(MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA)
JOB VACANCY
Technical Assistance for Development and Operationalization of National Monitoring and Evaluation System -The Gambia
Terms of Reference
Background
The Government of The Gambia will be receiving funds from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the financing of a National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema) based on the Gambia National Agricultural Investment Plan (GNAIP) 2011-2015. This project fund will partly cover the cost of eligible activities related to results-based management (RBM) and participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) approaches at all levels.
Based on the request of the Government of The Gambia and as part of the overall results monitoring framework of GNAIP as well as IFAD’s Country Programme Approach in the country (as reflected in the ongoing Livestock and Horticulture Development Project, Rural Finance Project and Participatory Integrated Watershed Management Project), an international technical assistance (TA) is required for the establishment of an effective and efficient national monitoring, evaluation and reporting system. The national M&E system will focus on the agricultural and rural development sectors for which many donors have different M&E approaches which require streamlining and harmonisation into an effective and integrated system.
As a result, the Government of The Gambia seeks applications from suitable candidates to provide technical assistance in Monitoring and Evaluation. Interested applicants should send their applications including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and cover letter to the West Africa Rural Foundation (
recruitment@frao.org) by 15th November, 2012. Please note that applications received after the closing date will not be considered and only those candidates shortlisted for interviews will be notified.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Projects Coordinator, Central Projects Coordination Unit-CPCU/GNAIP of the Ministry of Agriculture, the TA will lead the development and operationalization of a rigorous and robust national monitoring, evaluation and reporting system required for tracking results, performance and impact of projects and programmes within and across the Ministry. The TA will therefore use Nema as a starting point taking into account IFAD’s Country
Programme Approach in setting-up the M&E system. The TA will be reporting directly to the Projects Coordinator, CPCU/GNAIP and will be responsible for the following main duties:
1. Set-up and consolidate a country monitoring and evaluation system that allows for direct reporting of results from projects to the Central Projects Coordination Unit/GNAIP, Ministry of Agriculture;
2. Plan and coordinate the systematisation of M&E at the level of the projects, based on data generation and collection emanating directly from project beneficiaries;
3. Design a rigorous M&E system at all the Agricultural Regional Directorates in alignment and compatibility with the national M&E system;
4. Develop and implement a capacity-building and training plan to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation competence of key personnel from the village to national levels;
5. Organize training for ministry and projects staff on results-oriented planning, monitoring and evaluation;
6. Develop core indicators for benchmarking and impact monitoring to ensure performance improvement through continuous data collection, reporting and evaluation in synchronization with key national results and reporting matrices;
7. Facilitate knowledge management and dissemination of best practices and successful experiences in results-based monitoring and evaluation at the levels of the Ministry of Agriculture and the projects;
8. Provide regular coaching and mentoring support to key M&E staff as well as strategic advisory support services to the Ministry of Agriculture whenever needed;
9. Ensure that the M&E has an embedded functionality to generate real-time data and information at both the projects and Ministry levels to facilitate policy and decision-making processes;
10. Perform other tasks as required.
Competence:
• Strong communication and interpersonal communication skills,
• Ability to lead a multidisciplinary team and demonstrated skills as a team builder,
• Build strong relations with different clients, focusing on impact and results based on clients demands,
• Openness to change and able to manage complexities,
• Has good leadership, supervisory and coordination skills,
• Able to manage for results by translating strategy into achievable plans, establish priorities and monitor them,
• Capacity to design, manage and monitor system or network multi-functionality,
• Promotes knowledge management culture in MoA and an adaptive learning environment to stimulate effective results-oriented performance.
Required Qualification and Experience:
Education:
The selected candidate must have at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in agriculture/rural development, economics, statistics or related areas.
Experience:
• A minimum of 5 years relevant experience in results-based management, and monitoring, evaluation and reporting on agricultural and rural development interventions in Sub Saharan Africa. This will include substantial field experience
• Experience in leading the development and operationalization of centralized and decentralized monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems particularly in agricultural and rural development in developing countries;
• Experience as trainer and facilitator on M&E issues, including the development of customized and user-friendly practical guides and tools for generating, processing and sharing relevant data and information;
• Familiarity with ethical standard on gender disaggregated monitoring, evaluation and reporting mechanisms will be highly desirable;
• Proven experience with key donor M&E systems, including but not limited to IFAD and the AfDB ( e.g. Results and Impact Management System-RIMS);
• Knowledgeable in the application of modern tools and instruments (Geographical Information System and Remote Sensing-GIS/RS) that enhances RBM and PME would be an asset;
• Experience in developing indicators to benchmark project and programme performance;
• The selected Technical Assistant must be able and willing to undertake regular and extensive field visits to rural areas;
Language requirement
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English with ability to use critical thinking, conceptualize ideas, synthesize and articulate relevant subject matter in a coherent, clear, concise and logical manner.
Conditions:
Salaries and allowances will be based on international competitive level
Duration:
The contract will be for a total of 24 months and will be renewed annually subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds.
Location:
The incumbent will based at the Central Projects Coordination Unit/GNAIP, Ministry of Agriculture, Banjul, The Gambia and will undertake independent extensive field visits as required.
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