Overview of HELVETAS and the ALG Project

HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation is an independent development organization based in Switzerland and it has been operating for the last 65 years worldwide. HELVETAS is registered in Ethiopia as foreign organization with the Agency for Civil Society Organization to operate in the areas of Rural Infrastructure, Natural Resource Management, Support to CSO and Local Governments, Skill Development & Education and Emergency Response. See also. www.helvetas.org.

Under its VIC thematic area ‘Amhara Local Governance Project (hereinafter called “the project”) by scaling up its intervention areas aims to ensure that communities and civil society can claim their rights and meaningfully engage in development and policy processes. The project will be implemented in the coming three years in Amhara region, five zones (Wagihmra, South Wollo, South Gondar, West Gojjam, Awi and East Gojjam). The project plan is to achieve its objective through capacity building of civil society to apply influence, for community to meaningfully participate in local development planning and implementation, for council to properly oversight the work of the executive and local governments to manage public resources efficiently and transparently.

Job Purposes

The Quality Assurance (QA) Officer is responsible for leading the development and implementation of a plan to monitor progress, evaluate effectiveness, and disseminate results of the project activities and innovations for ALGP. The QA officer has primary responsibility for identifying M&E needs; designing and maintaining data collection systems; and for ensuring that all necessary information from both routine reporting, as well as from ad hoc data collection efforts and special studies, is collected, analyzed and used in guiding internal project planning and in informing external partners about project activities and accomplishments. The QA Officer conducts all appropriate analyses, including the use of complementary data sets and secondary analysis, and fully documents activities and accomplishments in the form of reports, publications, and presentations.

S/he works closely with the Project manage and the MEAL Officer to provide the necessary support for accurate data collection, analysis, dissemination, and use. This position will also be providing support to the IPs in the implementation of standards for managing quality improvement and monitoring progress of IPs in their performance agreed targets and standards. In addition, the role holder is responsible for digitalization of ALGP data.

Duties and responsibilities

Monitoring and Evaluations

• Track progress of the project implementation through internal monitoring tracking tools and follow project implementation from activity to output periodically based on the agreed indicators.

• Work closely with MEAL officer and project team on project monitoring plan of the projects in line with project LFA, follow progress, analyze and discuss findings based on regular monitoring data.

• Follow and support Detail Implementation Plan preparation supervise regular data collection through implementing partners and ensure quality of the data by random verifications and validations.

• Record, manage and preserve monitoring and evaluation data in a safe and accessible way; and ensure project performances are archived.

• Provide technical support on M&E and evidence-based recommendations to the Project Manager and Implementing Partners.

• Support Project staffs and finance team in developing the annual and six-monthly project reports.

• Update regularly project performances in HELVETAS Project performance sheet.

• Coordinate with Implementing Partners, Bahir Dar University, MEAL officer and project team for collecting data against agreed indicators including best practice and lesson learnt.

• Ensure and support quality of data collected by Implementing partners, receive database and populated in intranet.

• Provide feedback to partners and project teams on projects’ performance based on monitoring data findings.

• Assist project team, and MEAL officer in building capacity of Implementing Partners on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

• Assist Project Manager and MEAL officer in designing, coordinating and conducting project pre and Post Implementation Monitoring Survey and evaluations (baseline, mid-term and end-line).

• Assist MEAL officer in research documentation and archives.

• Develop project wave site for the accessibility of project information and learning from M&E process.

• Document best practice and lesson learnt; and Upload key reports and relevant documents to the Source (intranet).

• Support Implementing Partners in improving learning and sharing mechanisms in their projects.

Data Management

• Develop database to improve monitoring and data management within technical team.

• Build capacity of staff through training to ensure adoption of new data monitoring tools and quality of data collected.

• Regularly review data received from IPs to ensure correct usage and quality of data management systems.

• Conduct Data Quality Assessment visits to Implementing Partners with MEAL Officers.

• Conduct field visits for data validation, especially in the context of the ICBPP and integration of the community plan with local development plan of the government.

• Review and ensure timely data entry into database and retrieval for analysis and compilation for semi-annual and annual reporting and dissemination to stakeholders.

• Monitor the quality and completeness of training and other events data for documenting project performance and solving data issues if and when they arise.

• Monitor achievement of project indicators and targets and evaluate progress against those targets.

• Undertake monitoring and support visits to Implementing Partners offices, woreda Councils, and woreda plan offices.

• Develop systems, forums, protocols, and policies that facilitate communications between the project team and other stakeholders.

• Support the IPs to implement quality improvement tools for improved performance of the council office by focusing on utilization of checklists for monitoring and follow up and reporting the findings.

• Ensure availability and distribution of data collection tools to IPs, review use of frontline tools during Data Quality Assessment visits and provide feedback to the IPs.

• In collaboration with the MEAL officer, conduct periodic reviewing of IPs M&E plan after award of contracts.

• In collaboration with MEAL officer, review performance monitoring plan indicators to determine a baseline for a new project year.

• Capture lessons learned and best practices, documentation and dissemination of information, assisting developing presentations, abstracts, articles, etc. Similarly, ensure IPs identifies success stories and share best practices.

• Document recommendations, lessons learnt to HELVETAS, ADA, Plan development Bureau, and Regional Council.

Job Requirements

Education / Qualification

BA in statistics, Economics, Monitoring and Evaluation, demography or related discipline. 

Experience

• A minimum of 5 years' work experience and of which 2 years NGO related work experience in M and E or data management

• Experience working in governance projects, or social accountability.

• Experience in use of data to inform decision-making, planning, resource allocation, and other strategic initiatives.

• Relevant experience working within a partnership agreement.

• Understanding and knowledge of the Ethiopian federal system.

Skills and Competences required

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

• Flexible, capable of working independently, high integrity, and hard-working.

• Fluent in spoken and written English, and Amharic is required.

• Basic knowledge of Awigna language is desired.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to apply by sending their application and updated CV through HumanResources.ETH@helvetas.org or through CLICK HERE

Note: Please make sure you write the position title in the subject line of your email.