Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Advisor, CARING Project. Bauchi, Supervising Gombe and Taraba states

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1 TITLE: REPORTS TO: LOCATION: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Advisor, CARING Project Project Manager CARING Bauchi, Supervising Gombe and Taraba states DURATION: July 1 st 2016 to June 30 th 2020 INTRODUCTION Established in 1970, Africare is one of the most experienced and largest African- American led non-profit international development organizations providing development assistance to and working exclusively in Africa. We have worked in 36 African countries and are currently reaching 17. Africare has been working in Nigeria since 1978 and has substantial experience in collaborating with the private sector, government at national and sub-national level as well as community stakeholders to deliver community-based programming to hard-to-reach vulnerable populations. Africare centers its development approach on community engagement, capacity building, locally-driven behavior change and building innovative public-private partnerships in the areas of agriculture and health- specifically economic development; nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), women s empowerment and youth engagement. Africare will serve as lead partner in the proposed consortium to implement the Dangote Foundation funded CARING (Community Action Response to Improve Nutrition and Growth for Northern Nigeria) project which aims to improve nutritional outcomes in Northern Nigeria by reaching one million vulnerable households with nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions. CARING will target 3 North Eastern states namely Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba where the program will seek to increase the quality and quantity of CMAM services in addition to promoting improved optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF), hygiene practices and micronutrient supplementation; all of which will be delivered via specified channels at the health facility and community levels. The Role Africare seeks to hire a Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability and Learning Advisor for the CARING project who will lead on enhancing the quality and accountability of the project, bringing immediate and lasting changes in the nutritional outcomes in Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba states.

2 The MEAL advisor will establish and strengthen the CARING MEAL system, institutionalizing it, and ensuring project and state level staff have the capacity required to implement it. S/he will ensure that the CARING project is continually monitored for its effectiveness and appropriateness and that lessons are documented and communicated to inform on-going implementation and future programming. S/he will guide the state teams in achieving the proposed project outcomes and impact as well as accountability to beneficiaries in line with Africare and funder s policies and practices. The MEAL Advisor will lead on building staff and partners capacity for accountability and participation, focusing on beneficiaries, in this case women and children. In summary, the MEAL Advisor will be responsible for ensuring Africare is informed on the extent to which our interventions are affecting the lives of the targeted populations; has evidence-based knowledge on the positive and negative impact that our interventions are having in the communities where the interventions are being carried out; receives regular, timely and context-specific, MEAL feedback from project staff, state and non-state partners, and program participants and that feedback effectively informs and signals areas where strategic attention is required. The MEAL Advisor will be responsible for monitoring program indicators and will provide the lead on coordination and conducting baseline, impact and other evaluations while tracking program implementation against the MEAL plan of the project. The MEAL Advisor will also be responsible for developing a performance monitoring system, overseeing the maintenance of monitoring data collections systems (including developing and maintaining a project data base). S/he will also contribute to the design and assist in managing program assessments and evaluations and promote a culture of evidence-based decision making, and effectively communicating program results to a wide variety of stakeholders CARING aims to reduce the prevalence of undernutrition in Northern Nigeria through the following objectives: 1. Treat children with SAM using a CMAM approach 2. Engender optimal nutrition behaviors 3. Improve food security and livelihoods through empowerment, enhanced productivity and income diversification 4. Improve federal, state and local government capacity to deliver nutrition interventions through advocacy and coordination

