Relationship Manager, Independent Monitoring and Evaluation Contract, Karachi, Pakistan

Management Systems International (MSI) is a global international development firm based in Washington, D.C. providing specialized short- and long-term technical assistance. In 2008, MSI joined Coffey International, Ltd., becoming part of Coffey International Development, a global international development consulting firm. Together with Coffey ID, MSI now has more than 1,500 development professionals worldwide, a corporate presence in 11 countries and manages more than 200 projects worldwide. It currently manages more than 20 long-term projects in countries including Iraq, Sudan, Colombia and Russia. Broadly, MSI implements a range of analytical and field projects in its core technical areas, including democracy and governance, strategic management and performance improvement, organizational capacity building, human development and natural resource management. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Project Summary:
In June 2011, MSI was awarded the Independent Monitoring and Evaluation Contract (IMEC). On this five-year support services project, MSI is providing monitoring, evaluation, and data verification services to the USAID’s Program Office and Technical Teams on all of its projects throughout Pakistan. The goal is to assess whether USAID resources are well-spent and achieving desired results and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the administration of programs, regardless of the implementation mechanism. IMEC is headquartered in Islamabad, and is establishing small offices in Peshawar and Karachi.

Position Summary: Under the guidance of the Senior Program Advisor and the Director for Monitoring, the Relationship Manager will serve as the primary liaison between USAID’s field office in Karachi, IMEC and USAID’s implementing partners. The relationship manager will represent IMEC with the field office, leading efforts to formulate monitoring and evaluation requests into work orders. The Relationship Manager will be required to develop an in-depth understanding of assigned USAID programs and projects. S/he will work closely with the relevant USAID Technical Teams, IMEC senior staff, IMEC field staff in Karachi and sub-contractors to design work orders, including formulating research questions and identifying resources, and developing work plans.

A critical function of the Relationship Manager is to maintain good relations with the client. S/he will be responsible for ensuring that all USAID requests and concerns are communicated effectively to senior management and responded to by relevant IMEC staff.

As part of the assignment, the Relationship Manager will be responsible for coordinating and reviewing the work of designated IMEC field staff. The Relationship Manager is expected to work closely with IMEC monitoring coordinators, who are responsible for maintaining relationships with USAID’s partners. The Relationship Manager will participate in the design of monitoring instruments, conduct quality assurance, and review reports. Depending on the nature of the work, the Relationship Manager may be expected to manage survey and/or data collection subcontracts.

** Please note that this is a local position based in Karachi. Only local citizens are eligible to apply.**

Responsibilities: • Under the direction of the IMEC Senior Advisor and Director for Monitoring, develop and maintain a close working relationship with the USAID Field Office, Technical Teams, USAID partners and other important stakeholders;
• Support planning and the development of monitoring and evaluation work orders; • Facilitate monitoring and evaluation work plans based on USAID requests with IMEC staff based in Karachi;

• Draft scopes of work for monitoring and verification activities;
• Review data collection designs and instruments; • Provide quality assurance for data collection; • Review and provide comment on IMEC field reports in English; • Act as point of contact for subcontracts, and ensure timely completion of tasks and suggest mid-course corrections; • Conduct analysis of reported data and observations from site visits to identify and communicate findings and recommendations to USAID’s field office; • Produce regular written reports in English; • Provide support to IMEC teams conducting fieldwork in the nearby region; and • Travel as needed in the region, with some travel to Islamabad.

Qualifications: • Post-graduate degree in social sciences, development, economic or related field from reputed national/international education institutions; • At least ten years of relevant work experience in social and economic development projects with national and international development/donor organizations;
• Demonstrated knowledge of results-based management, logical frameworks or other strategic planning and monitoring frameworks; • Understanding of monitoring and evaluation concepts and approaches; • Experience of managing/conducting data collection using a range of methodologies (e.g., key informant interviews, focus groups); • Supervisory management experience; • Strong facilitation and communication skills; and • Excellent written and spoken English.

S/he must have: • Leadership qualities, personnel and team management (including mediation and conflict resolution); • Ability to multi-task under intense pressure; and • Willingness to undertake regular field visits and interact with different stakeholders, especially primary stakeholders.

Desirable: • Knowledge and understanding of USAID development programs, its partners and monitoring and evaluation processes; and • Experience managing or conducting surveys.

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

How to apply:

To apply, please visit our website: www.msiworldwide.com.