Programme Officer (Monitoring and Evaluation) - Aga Khan Foundation (India)

1. POSITION VACANT: Programme Officer (Monitoring and Evaluation), Project MESHA, Aga Khan Foundation (India), Patna, Bihar

2. ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND:

The Aga Khan Foundation (India) (AKF (India) is a member of the Aga Khan Development Network(AKDN), a group of 11 development agencies addressing the needs of poor and marginalized communities in more than 30 countries across the globe.

Operating in India since 1978, AKF (India) works in seven states across the country to implement multi sector programmes, both directly, as well as with the support of AKDN agencies and partners, in rural and urban areas, for the creation of robust and vibrant community institutions, in the areas of early childhood development, education, community health, livelihood improvement and agriculture development, skill development, and water and sanitation.

PROJECT BACKGROUND:

Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, AKF (India) in partnership with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India), has commenced implementation of Project MESHA, an ambitious programme in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, to transform and improve the quality of life of landless and marginal farming households, through improvements in small ruminant production, increasing and strengthening the role of women in the small ruminant value chain and demonstrating an implementation model that can be expanded at significant scale, through public investment.

Project MESHA proposes to work directly with over 50,000 women SHG members in four blocks of district Muzaffarpur and demonstrate proof of concept of the model for small ruminant development, poverty reduction and women’s empowerment with potential for scaling up to other districts of the state with public financing.

As part of the scaling-up of Project MESHA, AKF (India)  wishes to recruit a results-driven and enthusiastic and entrepreneurial Programme Officer for Monitoring and Evaluation, to lead Project MESHA’s MIS and M&E activities, strengthening the capacity of the implementation team in monitoring, evaluation and data collection, ensuring the roll-out of the project MIS and facilitating real-time data analysis to strengthen field implementation and contribute to policy dialogue.

For more information about AKF (India), please visit https://www.akdn.org/

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reporting to the State Programme Manager, Bihar, The Programme Officer- Monitoring and Evaluationshall be responsible for implementing the overall M&E strategy for Project MESHA including roll-out of the online MIS system, quality control, regular analysis of data to identify key learning and advise project implementation, undertaking/ designing field surveys and quantitative and qualitative assessments to facilitate regular tracking of project activities and outputs. The incumbent will also work closely with AKRSP (I), the M&E team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the project’s technical partners such as Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, Global Alliance for Veterinary Medicine (GALVmed) and others.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

(1) Ensure quality implementation of the project M&E and MIS systems, including regular surveys and evaluations, quantitative and qualitative assessments, process monitoring, and review workshops/ meetings;
(2) Support the implementation of the end-line evaluation and the implementation of various qualitative and quantitative surveys (e.g. annual outcome surveys, annual WEAI surveys, studies to track progress against specific indicators);
(3) In dialogue with the implementation team, regularly review the project Theory of Change, and suggest modifications required based on project implementation and learning. In addition, regularly review progress against the project Results Framework and indicator set for outcomes and outputs;
(4) Ensure the roll-out of the online project MIS, facilitating tracking of project activities and outputs on a regular basis including regular support to the field implementation team, building their capacity and quality control of data collection and input and ensure the rigour and quality of data collection and reporting, and also ensure that the MIS provides gender disaggregated data at all levels;
(5) Lead the design of annual surveys and quantitative and qualitative assessments for selected indicators and assist in the identification of internal and external consultant (s) to undertake these surveys (e.g. number of women goat rearers following all vaccination/ de-worming protocols, contribution of goat rearing to household income, number of women reporting increased role in key decisions within the household, effectiveness of training programmes conducted, adoption of project approaches by JEEViKA and the state Department of Animal Husbandry) and support the field teams in the implementation of these surveys and assessments;
(6) Supervise the implementation of the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) in Project MESHA on an annual basis;
(7) Support the design and implementation of baseline evaluations in Project MESHA outreach districts;
(8) Provide regular support to the field team on M&E and MIS, regularly track the quality of data and identify where adaptations might be needed;
(9) Share M&E findings regularly with senior management, programme staff, implementing partners and primary stakeholders, including information on programme implementation trends, highlighting areas requiring strengthening;
(10) Support the process of developing annual/ quarterly/ monthly implementation plans, and develop systems to regularly review progress against agreed milestones (both technical and financial);
(11) Develop and responsible for a photo-bank of all Project MESHA interventions;
(12) Undertake regular field visits to monitor progress and review the quality of data being collected, including data collection processes, and support staff to improve data quality;
(13) Support and provide inputs towards the development of project progress reports in accordance with approved reporting formats; Ensure the adequate analysis of data to identify implementation trends;
(14) Plan for regular events to share emerging learning from field implementation;
(15) Carry out any other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the State Programme Manager

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

Qualifications:
Applicants must be Post-graduate in management, social sciences or statistics.

Experience:
(1) Minimum five to eight years of experience in designing and implementing M&E and MIS systems in the development sector;
(2) Knowledge and experience in designing mobile based systems shall be preferred.

Essential Skills and Competencies:
(1) Ambitious, energetic, and hard-working;
(2) Experience in design of monitoring systems to track women’s empowerment outcomes is desirable;
(3) Ability to working in horizontal, cross-functional teams; Comfortable in dealing with
ambiguity, as well as situational authority and leadership;
(4) Should be capable of meeting short deadlines and producing quality materials with a fast turnaround;
(5) Solution-oriented, creative problem-solver, who can be versatile and is willing to work around obstacles;
(6) Willingness to be based in Patna and travel extensively in the project area;
(7) Fluency in English and Hindi (both written and verbal) is required;
(8) Ability to work in teams is essential, as well as the ability to work independently and to multi-task

5. COMPENSATION OFFERED:

Gross compensation budgeted for the position is attractive. The actual offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with qualifications, experience and salary history.

6. LOCATION: Patna, Bihar

7. REFERENCE: POME-AKF

8. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Team SAMS
Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd.
1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar
New Friends Colony, New Delhi 110 025
Phone Nos.: 011- 2684 2162; 4165 3612
E-mail: pome-akf@sams.co.in

9. APPLICATION PROCESS:

Eligible candidates interested in this position are requested to urgently apply to pome-akf@sams.co.in, along with a cover letter highlighting their motivation to apply and suitability for the position, along with an updated resume including names and contact details of at least two referees, by or before September 17, 2018.