Monitoring and Results Management Manager - Inovagro

Job Description

Monitoring and Results Measurement Manager - Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro)

Introduction

Development Alternatives (DAI) Europe is seeking a Monitoring and Results Measurement (MRM) Manager to establish and manage a MRM system for an agribusiness market development project (InovAgro) in Nampula, Mozambique funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). This is a full time, resident position expected to commence in January 2018. The selected candidate will report to the InovAgro Team Leader based in Nampula.

Background to the InovAgro Project

Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro) is a flagship pro-poor private sector development initiative which commenced in January 2011 and will run up to December 2020. The project is implemented by Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) Europe – COWI Consortium and has a geographic focus of Northern Mozambique including: Nampula, Northern Zambezia, Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces which remain among the poorest areas in the country.

INOVAGRO’s aim is to increase income and wealth for the rural population in Northern Mozambique through agribusiness development. This will be achieved through the increased economic involvement of the poor in high value agricultural sectors primarily through increased market opportunities for smallholder farmers. The InovAgro project aims to catalyse systemic change in the agribusiness sector and following the M4P approach, InovAgro acts as a facilitator in the market system – building the capacity of local market actors but without having to directly perform functions that should be performed by local actors themselves. The project’s goal is to bring about sustainable change so that InovAgro’s partners are able to continue to provide market driven services long after the programme has finished.

The project currently focuses on 5 value chains – Maize, Soya beans, Pigeon Peas, Groundnuts and Sesame.

Details on the Position and Responsibilities

The Monitoring and Results Measurement Manager will be a key member of the InovAgro Senior Management Team (SMT) and will play a crucial role in the overall project design implementation and evaluation. Given the project’s objectives of facilitating sustainable systemic change in the market system, the MRM Manager is required to monitor closely the processes which lead to systemic change . This requires an assessment process that can measure indicators and assess assumptions defined in the project’s logframe and among the impact or results chains of specific interventions . As such, the MRM Manager will have responsibility for ensuring that MRM activities are well planned, resourced and carried out so that relevant and useful information is generated on the project’s and the suite of its interventions’ performance. The MRM system will be required to generate the right information to continually improve the way the project operates and interacts with its client agribusinesses.

IFPRI have been appointed as an independent service provider to evaluate this second phase, so the MRM manager will support their work in this area, notably in working with them to establish baseline and subsequent surveys. The nature of this work will focus largely on developmental impacts in and among the clients of the agribusinesses InovAgro supports: smallholder farmers.

The specific responsibilities of the MRM Manager will include:

• Contribute to project strategy development. Play a leading role in managing the project log frame (particularly the indicators and impact projections), ensuring that the project components tie together to contribute to the overall project objectives.
• Develop the project MRM System to manage an effective this system efficiently drawing on international best practice for Results Measurement as defined by, but not limited to, the DCED standard’s 8 elements.
• Working with the Team Leader and the Market Systems Change Manager to ensure the project and its components adhere to guidance from SDC on Logframes and Monitoring.
• Lead on development of results chains for each intervention before implementation and ensure that a Measurement Plan is in place before interventions are executed and that a Market Guide and Intervention Guide are developed and used by the team as effective management tools for tracking the performance of the project.
• Collaborate with IFPRI to develop attribution strategies, baselines and survey designs: the data from which will be used for making decisions on closure, parking, continuation and scale up of interventions.
• Support the Team Leader and intervention teams to prepare progress reports to facilitate project reporting and / or strategic reviews.
• Be responsible for the validation of data arising from the implementation of the Measurement Plans to verify that the results conform to “best practice”.
• Be responsible for aggregation of the outcomes of all interventions into a ‘project results’ tracking sheet for use by the project.
• Track an internal assessment of risk for each project/intervention.
• Work closely with IFPRI in carrying out evaluations, impact assessments, and in preparing case studies on both successful and unsuccessful interventions that analyse what happened, what was achieved and what lessons can be drawn from this experience.
• Develop capacity among project team colleagues and, where relevant, external stakeholders, to play an effective role in the project’s MRM processes.

Selection criteria

For this role, InovAgro is looking for a dynamic and energetic team player with:

• A minimum of five years’ experience in Monitoring & Evaluation for large scale development programmes. Experience on market development is desirable.
• Familiarity with the use of results chains and the DCED Standard for Results Measurement.
• Experience preparing for, and passing, a DCED audit is desirable but not essential.
• Understanding of market development principles, particularly the M4P approach, is desirable.
• Proven experience in research and data collection, including survey design and a mix of qualitative and quantitative techniques.
• Proven ability to work effectively in close-knit teams and to interact effectively with a diverse range of stakeholder groups.
• An adaptable, constructive and positive working style.

Duration and timing

This is a full time 3 year position, expected to commence in January 2018. The selected candidate will be based in the Nampula project office with some travel to Maputo and within various provinces in Northern Mozambique particularly Nampula, Northern Zambezia, Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces.

Last date for submission of applications is 17 September 2017.

About the Organization

About DAI

DAI is an international development company. For more than 45 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 80 countries. Our development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines. Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.