Senior Assessment Officer (MEARL Consortium) for Lebanon At IMPACT Initiatives

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT

IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation manages several initiatives, including the REACH and PANDA Initiatives. The IMPACT team comprises specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO whose headquarter is based in Paris and is present in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.

The objectives of IMPACT’s Project Appraisals and Assessments (PANDA) activities include the improvement of the effectiveness, efficiency and efficacy of humanitarian and development interventions. PANDA supports the entire humanitarian programme cycle, including programme design, assessments, baselines, monitoring and evaluation. PANDA operates as a business unit of IMPACT Initiatives, providing independent consultancy

services to its clients. PANDA’s expertise includes independent third-party monitoring, impact evaluations, sector- response monitoring and evaluation. Through the assessments conducted by PANDA, humanitarian actors and partners can understand the impact and efficiency of their programmes and response and develop their work based on the information. In addition, PANDA aims to build the capacity of local and international actors to gain a better understanding of crisis dynamics in order to better respond to crisis and shocks. Through PANDA, IMPACT provides trainings and tools for information management, assessments, M&E, GIS and peer-to-peer learning.

We are currently looking for a Senior Assessment Officer (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research and Learning) MEARL Consortium

Department: PANDA

Contract duration: 12 months, with possible extension as funding allows

Location: Based in either Beirut, Lebanon or Amman, Jordan, with possible regional travel and to additional in-country locations

Starting Date: ASAP

POSITION PROFILE

IMPACT’s PANDA Initiative is seeking an experienced professional with an extensive background in monitoring and evaluation, learning, knowledge creation and management, preferably with experience in WASH/ institutional water governance to support an EU-funded WASH project. This is a senior position in a small but dynamic regional team which will give you the opportunity to demonstrate management skills and technical expertise whilst coordinating consortium partners to implement monitoring activities and develop and design research activities which directly inform the programmatic decision making and learning for a EUR 25 Million, 3-year project. The role is equal parts technical, project management and coordination which requires self-motivation, the ability to work as part of a team, and the ability to deliver complex research activities and their outputs on time, on task and on budget.

The successful candidate will necessarily need to wear two hats:

· As co-chair and technical lead of the Consortium Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research and Learning (MEARL) Working Group, ensure oversight, management, and proactive engagement with consortium partners and external stakeholders with an overall objective of ensuring strong coordination;

· Oversee IMPACT’s specific research activities implemented in support of the consortium.

While these are complementary roles, coordination of partners and direct implementation and management of research activities inherently require different skills.

The PANDA MEARL Consortium Officer position is based in either Beirut, Lebanon, or Amman, Jordan with travel required to other areas of Lebanon. The role necessitates a high level of external engagement, the ability to influence and drive processes, whilst also managing the internal running of operations and developing high-quality research outputs. The MEARL Consortium Officer is expected to oversee teams research teams, manage workplans and consortium relations, provide technical design of research activities, and review and publication of research, monitoring and evaluation outputs with direct support of the Near East regional team, and with technical backstopping from IMPACT Geneva HQ. Past experience in the aid sector, monitoring and evaluation and WASH/ water governance are essential.

Project and Organizational Overview

ACTED is the lead organization in a five-partner MADAD-funded consortium (Action Against Hunger, GVC, Solidarités International, LebRelief), implementing WASH activities in Lebanon to support water governance and public water and wastewater services. This project is support by the technical expertise of CNRS, LCPS, LEWAP and NDU. IMPACT, through its PANDA Initiative, is providing coordination support, technical leadership of consortium M+E activities and a number of focused pieces of research.

IMPACT Initiatives is a think-and-do-tank based in Geneva, Switzerland, which specialises in data collection, management and analysis in order to support humanitarian and development action thought its Initiatives AGORA, PANDA and REACH. PANDA provides direct assessment, research and M+E support to partners and donors with activities that focus directly on planning, informing and understanding programme implementation. IMPACT is a sister organization of ACTED, an international NGO whose headquarter is based in Paris and which is present in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, which allows IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its countries of intervention.

In his/her mission, the MEARL-CO will be hosted by ACTED and will fall under the responsibility of ACTED’s Country Director and his/her delegates. S/he and will fully abide to ACTED’s Security, HR, Administration and Logistics rules and regulations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The PANDA MEARL Consortium Officer is responsible for overseeing the planning, implementation and follow up of research cycles to which s/he is assigned, in close coordination with other team members and with relevant external partners. In doing so, the MEARL Consortium Officer will ensure an effective management of related projects and resources, including line-management of national and international assessment staff.

More specifically the MEARL Consortium Officer is responsible for the following:

1. Consortium MEARL Working Group Coordination In close coordination with the ACTED Consortium Coordinator, IMPACT Research Manager, the PANDA Regional Assessment Specialist, and other WG members, provide technical leadership/oversight/support for all consortium-level MEARL activities though:

a) Co-chair the MEARL working group, including coordinating with the Consortium Coordinator to convene. Facilitate monthly meetings to review the progress and performance of programme activities. Provide meeting minutes to all members, relevant Technical Task Forces, the Consortium Management Unit and the Steering Committee;

b) Review and harmonization of agreed-up robust measurement methodologies, technical tools, their application and quality standards within the framework of the overall AME Framework developed for the Consortium;

c) Inform the development and monitor implementation by partners of Complaints Response Mechanism which meets sector standards, and aggregation of complaints received and response made into coherent consortium- level outputs;

d) Create and maintain up-to-date, comprehensive and accurate databases of progress against project indicator targets, linking to available sources of information;

e) Ensure data management and data security practices under the project scope adhere to the guidelines set by the EU General Data Protection Regulation as well as maintain general good practices.

