Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Advisor – Ethiopia Programme

Duration: One year, with possibility of extension

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Application Deadline: May 6, 2022

Reports to: Ethiopia Country Manager

Start date: As soon as possible

LPI Background

Founded in 1985, Life & Peace Institute (LPI) is an international center based in Uppsala, Sweden, that supports and promotes nonviolent approaches to conflict transformation through a combination of research and action. In the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regions, much of LPI’s work is carried out through engagement with, and support to, civil society and academic institutions, building strategic partnerships with national, regional, and international organizations and networks.

LPI has supported peace work in Ethiopia since 1991. Through partnerships with traditional leaders, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and faith-based institutions, several locally driven peacebuilding initiatives have been supported over the years. LPI operates within a strategic plan that lays out the Institute’s three Strategic Priorities (SPs): SP1. Civil Society support for inclusive engagement for peace, SP2. Policy engagement and awareness raising, SP3. Knowledge and Learning.

We are looking for a professional who is passionate about monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and who has the experience and knowledge to guide and advise our programme team to use our evidence to foster learning, adaptation and innovation.

Position summary

The main objective of this position is to support the programme team in the monitoring, evaluation and learning of the LPI Country Programme in Ethiopia. The MEL Advisor is based in Addis Ababa and requires travel to programme implementation locations. This position will act as a resource for all programme staff to enhance programme design, monitoring and evaluation and quality, and in supporting organisation-wide Outcome Harvesting. S/he will play a lead role in the design and implementation of a comprehensive MEL plan, results framework, assist with building MEL systems focused on data collection, data aggregation, data analysis and reporting (internal and external). This position will provide support to LPI and partner staff in MEL knowledge, processes, tools, and practices.

Primary tasks and responsibilities

1. Leads and coordinates MEL processes for the Ethiopia Country Programme. More specifically, s/he:

• Manages and continuously improves programme MEL plans and systems with best practices, comprehensive for the programme overall and any projects being implemented.
• Work closely with programme team to ensure MEL plans comply with donor requirements, and evidence of results is fed into internal reports and donor reporting and results frameworks.
• Acts as the focal point for outcome harvesting.
• Provides technical advice, guidance and quality assurance of programme and project planning processes, including theories of change, results frameworks, and indicators.
• Facilitates the development/revisions of annual performance monitoring plans in participatory ways with staff and partners. 
• Supports the implementation and results monitoring processes and supports LPI’s staff and staff of partner organization in implementing effective monitoring processes.
• Builds team and partner organizations capacity in MEL and provides mentoring support to peers as needed. This includes identifying, creating, organising and delivering learning opportunities for self and others as well as exchanges between LPI staff, implementing organizations and partners with different LPI offices as necessary.
• Facilitates regular learning sessions and supports staff in the identification and documentation of change stories and lessons learned and knowledge management processes. Also, contributes to the dissemination of those lessons and best practices within the Ethiopia programme teams, with partners and other stakeholders, and across the organisation.
• Leads the development of tools, formats and instruments for data gathering, analysis and reporting contextualized to the specific projects and programmes.
• Leads and documents both qualitative and quantitative data analysis processes for data collected, drafts baseline studies, monitoring and programmatic reports, in consultation with programme staff.
• Leads internal evaluations as needed and facilitates evaluations of LPI conducted by external consultants. Ensures effective utilisation of evaluation results, in coordination with the programme management team.
• Coordinates, documents and follows-up learning events with practitioners and academics partners, etc.
• Participates in programme monitoring visits/forums with other programme staff as necessary to support data collection by partners and staff and identify improvements to the MEL and project practices.

2. Contributes to results-based reporting as needed, in compliance with all requirements of donors and LPI standards for monitoring and reporting.

3. Draft concept notes and proposals, lead development of the results framework, indicator definition for tracking process and measuring outcomes, and MEL plans or Performance Monitoring Plans.

4. Contributes to and strives for programmatic excellence, effectiveness and learning in LPI’s conflict transformation work.

5. Adheres to and models LPI’s values and key programme principles that includes gender mainstreaming, conflict sensitivity and do no harm programming.

6. Leads on coordinating and facilitating periodic outcome monitoring and harvesting workshops and collate and share outcomes to LPI Ethiopia and partner staff.

7. Identify the MEL capacity building needs of local partners and assist in developing/strengthening their MEL practice.

8. Undertakes other tasks as assigned by the Ethiopia Country Manager.

Working relationships within the organization

• Supervisory: None
• Reports to: Country Manager
• Mentorship: Senior MEL Advisor, Collaborative Learning Team
• Internal: Closely collaborate with the Ethiopia Programme Manager and Programme Team and coordinates with MEL focal points and LPI’s Collaborative Learning Team. Participate in MEL focal point meetings and contribute to cross-organisational learning and sharing of best practice of MEL approaches.
• External: Consultants working in MEL, Partner organizations, donors, other NGOs. Work with partners to articulate the changes that they aim to bring about, and provide training and accompaniment as required to strengthen their MEL capacity.

Job Requirements

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Master’s degree Monitoring and Evaluation, Peace/Conflict Studies, Political Science, Social Sciences, International Development or a related field.
• At least five (5) years of progressive and proven experience in Monitoring and Evaluation, program management, mainly peacebuilding, development or humanitarian programs in an international, national or United Nations agency.
• Demonstrated application of technical principles and concepts in MEL.
• MEL experience in areas such as peacebuilding and conflict prevention is an asset
• Theoretical and/or practical knowledge of conflict transformation at the local level.
• Analytical ability (conflict analysis) and report writing.
• Proficient in MS Office Packages (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook).
• Experience in outcome mapping and/or harvesting approaches would be a strong asset.
• Experience in providing capacity building support to staff and partner organisations to implement MEL systems and processes.

Personal skills

• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, including forum between actors
• Excellent ability to organize, take initiative, decide and manage priorities, including under pressure.
• Ability to work in difficult conditions and under pressure and while meeting deadlines.
• Moral integrity, honesty and discretion.
• Sense of responsibility and organization.
• Willingness and ability to travel to the field as required.

Required Nationality and Language

• Ethiopian nationality.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic. Knowledge of Afan Oromo or other local languages would be a strong asset.

Working Conditions:

Normal office environment. Requires frequent travel to program implementation locations.

Disclaimer:

This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

How to Apply

Interested applicants are invited to apply using THIS LINK

Note: Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted directly for interviews. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.