Job Description

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) seeks a Visiting Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor for the anticipated USAID-funded Centers of Excellence (COE) in Egypt project. UIUC is a leading public university with one of the most international agricultural colleges, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

The COE project will aim to substantially improve the capacity of Egypt’s higher education institutions to drive public and private sector innovation, modernization and competitiveness, strengthen government policy to stimulate economic growth, and contribute solutions to Egypt’s development challenges in the key sectors of agriculture, water, and energy. Specifically, the COE project is designed to meet these objectives by strengthening university capacity to deliver relevant, high quality applied research; engaging government stakeholders in dialogue to advance evidence-based policy making; and training highly skilled graduates to meet the evolving needs of industry, government and their communities, and to Egypt’s development challenges. The project will assist in 1) Identifying and seeking applied research solutions to some of Egypt’s greatest challenges in agriculture, energy and water. 2) Revising curricula and reforming teaching and other areas necessary to make university education and research more relevant to the needs of industry and government; 3) Establishing robust scholarship and exchange programs; 4) Networking activities between business people, faculty, and entrepreneurs to create, act or recognize commercial opportunities or solving development challenges. 5) Strengthening university capacity to deliver quality applied research; and 6) Enhancing the responsiveness of university research and graduates’ skills to the needs of the public and private sector.

At this point, UIUC is soliciting expressions of interest in this position. Appointing the selected applicant to this position is contingent on funding.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Visiting Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor is responsible for coordinating the development of a monitoring, evaluation and learning plan for the project, including performance monitoring criteria.

The Advisor will also contribute to and support efforts to design, advance, and facilitate implementation of the Project’s broader learning and research agenda. This position will be supervised by the Chief of Party but will also report to the Deputy Project Director based at the University of Illinois in Urbana, USA for all activities related to the learning and research agenda.

Applicants should submit a CV and short cover letter, and be available for a telephone or Skype interview.

Specific responsibilities and qualifications for the position are listed below.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsible for all aspects of monitoring and evaluation under UIUC’s activities, to include target setting, tracking of progress toward targets, development of the monitoring and evaluation tools, and data analysis, storage, and management.
• Prepare the MEL plan for UIUC in collaboration with the Egyptian University partner MEL Specialist to ensure tight alignment between their respective MEL plans, specify division of labor, and enhance coordination for all aspects of MEL for the COE.
• As needed, the MEL Advisor may provide short-term technical assistance to the Egyptian university partner MEL specialist, to potentially include field visits to Egypt.

• Ensures project scope and activities are compliant with USAID policies

• Prepare all quarterly and annual reports.
• Support development of the Project Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (PMEP) for the Activit
• Contribute to the implementation of the Activity’s PMEP, and monitor and update as necessary performance indicator targets and achievement against targets.
• Engage in the development of the Activity’s learning and research agenda.
• Facilitate the implementation of the Activity’s learning and research agenda to include action-oriented research.
• Identify and manage enumerators/data collectors contracted for learning activities managed by UIUC.
• Support the provision of ME&L-specific technical training for Activity personnel and third-party contractors as needed.
• Support, facilitate, and conduct data collection and analysis.
• Contribute to preparation of reports for donors and other data reporting as required.
• Identify journals, conferences, or other platforms/for a for disseminating learning
• Contribute to the authorship of learning and research products, including technical reports, journal articles, abstracts, and presentations.
• Contribute to program management by ensuring ME&L input is shared and that lessons learned are incorporated into the program design and work plans.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Statistics, Economics or related field.
• Fluency in English, and Arabic preferred.
• A minimum of seven years of monitoring and evaluation experience using large donor systems and templates, USAID preferred. Three of the seven years working experience in higher education programs; and
• Strong M&E skills, data analysis writing, reporting, and presentational skills in Arabic and English.
• Relevant international development service experience, preferably working on USAID higher education projects.
• Strong experience in gathering, organizing and analyzing large amounts of data as well as the ability to design manageable, transparent M&E systems that report progress against indicators throughout the life of the project.
• Solid understanding of USAID regulations and M&E reporting requirements, preferably in the higher education sector.

Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Work Conditions & Physical Demands: Essential functions are performed in a general office setting with low noise. Job demands may require long periods of sitting; telephone work and/or computer work, as well as interactions with other team members and external stakeholders. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Procedures: Interested candidates should submit their CV or resume and cover letter in English to hitomi@illinois.edu. Please include the position title on the subject line as well as a note explaining your qualifications for the position. We will not accept telephone enquiries. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis and qualified candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible but no later than June 12, 2018.

UIUC conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. All tenured appointments require Board of Trustees approval.

UIUC is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Visit http://diversity.illinois.edu/discrimination-and-harrassment-prevention.htm for more information. To learn more about the university’s commitment to diversity, please visit http://www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu.