Monitoring & Evaluation Officer

Job Title: Monitoring & Evaluation Officer

Organization: United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

Host entity: FAO BEN

Assignment country: Benin

Expected start date: 01/10/2023

Sustainable Development Goal: 13. Climate action

Volunteer category: International UN Volunteer Specialist

DoA reserved for persons with disabilities: No

Accessibility measures in place: -

Type: Onsite

Duration: 12 months

Number of assignments: 1

Duty stations: Cotonou

Reasonable accommodation: No

Additional accessibility info: -

Details

Mission and objectives

FAO is the United Nations agency leading the international effort to eradicate hunger. FAO's mission is "A world free of hunger and malnutrition, in which food and agriculture contribute to improving the standard of living of all, especially the poorest, in ways that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable”. Its three global goals are: 1. To eradicate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition and progressively build a world in which all people at all times have sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. 2. To eradicate poverty and promote social and economic progress for all by increasing food production, fostering rural development and promoting sustainable livelihoods. 3. To sustainably manage and use natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources, for the benefit of present and future generations. FAO uses a systems approach to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. This approach has been summarized as "improving production, nutrition, environment and living conditions by leaving no one behind".

Context

The FAO country office in Benin provides technical expertise to the Government on a Country Program Framework (CPP) linked to national priorities. The 2023-2026 CPP establishes three priority areas at the state level to guide the partnership with FAO and the support provided to the Government of the Republic of Benin, combining innovative international best practices and global standards with national and regional expertise. These three priority areas are: - Strengthening food and nutritional security in the face of exogenous shocks. - Sustainable management of natural resources and strengthening of adaptation and mitigation measures related to climate change. - Conflict management and social cohesion. FAO also provides technical expertise in policy development and implementation and develops initiatives at the local level.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of FAO Resident Representative, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: ü Collect and develop basic data and information in FAO's areas of work in the country (agriculture, forestry, fisheries, rural development) ü Enter, select, analyze and synthesize data from various sources including FAO internal systems such as the Country Office Information Network (COIN), Field Program Man-agement Information System (FPMIS), large database, FAS, country databases etc ü Contribute to the development of the office's annual business plan and projects ü Participate in the monitoring of projects by checking tools related to the status of pro-jects at various stages; analyze inputs, expenditures and implementation schedules against work plans, make the necessary syntheses and evaluations, detect inconsist-encies ü Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of project field activities ü Contribute to the evaluation of project performance indicators (physical and financial) ü Assist in the preparation and presentation of quarterly project performance reports (QPIRs) or other ad hoc periodic reports. ü Effectively monitor project evaluation activities conducted by consultants ü Contribute to the capitalization of lessons based on the results of the evaluation of pro-jects and programs in terms of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact of FAO's activities at the country level ü Contribute to the formulation of new projects ü Contribute to the updating, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of FAO Benin's Country Programming Framework ü Contribute to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the CCNUDD 2023-2026 ü Gather background material, working papers and tables for briefings, evaluation ses-sions and meetings. ü Provide the Regional Office and Headquarters with annual statistics in the field of agri-culture, livestock, fisheries, etc. ü Carry out any other specific operational tasks for the implementation of the programs/projects, as required. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: ü Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); ü Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; ü Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; ü Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publica-tions/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; ü Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; ü Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage rele-vant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Eligibility criteria

Age

27 - 80

Additional eligibility criteria

This assignment is funded by JICA, therefore only former Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JICA-JOCV) who could get recommendation by JICA-JOCV Secretariat are eligible to apply. Please check your application eligibility on the JICA website (https://www.jica.go.jp/volunteer/obog/career_support/unv/index.html). The assignment is planned to start October/November 2023.

Nationality

Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Donor priorities

-

Requirements

Required experience

3 years of experience in Project/Program Management, or Monitoring & Evaluation, or MEAL or related fields.

Area(s) of expertise

Development programmes, Economics and finance, Business management

Driving license

-

Languages

English, Level: Fair, Desirable French, Level: Working knowledge, Required

Required education level

Master degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, International Development, Economics, Projects management, or equivalent

Competencies and values

- IT Skills: Be able to effectively use statistical software, office software, such as MS Of-fice (Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point, Exchange) etc., and information systems and databases to insert or retrieve data, formulate requests and reports. - Work Management Skills: Be able to take a systematic, well-structured and efficient approach to work tasks. Have analytical, accuracy and consistency skills. - Interpersonal communication and teamwork skills: The incumbent will need to be co-operative, flexible and open to working in an international environment. Tact, courtesy and loyalty are essential personal qualities. - Communication - Creativity - Ethics and Values - Integrity - Judgement and Decision-making - Knowledge Sharing - Leadership - Professionalism - Respect for Diversity - Self-Management - Technological Awareness - Working in Teams

