projects
◦Good understanding of what determines vulnerability in humanitarian and development context
◦Experience disaggregating information and data by sex, age, social-economic status, marital status, disability, people living is HIV/AIDS

Communication, representation and networking
◦Excellent communication skills - the ability to articulate project views efficiently and positively in various formats, including speech, panel, debate and group discussion
◦Demonstrated ability to communicate good practices and learning in working with both young women and men that contributes to breaking down negative gender and generational stereotypes
◦Ability to present and represent Cuso International to a variety of audiences including government, private sector, donors and civil society
◦Strong networking skills and the ability to build relationships, alliances and networks in a fast paced work environment.

Team work
◦Proven ability to work effectively in a number of teams, in a multi-cultural context and where teams may be geographically dispersed

IT
◦Proven ability to be self-serving in IT (Email, Advanced Excel and Powerpoint) and willingness to develop IT skills in Cuso International’s corporate monitoring and evaluation system
◦Considerable experience in data entry and data management.
◦Proven knowledge of statistical

PERSONAL SKILLS
◦Pro-active approach to work planning
◦Considerable problem solving and decision-making skills
◦Flexibility and willingness to do any and all tasks needed to meet project goals and timelines
◦Good time management in relation to priorities

QUALIFICATIONS
◦A University degree in statistics, social science, development studies or a related discipline
◦Minimum 3 years development experience, with at least 2 years working in monitoring and evaluation of funded projects and programs; preferably in the area of natural resources management and/or market systems/enterprise development
◦Demonstrated skills in quantitative data management and analysis, preferably in relation to monitoring and evaluation of project results against indicators.
◦Proven technical skills in monitoring and evaluation, including experience with multi-sectorial and multi-donor funded programs and experience with qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis;
◦Proven abilities in developing monitoring plans, data collection, information management, use of databases, and analysis and performance monitoring;
◦Proven expertise in the management and analysis of data for basic statistics and graphic presentations using Excel.
◦Demonstrated aptitude for facilitation of focus group discussions and participatory analysis involving community-level stakeholders and vulnerable populations.
◦Demonstrated ability to synthesize and present results of development outcomes using narrative and quantitative reporting procedures.
◦Knowledge of capacity building approaches applied to monitoring and evaluation for government and community-based organizations
◦Proven ability to network and collaborate with government and community-level stakeholders.
◦Demonstrated ability to train and build capacity of others;
◦Strong planning, organizational and interpersonal skills;
◦Excellent analytical, presentation, and reporting skills
◦Excellent database, data management and data analysis skills, with experience using at least 2 software applications such as Microsoft Excel, Access, SPSS, STATA.

TO APPLY
Your application must be forwarded to Nigeria.recruitment@cusointernational.org,  with the competition number: Monitoring and Evaluation Officer 2016-2 clearly marked as the subject number. Applications must be received by Friday, August 5th, 2016 11:59 pm Eastern Time. No late applications will be considered. CV must not be more than 4 pages in length maximum and covering letter must be 1 page long maximum. •To be considered, your résumé and cover letter should demonstrate that all of the essential qualifications are met. Applications that do not meet the above requirements will not be considered.

**Women are encouraged to apply

DUE DATE: 5 August, 2016