M&E Specialist

Terms of Reference for hiring an M&E Specialist

“QARARUNA – SUPPORT TO CIVIL SOCIETY FOR DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN JORDAN” PROJECT

A. Background information

“QARARUNA – Support to Civil Society for Democratic Governance in Jordan”, is a 4-year project implemented and co-funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). It aims mainly at deepening the role of civil society in contributing to democratic governance and policy-making. Qararuna is co-funded by the European Union within the framework of the EU-JDID “Enhanced Support to Democratic Governance in Jordan”.

Qararuna adopts, mainly, two implementation approaches:

· Provision of capacity-building to CSOs and CBOs, implemented by the Center for Strategic Studies- Jordanian University, and

· Provision of financial assistance (sub-grants) to eight CSOs, especially those who are members of national coalitions

Qararuna themes

Voter information and civic education, election observation, monitoring parliamentary performance, increasing the capacity of CSOs to form coalitions, contribute to policy-making and lobby parliament and government, or increasing the participation of women and youth in policy-making and the democratic process.

Qararuna result areas:

1) Enhancing the role of CSOs promoting women and youth political participation

2) Observing fair and equal local electoral processes by CSOs & CBOs

3) Monitoring of Parliamentary performance through publications, reports and other statements published by local CSOs

4) Launching national/local advocacy initiatives by local CSOs to monitor policy processes and human rights situation in the country

B. Objectives of the assignment

Qararuna technical assistance team is seeking to hire a professional Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, to meet the following assignment objectives, to:

· Provide strategic direction on M&E to ensure Qararuna achieves its goals, specific objectives and targets

· Establish and implement a M&E framework and best practices for the entire Qararuna project

· Provide capacity-development and know-how on M&E to all Qararuna components

C. Scope of the assignment

Under the supervision of the Qararuna Project Director, the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist is expected to work in close collaboration with all sub-granted projects, and AECID’s Technical Assistance team, to provide technical and strategic direction for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of all Qararuna activities, and track outcomes and results. The M&E Specialist will develop an M&E framework, plans and indicators to capture project performance results and provide effective, accurate and timely monitoring, evaluation, analysis and reporting of all project activities. The M&E Specialist shall be responsible for the overall collection, summarizing, compiling, dissemination and timely reporting of all forms of data generated from the different Qararuna sub-projects.

D. Responsibilities & tasks

· Establish a monitoring and evaluation procedures trough the design of a Monitoring Framework Plan (MFP) aligned with the Qararuna project and sub-projects logical frameworks and indicators

· Maintain a tracker of the MFP and indicators, and disseminate progress of implementation on a monthly basis to the Project’s technical assistance team via the appropriate reporting tools

· Lead the development, review and utilization of data collection, monitoring and reporting tools according to the midterm evaluation recommendations and upon observation of needs

· Document results and provide feedback to stakeholders to guide decision-making and improve project’s reporting quality

· Ensure compliance with AECID and EU guidelines and procedures

· Ensure quality of data through data verification procedures, including routine data quality audits

· Design and conduct capacity-building activities for project staff and implementing sub-projects staff

· Maintain a database system and archive of collected data accessible to Qararuna technical assistance team and AECID

· Provide regular feedback to Qararuna technical assistance team and AECID on project monitoring status and trends

· Conduct final evaluation of the entire Qararuna project, produce and submit the relevant report

· Any other duties as assigned by Qararuna project team and AECID

E. Qualifications

Education: An MA degree in a development relevant field or research is a minimum qualification. Degree may include subject areas such as social sciences, international development, political science, and statistics. A certificate from a recognized and qualified institution in M&E is a must.

The incumbent must have a:

· Minimum 5-year experience in the M&E field in the development sector, with multiple/sub-project setup

· Proven and solid understanding of the logical framework and results framework models and the management for results approach;

· Solid experience in gathering, analyzing and interpreting complex project data

· Proven experience and solid background in developing and implementing Monitoring Framework Plan (MFP)

· Fluent English & Arabic with strong writing and reporting skills is a must

· The ability to prepare reports and provide briefings to the Project Director

· Excellent time management skills are critical

· Strong interpersonal and networking skills

· Literacy in Microsoft Office applications and excellent computer skills are a must

· Ability and proficiency to prepare progress reports based on data collection, field analysis and assessment of Qararuna activities

· Maturity, objectivity, resourcefulness, adaptability and sound professional judgment

· Ability to undertake field assessments independently; be able to set objectives, plan and follow-through on multiple tasks, as well as demonstrating

· Experience in delivering training

· Knowledge and experience in dealing with Civil Society Organizations in Jordan can be an asset

· Flexibility, team-player and ability to adapt to different situations and changes

· Ability to work under stress and timely delivery

· Ability to function effectively with multiple counterparts

Experience should include: monitoring and evaluation database management, survey research, responsibility for research methods, program evaluation, qualitative and quantitative statistical sampling, information analysis, research techniques and methodologies, report writing, use of MS spreadsheets, delivering M&E capacity-building.

F. Duration:

The M&E Specialist is expected to start as early as possible in April 2021 and finish in September 2021.