Other information

Living conditions and remarks

Benin is a country of democracy and peace located on the West African coast. Cotonou, the economic capital of the Republic of Benin, is served by most major international airlines and waterways. Telecommunication facilities (landline and cell phone, internet) exist and housing is available at relatively affordable cost. There are well known schools such as the French Lycée and the American Schola. Living conditions are relatively good. Running water and electricity are available. Most food products are imported and produced locally. Staple foods include meat, fish, cassava and rice. It is easy to find fresh produce in the market. There are regular flights to/from Benin. The country borders Nigeria, Togo, Niger and Burkina Faso. The official language is French

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

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Program Director of SME Capacitation Program and Business Plan Competition, Benin

Title: Program Director of SME Capacitation Program and Business Plan Competition, Benin
Reporting Unit/Supervisor: Regional Director for West and Southern Africa (WSA)
Location: Cotonou, Benin

I. TECHNOSERVE BACKGROUND:

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

II. POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Program Director will lead a team of 2-6 staff to implement a business plan competition and SME capacitation support program that will reach 500 SMEs in Benin.  The program, funded by an international donor, seeks to improve the economy of Benin through a comprehensive economic development program.  The SME support program is one pillar of this broader initiative.  The donor seeks, through the program, to create a cohort of strong, growing SMEs that will support the contributions to the overall economy.  The donor expects participating businesses to increase their no. of employees, attract investment from commercial sources and to increase their revues through the program.  During the three year program, the staff will run two cycles of competitions to identify promising entrepreneurs.  The best entrepreneurs will then receive one year of intensive post-competition support to implement their business plans. 

The position availability is contingent on TechnoServe winning the tender for this project; however, the proposed project director will be named in the proposal.  Anticipated start date for the project is estimated March 2014.

III. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Program Director will ensure that the following activities are undertaken either directly or through direct reports:

BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

• Implement a marketing campaign in the target geography
• Develop a strategy for identification of and outreach to entrepreneurs in the target geography
• Schedule and lead workshops to socialize the program with potential entrepreneurs
• Field questions on the program for interested entrepreneurs
• Organize and execute networking events
• Manage all logistics related to program workshops and events

POST-COMPETITION SME CAPACITATION

• Evaluate competency of entrepreneurs
• Group entrepreneurs into affinity groups based on competency
• Develop curricula responsive to entrepreneurship needs
• Lead workshops for enterprises on wide range of issues (may include opening a bank account to registration to supply chain or marketing)
• Engage consultants to lead workshops on technical trainings for entrepreneurs
• Overall, ensure that entrepreneurs receive quality support throughout the program

GRANT MANAGEMENT

• Review applications by enterprises for use of grant funds (e.g.  audit services, market research, loan collateral, etc.)
• Conduct due diligence on applicants
• Establish process for pre-selecting business service providers to work with the program
• Develop rules and procedures for working with business service providers
• Review quality of work product of business service providers
• Develop rules and regulations for business advisory services provider participation in the program
• Set up and administer system for linking business advisory services providers and participating businesses 

ACCESS TO FINANCE

• Develop partnerships with financial institutions to facilitate banking relationships with participating enterprises
• Liaise with financial institutions to develop clear and consistent standards for access to finance for participating enterprises
• Develop clear training modules to train participating enterprises on path to access to finance

IV. REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in implementing private sector or SME development assistance schemes, specifically operational capacity reinforcement, access to finance and access to market  instruments and related matching grants
• Knowledge of socio-economic, private sector environment and employment issues in WAEMU and Benin
• Knowledge of business plan competitions preferred
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills in a multi-cultural environment;
• The ability to work with tight deadlines while managing multiple tasks and projects;
• The ability to work independently, and function effectively as a member of a global team
• Interactive skills especially with field staff, technical staff, consultants and home office support staff as necessary
• Related work experience and knowledge of the West Africa economic, social and development context preferred;
• M.A.or higher degree in business administration, economics, marketing or related discipline, MBA preferred
• At least 10 years of post-graduate experience in analytical and strategic roles within the private sector and/or development spheres (ideally with a top-tier management consulting firm)
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Experience in leading/ managing donor funded projects required
• Fluency in French and English required

V. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Qualified and interested applicants should submit a Word-formatted single document consisting of cover letter, resume and salary history to jobs@tns.org. Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line.
Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be considered or contacted. No phone calls please. Closing date for applications is January 30, 2014.

TECHNOSERVE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER