Information Management and Reporting Advisor

Average salary up to US$120,000/annum plus allowances based on relevant qualifications and work experiences

1. Organizational context

With over 80% of the Afghan population living in rural areas, rural development represents a crucial sector for the development and the stability of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) focuses all its activities towards the goal of alleviating poverty in rural areas by empowering communities and fostering economic and social opportunities.

Through its people-centred development ethos, MRRD continues to establish a productive, participatory partnership between the government and the people it serves. The implementation of national development programs has allowed the MRRD to work towards equity in its investments, allowing all communities to participate in creating an enabling environment to develop social capital and take the tentative steps forward in developing a citizenry aware and articulate in regard to its needs and expectations.

The MRRD focuses on support to local governance, poverty reduction, and institutional capacity development, in line with Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and Agricultural Rural Development Sector Strategy (ARDSS) frameworks. The MRRD is responsible for a portfolio of national development programs which provide rural infrastructure (including tertiary roads, water supply and irrigation) and develop local governance institutions at the sub-national level. The two programs with the largest national outreach both focus on community-based governance, namely the National Area-Based Development Program (NABDP) and the government’s flagship National Solidarity Program (NSP), supported by two sector specific programs, the National Rural Access Program (NRAP) and the Rural Water Supply, Sanitation & Irrigation Program (RuWatSip). These programs combine to create improved livelihoods in a fertile and conducive environment for economic regeneration. Furthermore, the Afghanistan Rural Enterprise Development Program (AREDP) has been designed to capitalize upon the institution building and productive infrastructure to promote private sector growth in rural Afghanistan through enterprise facilitation and business incubation and support, thus increasing economic regeneration.

The planning department leads the planning process within MRRD, with the aim to reflect both national strategies and priorities as well as local plans as articulated in the community development plans (CDP), the district development plans (DDP) and the provincial development plans (PDP). The planning department is to build coherency among MRRD programs and departments so they all better complement each other, combining their efforts to provide a comprehensive response to rural development needs and to achieve the objectives of the Strategic Intent, the ARDSS and the ANDS. The planning department also hosts a reporting unit and a management information system (MIS) unit (with GIS capacity) which provides a platform for collecting, mapping and disseminating MRRD data.

The four main objectives of the Planning Department are:

1. To develop annual comprehensive Ministry plans, based on MRRD departments’ and programs’ plans, aligned with national strategies and incorporating local level planning;
2. To establish a strong link between the planning and the budgeting process so the budget is result-based;
3. To provide timely reports and disseminate quality data and maps that respond to MRRD staff’s data needs;
4. To lead effective coordination of programs and departments involved in programmatic issues so that MRRD portfolio is increasingly integrated.

2.1. Nature and scope of assignment

This assignment involves supporting the reform process of the MRRD, within the Planning Department. Under the supervision of the Planning Director, the successful candidate will provide technical advice, management support and technical inputs required to enhance the department’s technical capacity to manage information and to produce quality and timely reports. The successful applicant will be expected to work with and through his/her Afghan national counterpart, and to simultaneously transfer skills and responsibilities to them. This position does not involve management or line responsibilities.

2.2 Duties and Responsibilities

Working with the Head of the MIS/GIS unit and the Head of Reporting as counterparts, with assistance from the CTAP Capacity Development team and other relevant staff and advisors, the information management and reporting advisor will: - Support the reporting unit and the MIS/GIS unit in developing their annual work plan, which shall include all necessary actions to strengthen the two units; - Support the implementation of the Information Management Sub-Group work plan and framework; - Assist the Ministry in developing an information management and system policy; - Review reporting processes and facilitate the establishment of an IT-based reporting system; - Establish a continuous dialogue between the MIS/GIS unit and all relevant programmes and departments, with the objectives of (i) raising awareness of managers and decision-makers on the information management and system policy and on utilization of the Information Management System and (ii) fostering the use of data analysis for strategic, operational and management purposes; - Support the MIS/GIS unit in tailoring the information system based on clients’ needs and requirements and support the unit in developing new services as appropriate; - Develop mechanisms and tools to increasingly integrate MIS and GIS systems (from programs with the central MIS unit); - Support the establishment of a more dynamic data collection system at all stages of the projects’ life cycle, through developing an effective working relationship with programs; - In cooperation with the monitoring unit and relevant departments and programs, support the standardization of data and indicators, to enhance the consistency and quality of data; - Assist in conducting a capacity gap analysis in the two units and develop a detailed capacity development plan for the reporting and MIS/GIS units; - Developing analytical skills of relevant staff in the MIS/GIS unit’s reporting team; - Build MRRD Provincial Directorates’ capacity in MIS and GIS, including data collection and basic reporting; - Identify training opportunities for the MIS and support the implementation of the capacity development plan; - Support the MIS/GIS unit by providing technical advice - Coach and mentor the heads of the reporting unit and of the MIS/GIS unit in order to promote their professional development; - Participate in relevant working groups and sub-groups that coordinate the reform process of MRRD; more specifically provide direct support to the Information management group and sub-groups; - Carry out other relevant tasks, which the director might allocate for the achievement of the department’s objectives.

2.3 Deliverables

The deliverables of the information management and reporting advisor are: - An annual work plan for the MIS/GIS and the reporting units; - A draft capacity development plan for the MIS/GIS and reporting units, based on a thorough gap analysis; - An information management and system policy; - A functioning IT-based reporting system that meets the needs of strategic and management functions in the Ministry; - A functioning data collection system which provides information on all stages of project lifecycle.

2.4 Skills, Experience and Qualifications Required

The successful candidate should have the following skills, experience and qualifications: - At least a bachelor degree, master degree preferred, in statistics, information management system, GIS, computer science or numerical related discipline; - A minimum of 7 years experience in the design, and implementation of complex database systems and Information Management; - Demonstrated capacity to use Geographical Information Systems and to analyze information; - Demonstrated experience in mentoring and coaching, in an international or intercultural environment; - Strong coordination skills; - Proven ability to function effectively as part of a multi-cultural team; - Strong ability to think and plan strategically; - Excellent command of English language and knowledge of Dari and/or Pashtu is an advantage; - Excellent command of common Microsoft Office programs; - Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; - Prior experience of working in a post conflict country.

Afghan expatriates and nationals of countries in Afghanistan’s region are especially preferred for this position. Afghan expatriates who currently hold MCP Employment Contract are not eligible to apply for CTAP Positions.

Submission Guideline:

Application should be completed online via www.ctapafghanistan.org. Please submit your cover letter and CV by registering on CTAP website. Only short listed candidates whose background and experiences corresponds to the above criteria will be contacted for further consideration. CTAP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.