Monitoring & Evaluation Expert

Please note: you must have an advanced degree in Economics as well as 2 years of experience as an Economist, preferably in several international developing country contexts, in order to qualify for this role.

Background

Maxwell Stamp Plc, an international management consultancy company, will be delivering a 5-year programme of work to strengthen social protection in Uganda. The programme, Expanding Social Protection in Uganda (ESPU), with funding from DFID and Irish Aid will focus on improving policy and coordination on social protection, and pilot a cash transfer scheme in up to 8 districts. The overall aim is to help develop a national social protection framework taking into account both social assistance and social insurance mechanisms which will support chronically poor households.  The programme will be led by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD). A secretariat will be established within MoGLSD with separate units to manage the policy and cash transfers, and staffed by contracted individuals together with MoGLSD personnel.

As the management consultants, Maxwell Stamp will oversee implementation of the cash transfer pilot scheme involving administration and management of up to £20 million in cash transfers.

M&E Expert role

Maxwell Stamp is currently recruiting for an M&E Expert to provide intermittent short-term services over the initial 6 months. There are two main M&E functions to be performed for the cash transfer pilot. First, the internal process monitoring to ensure that all potential recipients are registered onto the scheme and payments are delivered in an effective and accessible manner. Second, is evaluation which will assess the impact of the cash transfers. Both help provide evidence about: whether the pilot is achieving its goals; how pilot implementers can improve implementation; and what wider lessons can be learned from the pilot for national social protection policy and scaling-up.

Objectives

The objective of this assignment is to provide Technical Assistance to the Secretariat in the design and implementation of sound M&E procedures for day-to-day process monitoring and assessing impact of the SAGE cash transfer process, and procuring appropriate service providers where required.  There are broadly two components to the role:

i            To support Maxwell Stamp in preparation of the TORs and tender documents for procurement of the sub-contracted independent M&E services providers, and oversee all technical aspects of the procurement process including lead of the bid selection panel;

ii         Establish the internal process monitoring framework for the programme, and linking to other areas such as the Grievance management system;

iii        Assist with recruitment and capacity building for the national and district level M&E team.

Responsibilities

The M&E Expert will take overall responsibility for ensuring that the TORs for the M&E service providers clearly articulate the requirements, bids are vetted appropriately, and that those awarded the contracts are capable of delivering their specific roles and responsibilities to an excellent standard. The specific responsibilities to be covered through M&E service providers include:

• Design and implement the baseline survey in Year 1;
• Design and implement 3 impact assessment surveys in Y2, Y4 and Y5, compiling detailed reports and recommendations for submission to the Secretariat;
• Prepare case studies;
• Independent verification / spot checks to ensure targeting is being appropriately undertaken, the correct recipients are receiving payments, and to record the time and cost spent by beneficiaries to receive transfers.

The Expert will also support the Secretariat to establish the internal process monitoring framework – including identifying the key internal monitoring processes and tools and outlining these within the Operations Manual including linkages to the MIS, grievance system and processes for quality assurance (spot checks), day-to-day feedback, and change management. They will be responsible for developing TORs for the national M&E coordinator and district M&E staff and provision of training for the staff in implementation of the monitoring framework. Key tasks of the M&E team will include:

• Undertake regular spot checks on targeting and recipients;
• Review whether grievances are being addressed appropriately and whether erroneous inclusion and exclusion is occurring;
• Where necessary compile case studies based on the process monitoring reviews and the above studies, as directed by the M&E Coordinator or Social Protection Learning Coordinator; and
• Submit formal periodic reports to the Secretariat and an exit report to Maxwell Stamp.

The specific activities and deliverables set out below are based on the DFID Terms of Reference, the Programme Memorandum, and implementation schedule.

The assignment will commence on 15 February 2010, with intermittent inputs over the subsequent 6 months.