3 The Project Manager will be responsible for the achievement of strategic objectives, intermediate results, and performance expectations through adherence to high standards of programmatic and management quality. The Project Manager bears final responsibility for meeting program deliverables by both lead and local partners. Specific Job Responsibilities Monitoring and Evaluation Ensure that partner organizations in the CARING consortium deliver on all internal and external MEAL requirements in a timely manner and with high quality information. Strengthen the MEAL systems and processes to assure achievement and progress towards project objectives and outcomes. Ensure that the CARING program design and implementation is in accordance with Nigerian Nutrition Guidelines and policies and where applicable also at a minimum meets international standards in terms of quality and Africare s Ubuntu policy Develop outcome and learning indicators for log frames and other purposes Ensure that data collection methodologies used at field level are standardized across states and local governments, enabling specific vulnerabilities of the different target groups to be captured and analysed for decision making Ensure that verifiable quantitative date is collected and analysed routinely through the life of project; Important to ensure that state agency M&E staff are primarily involved in data collection, verification and analysis Ensure that monthly quantitative data is analsysed and shared with stakeholders to inform program design and review Ensure that all Africare internal and external reporting requirements are met with timely, relevant, triangulated and well analysed data Support state project teams with assessment/evaluation planning, ensuring that minimum criteria for quality evaluations are integrated into design and implementation. Ensure that all assessment/evaluation reports meet CARING quality criteria, and promote the integration of recommendations and lessons learnt in project planning and future programming.

4 Accountability Ensure that all staff at all levels, including senior managers and directors, fully understand and promote accountability in general and to beneficiaries in particular, through training and coaching. Contribute to improvements in existing policies and procedures to enhance effective accountability mechanisms. Develop and report against accountability related indicators and issues, and produce report on the accountability work. Ensure that learning is shared with the CARING consortium members, the state agencies and ministries of health, the donor and other stakeholders in Nutrition programming in the region By facilitating information sharing with key stakeholders including beneficiaries, ensure that the work of the CARING consortium promotes transparency throughout all stages of implementation Ensure that all project activities are designed to promote feedback and response mechanisms and include systems to effectively manage complaints Ensure that activities are carried out to raise awareness of prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse and handling of serious complaints in line with Africare s policy of safeguarding beneficiaries Learning Support the Learning & Research team to communicate program learning (through document sharing, presentations, etc). Participate in designing and implementation of studies, assessments and learning in coordination and cooperation with sectors technical coordinators and programme staff. Create opportunities for information sharing and learning exchanges with local actors/ingos to promote coordination at local and national level.

5 Technical supervision, performance management and capacity building of staff Ensure appropriate staffing within the MEAL team. Provide leadership, motivation, guidance and technical support to the MEAL team. Provide technical supervision of the field-based MEAL staff through regular contact, field visits and meetings. Identify training needs of staff and conduct trainings to address the capacity gaps, in collaboration with state manager and the human resources department. Contribute to performance management of staff within the MEAL team, in cooperation and collaboration with state manager and the human resources department through: - effective use of the performance management system (establish clear objectives, on-going feedback, periodic reviews and fair and unbiased evaluations); - coaching, mentoring and other development opportunities; - recognition and rewards for outstanding performance; - documentation of unsatisfactory performances with appropriate tools. Qualifications and Skills: Master degree in Public Health Nutrition, Social Sciences, Mass Communications, Management, Marketing, Humanities or equivalent field experience Prior management and substantial experience managing project level Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability and Learning portfolio of (at least 5 years) large multiyear preferably in health, nutrition, or food security projects; humanitarian experience would be an advantage. Experience of, and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability Excellent communication and influencing skills with experience in advocacy Demonstrated strong monitoring and evaluation skills, including planning/participating in evaluations in nutrition and food security projects in developing countries

6 Sensitivity to cultural differences and understanding of the socio-economic and political situation in Northern Nigeria. Specific experience in Northeastern Nigeria would be an advantage; patience tact and diplomacy would be important Experience of representation and ability to represent Africare effectively in external forums. Demonstrable ability to work with excellent organizational, verbal and written communication skills with proficiency (reading, writing, speaking and comprehension including presentation skills) in English Ability to write clear, well-argued assessment and project reports Proven experience in managing complex partnership relationships in a participatory way. Demonstrated team management qualities including crises and conflict management and mediation Ability to work both in an advisory and a hands on implementation capacity Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach staff Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to interact professionally with culturally diverse staff, consultants and project beneficiaries. Capacity for flexibility, willingness to travel frequently as required across the region Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook To apply, please CV and cover letter with subject MEAL Advisor to nigeria.vacancies@africare.org Deadline for application is June 7th 2016 Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.