2. Management of all Research Cycles

2.1 Assessment Preparation and Planning:

a. Ensuring that research is planned in line with relevant project and program objectives and within IMPACT research cycle and other relevant guidelines;

b. Ensure that required secondary data analysis has been conducted in preparation for activities;

c. For all activities, ensure TORs are developed and reviewed by key consortium stakeholders (ACTED CC, MEARL WG, etc…) before they are sent to Geneva for validation and ensure that TORs are validated by HQ before any data collection begins;

d. Ensure that ToRs are understood and used by consortium staff and stakeholders, and updated as required; Compose and construct, in close coordination with GIS and data management team, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools; ensure engagement with GIS teams on GIS requirements of research cycle/assessment;

e. Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned activity throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific projects are discussed to identify solutions, reported in writing and orally in a timely manner to relevant colleagues and partners, with major issues to be channeled up to the Consortium Coordinator;

f. Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged and buy-in activity design and planning.

2.2 Data collection and management

a. For research activities to be implemented by PANDA or under our direct leadership, ensure that required enumerators are identified and trained for primary data collection;

b. Monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;

c. Ensure that the Research Manager and relevant partners are alerted to any issues that prevents full implementation of the methodology in line with the agreed TORs; ensure that all changes to the methodology are documented throughout implementation and validated by IMPACT HQ and key partners;

d. Ensure logistics, financial, administration, security and HR processes directly related to PANDA activities have been appropriately implemented and with the relevant ACTED departments.

e. Ensure regular situation updates on data collection have been produced and circulated to relevant IMPACT, ACTED and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process; coordinated

f. Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines, and with the ToRs (data management plan Annex);

g. Ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;

h. Oversee analysis on collected data as per ToRs;

i. Ensure that meaningful techniques are used to analyze the data collected;

j. Ensure that data and its analysis are validated by IMPACT HQ before product drafting stage or sharing with external parties and do not contain personal information

2.3 Product drafting

a. Maintain regular communication with IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products;

b. Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate activity outputs (i.e. reports, factsheets, etc.), which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;

c. Review all products before they are sent to IMPACT HQ for validation;

d. Ensure that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ, ACTED, Consortium Coordination and MEARL WG before external release.

a. Under the oversight of the Research Manager and in coordination with the ACTED Consortium Coordinator, engage in the dissemination of research products, including through articles, IMPACT social media contents, targeted e-mails, presentations, meetings, etc, in line with IMPACT Dissemination and External Communication Guidelines and Research ToRs;

b. Under supervision of IMPACT HQ, ensure that research products are uploaded in relevant data portals, as specified in Research ToRs;

c. Ensure that lessons learned are gathered and documented at the end of each research cycle;

d. Support the Country Coordinator to conduct monitoring and evaluation as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines.

e. Collaborate with Consortium Coordination, ACTED, Consortium Partners and IMPACT Project Team to ensure accurate and timely donor reporting

3. Management of IMPACT Assessment Team

a. For research cycles implemented by PANDA, conduct regular meetings with all Assessment Team members to assess progress in all research cycles and to review work plan;

b. In coordination with Research Manager conduct induction for new staff members, including training in basic technical competencies for assessment design, implementation and analysis;

c. Support to the Regional Coordinator, Research Manager and Assessment Specialist in the development and implementation of capacity training plans for REACH assessment and field team member;

d. Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping;

e. When relevant, support/ lead staff appraisal and recruitment process in collaboration with Country Coordinator and Research Manager

4. Strategy Development and Implementation. In support to the Regional Coordinator, the MEARL Consortium Officer will actively contribute to the development of the IMPACT strategy in Lebanon. In particular s/he will support in identifying and concretizing:

a. Humanitarian and development priorities in Lebanon, and IMPACT’s relevance to them;

b. Strategic partnerships with key humanitarian and development stakeholders and decision makers

c. Key programmes/events/milestones that should be informed;

d. Advocacy and communication strategies to strengthen the impact of our work;

e. Support in the preparation and follow up of country level internal strategic workshops and plans;

f. Engagement with IMPACT HQ in global level strategic priorities.

Data Confidentiality and Protection

The MEARL Consortium Officer will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related

processes, ensuring full compliance with IMPACT’s data protection policy and SOPs. S/he will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorized sharing of any information and data belonging to IMPACT and its partners or collected during his/her assignment with IMPACT.

REQUIREMENTS

· Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in relevant discipline;

· At least 3 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian or development settings such as research, evaluation, assessments, and programmes, with 1 or more years in a management/consortium coordination position

· Experience in leading, participation in, or significant engagement with collaborative humanitarian fora,

· Demonstrated understanding of the humanitarian response architecture, needs, and planning mechanisms within the Lebanese context, as well as the priorities and role of donor governments and multilateral institutions

· Field experience related to monitoring and evaluation activities, humanitarian or development interventions, or similar relevant sector are required;

· An understanding of WASH programming and/ or water governance in Lebanon considered an advantage but not required

· Excellent analytical skills;

· Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;

· Demonstrated capacity to manage a large, diverse team

· Demonstrated ability to cultivate and manage a diverse array of strategic partnerships and stakeholder relationships

· Fluency in English (written and verbal);

· Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;

· Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, on numerous research cycles;

· Ability to work independently and coordinate remotely critical.

HIGHLY DESIREABLE

· Fluency/professional proficiency in Arabic (Levantine/Lebanese Arabic);

· Advanced skills in R or other statistical analysis software;