Vac - 29 Proj - Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Kupang

Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist (OSRO/INS/301/USA)
NPP 10

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Indonesia (FAOR) and technical supervision of the FAO Land Management Officer of NRL/RAP (Lead Technical Officer (LTO)) and direct supervision of the FAO national Project Manager, close collaboration with provincial officials of the Assessment Institute for Agriculture Technology (BPTP) and Department of Extension Co-ordination (BAKORLUH/NTB and BKPP/NTT) of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Indonesia Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD) and other project counterparts (e.g. Indonesia Soil Research Institute (ISRI) and Indonesian Centre for Agricultural Engineering Research and Development (ICEARD)), FAO’s civil society implementing partners (e.g. ACTED, Donders Foundation and YMTM and the Universities of Mataram (UoM) and Nusa Cendana (UoNC)), and assisted by project staff (i.e. short and long-term international and national consultants recruited by FAO), the Consultant will take responsibility for the development and operation of an effective and efficient monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for the three outputs of the Project, including the design and implementation of applied research and participatory extension programmes for the testing, validation, replication and up-scaling of new and improved conservation agriculture technologies and practices. In this context, the Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks under this assignment:

• In collaboration with the international Conservation Agriculture Adviser, prepare a results-based monitoring and evaluation framework and plan of action for project interventions, including the definition of targets and identification of appropriate performance indicators at outcome and output levels.
• Finalise reporting of the socio-economic and bio-physical baseline surveys of the Project’s target areas to be conducted by ISRI and FAO’s NGO implementing partners making sure that relevant baseline data are collected; and take responsibility for the compilation of the processed data and translation and writing of the final report.
• Design, oversee and co-ordinate the Project’s participatory M&E system, which should focus on the monitoring of conservation agriculture research and development, including collaboration with project counterparts and implementing partners in order to: (i) identify appropriate M&E mechanisms for the adoption of conservation agriculture technologies and practices and improvement of agro-ecological parameters at the field level; (ii) collect project indicator data based on the results-based monitoring and evaluation framework and plan of action, and consolidate and input them in relevant databases; and (iii) provide consolidated M&E information to PMU to feed into the project progress reports and technical papers.
• Guide and oversee researchers and students of UoM and UoNC in the implementation of case studies on the social, financial, economical and environmental impact of conservation agriculture at farm (i.e. at marginal and small-scale sizes of landholdings), community, sub-village, village and sub-district, as well as subcatchment levels – including relationships to future disaster risk reduction and agricultural climate change adaptation.
• In collaboration with BPTP and ISRI, FAO’s NGO implementing partners and UoM and UoNC, assess the impact of different conservation agriculture techniques on agricultural production, food security, household income and soil fertility at the household and community levels.
• Provide training to members of PMU and staff of IAAARD’s counterpart agencies and FAO’s NGO implementing partners on the Project’s approach and methodology to participatory monitoring and reporting, including the collection of meaningful data at the field level.
• Oversee the Project’s under-graduate attachment programme to allow students from UoM and UoNC to gain experience on project work while assisting with adaptive research, M&E, etc
• Perform other related duties as required by the FAOR in Indonesia and FAO national Project Manager

Expected output

• Socio-economic and bio-physical baseline report on project areas (completed by 15 August 2015)
• Contributions to quarterly project progress reports and work plans (for compilation by the national Project Manager and international Assistant Project Manager); including updated Project’s Result’s Matrix (Completed by 20 June, September and December 2015 and 20 March 2016)
• Technical reports on case studies and other ad hoc surveys (as required)
• Regular publicity materials on the Project’s success stories (as required)

Academic Qualification

• A university degree in agriculture or economics and a post-graduate qualification in agricultural economics, rural development or business management (or related technical disciplines). The M&E Specialist should be familiar with FAO’s result-based project implementation and monitoring approaches, possess strong communication, team building, computing (word processing, spread-sheets and data-bases) and report writing skills, and be fluent in spoken and written English.

Technical Competencies and Experience Requirements:

• A minimum of ten years of experience in technical advisory assignments on agricultural development projects focusing on smallholder farming systems and the transfer of new and improved technologies and practices. The M&E Specialist should also be familiar with participatory processes, project cycle management and gender issues and demonstrate proven experience with results-based monitoring and other strategic planning approaches, M&E methods and approaches (including quantitative, qualitative and participatory), training in M&E development and implementation, facilitating learning-oriented analysis sessions of M&E data with multiple stakeholders, information analysis and technical report writing.

Duty station: Project Management Unit (PMU), Kupang NTT Province

Duration: 3 months initial contract with possibility of extension depends on performance and availability of funds.

GENERAL NOTE TO ALL APPLICANTS:

Interested candidates should submit a CV and a covering letter clearly stating their relevant skills, experience, vacancy and reference code by e-mail to:

E-mail: FAO-ID@fao.org

Submission DEADLINE: 14th June 2015

FAO regrets to inform applicants that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.