MONITORING , EVALUATION & LEARNING LEAD-LEAP PROJECT At Fairtrade Africa

ABOUT FAIRTRADE AFRICA

Established in 2005, Fairtrade Africa (FTA) is a member of Fairtrade International and the umbrella network organization representing Fairtrade-certified Producer Organizations in Africa and the Middle East. It has four (4) regional networks – Eastern & Central Africa; Southern Africa; West Africa; and the Middle East & North Africa. FTA currently represents 1,354,294 farmers and workers in 660 producer organizations spread across 28 countries in Africa and the Middle East by providing services to them that contribute to the improvement of their livelihoods.

ABOUT THE ROLE

FTA is looking to hire a Côte d’Ivoire (CDI) MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Lead) for the LEAP project (Livelihoods Ecosystem Advancement Programme) to lead in-country MEL implementation of an ambitious new programme, the Livelihoods Ecosystem Advancement Programme (LEAP), aiming to address the root causes of market failures which keep Ivorian cocoa farmers in poverty traps.

The programme will deliver tailored interventions across three key areas: cooperative strengthening; access to finance; and income diversification. By the end of the programme, it is anticipated that over 5,200 Ivorian cocoa farmers will benefit from increased incomes. The programme will also test and seek to understand which interventions and/or combination of interventions drive farmers closer to reaching a living income in CDI.

We are looking for a candidate with experience in economic growth, agricultural value chains and market systems approaches applied in Ivorian contexts. The candidate must be familiar with the Ivorian cocoa sector or similar agricultural value chains. The candidate must have extensive MEL experience to facilitate effective planning, implementation, performance evaluation and accountability for LEAP.

The candidate will also be working closely with a Senior MEL Manager from Fairtrade Foundation based in the UK, on the design of MEL approaches for LEAP.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Monitoring

• Develop an annual MEL Plan, update it as relevant and review its progress periodically.
• Work with the Programme Manager to ensure full understanding of the donor/funder M&E reports requirements and support compliance.
• Review project-specific reports ensuring that they adequately respond to the project-approved indicators.
• Collate the stakeholder and partner’s feedback on programmes, develop a report and share it as appropriate.
• Provide technical leadership to the process of collecting, analysing and disseminating of relevant performance data.
• Identify ways and means of sharing the data and information on MEL activities with Fairtrade producers
• In conjunction with the Programme Manager, coordinate reflection sessions with staff to identify lessons learnt
• Coordinate the process of documenting best practices and case studies from the region.
• Assist the Programme Manager in the coordination of quarterly reporting processes.

Evaluation and Reporting

• Support the development of ToRs for all evaluation and research activities in the region
• Play a leading role in the review of completed evaluations and research and ensure that they meet the minimum standards
• Advise and recommend tools and strategies to improve project tracking
• Analyse changes and patterns in data and performance reports

Data and Knowledge Management

• Establish a MEL data system and related documents and support staff to access and use
• Provide up to date monitoring data and analysis as and when required and ensure data queries are addressed in an accurate and timely manner
• Lead on the learning plan for the LEAP project for local stakeholders in Cote d’Ivoire, including producers, cooperatives, as well as the wider sector including government, NGOs and other policy bodies. This includes the management of knowledge products based on learnings we have from data and our workstreams.
• Identify ways and means of sharing the data and information on MEL activities with Fairtrade producers
• Support the Operations Manager in data management at the producer and local levels.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree in social science, international development or other related fields

Experience and Knowledge

• Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in a MEL position responsible for implementing MEL activities of international development projects.
• Experience participating in evaluation activities
• Knowledge of the major evaluation methodologies (e.g. qualitative, quantitative)

Skills

• Excellent analytical skills
• Skills in using MS Office applications, especially Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Excellent communication and reporting Skills
• Excellent written English and French
• Fluent in English, French and local language(s)

Notes: This job description is intended as a guide and should not be viewed as an inflexible specification as it may be varied from time to time in light of strategic developments following discussion with the post holder. The post holder will be expected to work to agreed objectives, which should facilitate the achievement of the key responsibilities in accordance with the Performance Review Process.