Swedish Committee for Afghanistan Planning Monitoring & Evaluation Expert

Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) invites all qualified candidates to apply for the following position. SCA actively promotes and encourages women and persons with disability to apply.

Title of Position:	Planning Monitoring & Evaluation Expert	Job Number:	HRM 74-12
Duty Station:	Kabul Management Office
Number of Positions:	One  (male / female)
Status:	The position is permanent with initial 3 – 6 months’ probation period
Remuneration:	Monthly salary is in the range of Afs 60,000 – Afs 83,000.
Non-monetary Benefits for Females:	Transportation close to residence and work, child nursery at workplace, safe travel facilities and companion to field trips, female association membership, trainings and capacity building
Announcement Date:	2nd October, 2012
Closing Date:	17th October, 2012

SCA Background

The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organisation working to assist in the reconstruction ofAfghanistan. SCA’s interventions insideAfghanistanbegan in 1982. Today SCA runs four major development programmes within Disability, Education, Health and Rural Development and is one of the largest NGOs in the country. SCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment based on their skills, abilities and experience without regard to age (18-65 years), race, colour, religion, marital status, sex, physical disability, or veteran status.

Scope of Work:

The Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (PMEU) is primarily a methodological unit, providing technical assistance, advice and capacity development services to SCA’s programmes in order that RBM is integrated into all programmes and their projects.  This includes:

• Technical assistance, guidelines and advice for developing projects and donor applications
• Facilitating and coordinating the annual and long-term planning of SCA’s activities at the organisational and programme levels inAfghanistan;
• Capacity development support to project / programme teams in order to assist the establishment of effective monitoring systems.
• Technical assistance, advice and process facilitation to programmes in the design of both internal and external evaluations.  

Each PME Expert is one of a small team reporting directly to the Deputy Coordinator for Monitoring and Evaluation. The team carries out all the key functions of the PME Unit.  Each expert will take specific responsibility for coordinating SCA’s activities and developing the capacities of SCA programme staff and project teams in one of the PMEU’s three core thematic areas of monitoring, evaluation and planning.  With a good knowledge of the overall development process and project cycle management, in particular, each expert will also be expected to contribute regularly to the unit’s work in all three areas and assist their colleagues in their own specialist areas.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Academic Degree, preferably at Master’s level, in a relevant field of expertise, such as, Sociology, Development Studies, NGO Management, etc
• Commitment to the mission and core values of Swedish Committee
• Significant experience (at least 3 years’) of project management in the social and non-profit sector for an International NGO or UN agency, including particular responsibility for any or allof the following:
  • project development and proposal writing
  • design of monitoring systems and the  coordination of project monitoring;
  • design and management and / or conducting of project evaluations – mid-term or final
• Field experience as a coordinator or manager of social projects in the NGO sector, working directly with stakeholders at the community and district level.
• Experience of using participatory tools and methodologies for planning, monitoring or evaluation, conducting needs assessments or identifying lessons learnt. 
• Good analytical skills and the capability to draw relevant conclusions and learning points
• Solid overall knowledge of development issues and theory;
• Advanced level of English language use, as well as be a Dari and / or Pashto speaker
• Advanced user of IT, with high level of proficiency in standard applications
• Willing to travel in all SCA programme areas and cope with a stressful environment

Desired experience:

• Design and leading of workshop trainings in technical skills; development issues and / or NGO management; for example, project development, monitoring and evaluation, community mobilisation, human rights etc.
• Process facilitation with organisations or teams; for example, strategic planning, community mappings, lessons learnt sessions etc.
• Conducting practically oriented social research, such as policy studies, community needs assessments, sector analyses.

Main Responsibilities:

With particular emphasis on one area of expertise in the PMEU’s core thematic areas of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation;

• Provide technical inputs and advise programme and project staff in the design and writing of high quality projects;
• Coordinate the project application process, ensuring timely and appropriate input into proposal writing from stakeholders and relevant SCA departments, making certain that donor requirements and application guidelines are observed 
• Assist programmes and projects in developing logical frameworks, including the design of measurable indicators and suitable and practicable means of verification;
• Facilitate the design, implementation and management of effective and efficient monitoring system(s) for programmes and their projects
• Provide assistance and advice on processing and interpreting data to project managers in preparing donor reports and writing-up of internal analyses
• Facilitate learning mechanisms in the organisation and coordinate the documentation and dissemination of analysis and learning
• Facilitate the design, implementation and management of regular project evaluations, reviews and studies, providing expertise on methodology and methods
• Play a role in the management of evaluations as a member of evaluation steering committees as required by programme units
• Provide assistance on small-scale research and case studies
• In cooperation with programme heads, analyse and identify capacity building needs of SCA staff in planning, monitoring and evaluation
• Develop practical guidelines and handbooks to assist SCA in conducting planning, monitoring and evaluation;
• Design, commission and / or lead appropriate trainings for SCA staff to assist them in any or all areas of planning, monitoring and evaluation
• Assist in arranging workshops, seminars and other participative forums for increasing organisational and staff capacity
• As a member of the PMEU team, lead the organisation and facilitation of processes of organisational planning, including strategic planning and policy development

Application Procedures:

• Interested qualified candidates should submit a full CV with a cover letter explaining their motivation in applying for the job and highlighting their relevant skills and experience;
• To apply online  please send your application / CV to vacancies@sca.org.af
• Candidates may also submit applications by letter (hard copy) submitted directly to the SCA HRM Unit in either Kabul, Ghazni, Kunduz, Wardak, Taloqan, Mazar-e-Sharif, Sar-e-Pul, Samangan, Laghman or  Jalalabad
• Do not submit academic certificates with the application. These will be requested if the candidate is called for interview.
• Only short-listed candidates will be informed for written test and interview.