Regional Monitoring & Evaluation Manager: Solutions for African Food Enterprises (SAFE), Kenya

Supervisor: SAFE Program Director

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

FLSA Status: Exempt

 

 

I. TechnoServe Background:

TechnoServe is an international, non-profit economic development organization founded in 1968 out of a conviction that a vibrant private sector is an essential foundation for economic growth and poverty reduction.  TechnoServe undertakes targeted, catalytic technical assistance and other programming to increase the competitiveness of entrepreneurs, businesses and industries that in-turn provide sustainable employment, inclusion of the poor and increased incomes.  TechnoServe operates in 25 developing countries with over 1000 employees.  A substantial portion of our work is in agriculture, enhancing farm productivity and commodity quality and addressing gaps in processing and other agribusiness capacities.  Our programs increase smallholder access to new technologies, aggregation and storage mechanisms, markets, critical information and finance.  TechnoServe also undertakes structured programs to identify and support high potential entrepreneurs in various sectors through leadership mentoring networks, formalization support, access to capital and development of sustainable business services such as accounting, finance, marketing and human resource management.

II. Program Description:

Solutions for African Food Enterprises (SAFE) is a TechnoServe program in partnership with USAID and Partners in Food Solutions, with the aims of increasing the competitiveness of the African food processing sector and expanding availability of affordable and nutritious foods. Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) is a non-profit organization formed by General Mills to link the technical and business expertise of volunteer employees from General Mills, Cargill, and Royal Dutch DSM. This program provides knowledge and technology transfer to build the capacity of African food processors, improving the availability of nutritious foods and creating market opportunities for small holder farmers. This position starts November 1st 2012 and ends October 30th 2016.

III. Position Description:

Provide management of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) components of the regional Solutions for African Food Enterprises (SAFE) program, which will operate in Kenya, Malawi and Zambia, with potential to expand to other countries.  The Regional M&E Manager will work closely with the SAFE Program Director, other program and country management, as well as TechnoServe’s East Africa regional M&E Manager.  S/he will be responsible for enabling evidence-based decision-making processes by program leadership, timely development of SAFE M&E systems, effective implementation of SAFE M&E activities and reporting on SAFE M&E results.
M&E Systems and Processes:

• Establish a framework, methodology, procedures, and responsibilities for monitoring and evaluating program performance in accordance with the logical framework and reporting requirements;
• Develop M&E systems for use throughout project lifecycle;
• Undertake regular visits to the field to support implementation of M&E activities;
• Ensure quality control and identify where adaptations might be needed;
• Update existing IT systems that will allow for regular and ongoing aggregation, analysis and reporting of monitoring data;
• Establish an M&E calendar for the duration of program that lays out start and end dates for major M&E deliverables, regular periodic analysis of data to identify and communicate lessons-learned, and regular periodic presentation of data and analyses to program management;
• Work with senior program management to integrate M&E data into program planning and decision-making processes;
• Plan and oversee M&E data collection and analyze such data to ensure relevancy and accuracy on a regular basis;
• Review, monitor, and analyze reports for impact evaluation;
• Help to identify the cause of potential bottlenecks in implementation;
• Ensure that all M&E processes adhere to corporate, contractual, and donor standards;
• Support the production of narrative and statistical reports for internal and external consumption;
• Contribute to determining the effectiveness of technical training packages.

Regional Coordination and Personnel Management:

• Overall coordination and quality monitoring of SAFE M&E team’s input and work content;
• Manage program M&E staff activities assigned to each country;
• Work closely with the Program Director, Operations Manager and EA Division Regional M&E Manager to help ensure that program workplans are on target to meet deliverables in a timely and effective manner;
• Share analyses and trends with program team members to help synchronize program decision-making processes with M&E results;
• Provide coaching, direction, and leadership support to program team members in achieving results;
• Interface with other country, regional, and HQ staff;
• Coordinate with Regional M&E Advisor on regional and corporate initiatives;
• Ensure M&E information is shared and flows transparently within the program team and to other organizational levels, as appropriate;
• Ensure that lessons learned in one area of operation are applied elsewhere, as appropriate;
• Create, disseminate, and support country-level adaptation and use of standard templates and tools for key program deliverables, including but not limited to: key M&E indicators and templates, selection criteria, training materials, country-level work plans and other management and quality assurance tools;
• Work with program staff to identify M&E needs at both regional and country levels and provide training, as appropriate.

Evaluation of Partners & Sub-contractors:

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with local partners/ contractors in countries of operation;
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of partners and sub-contractors;
• Make recommendations to senior program management on the quality of partners’ and sub-contractors’ services.

 

IV. Required Skills & Experience:

• Qualifications in business, economics, statistics or international development-related studies required;
• At least 5 years of experience with M&E methods and approaches, including designing, planning, and implementing M&E systems, analyzing and reporting using a logical framework and other strategic planning approaches;
• Strong interpersonal and management skills required;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills a must;
• Ability to develop well written, cohesive analyses and reports;
• Strong analytical, program management, and financial analysis skills;
• Personnel management experience required;
• International development experience, entrepreneurship skills, and experience working with youth training and/or mentorship programs preferred;
• Fluency in English required;
• Willingness to be based in Nairobi, ability to travel internationally, and ability to travel to remote rural locations in East Africa.

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TechnoServe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women are encouraged to apply.