Position Title: National Monitoring & Evaluation Assistant


Activation Date: 14 Feb, 2019   Announced Date: 14 Feb, 2019   Expire Date: 28 Feb, 2019
Job Location:      Herat
Nationality:         Afghan
Category:            Agriculture, Monitoring and Evaluation, Program

Employment Type:          Full Time
Salary:   USD 1,214 to USD 1,570
Vacancy Number:            FAO/HRT/PRJ/SC/03-2019
No. Of Jobs:       2
City:       Herat
Organization:     FAO
Years of Experience:       At least five (5) years of professional experien
Contract Duration:           6 Months (Extendable)
Gender:               Male/Female
Education:       University degree in agriculture economics, social sciences, international development, business a
Close date:         28 Feb, 2019

About FAO:

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Job Description:

Organization Settings:
Through its Country Offices, or FAO Representations, FAO assists governments to develop policies, Programmes and projects to address hunger, food security and malnutrition, and provides technical support for the sustainable development of their agricultural, livestock, animal health, and irrigation and forestry sectors as well as emergency preparedness and response. The activities of the FAO Representation include design and implementation of country-tailored field Programmes, liaison with local donor representatives and active public awareness raising and outreach activities related to the mandate of FAO.



The position is in FAO project in Herat – Afghanistan with frequent travels to other project locations in the country.



Project Background:


Project goal is to promote inclusive growth and job creation in the agricultural sector by strengthening the capabilities of producers and private enterprises to effectively link Afghan farmers to domestic and international

markets. The basic premise is that agricultural-led economic growth is the key to improving food security, rural poverty reduction and agribusiness development.

This will be achieved through a value chain (VC) approach. The project will invest in improving productivity and facilitation of the development of wheat, high value crops and livestock value chains as well as enhancing the capacity of P/DAIL (Provincial / District Agriculture, irrigation and Livestock Department) in sustainable value chain development.

The focus of the project is on developing the demand for local agribusiness, enterprises and input and service providers, and enhancing their capacity so that the VC is improved, more efficient and more profitable and hence

sustainable. Using a VC approach the programme has been designed to overcome constraints to business performance and corresponding sales/turnover of agribusinesses. This will also lessen the government’s dependency on foreign aid through local private sector growth and investments.

Involvement of the private sector will include developing and supporting market access for both domestic and

export markets and will build on past successes of USAID and FAO/PAIL in the region. Interventions will leverage

Public and private sector investments already made in the country’s western provinces.



Purpose of this Vacancy Announcement:

FAO is looking for qualified national staff fill the position of National Monitoring & Evaluation Assistant. This position will support the work of the USAID-funded project “Promoting Value Chains-Western Region of Afghanistan”. The post is located in Herat with frequent travel to other project locations.



Impact of Work:

Support FAO and PAIL/DAIL technically in regular monitoring of projects in order to check and verify the results against targets in the targeted project sites. He/she will facilitate to on track result based monitoring system of the projects in close collaboration with FAO, PAIL/DAIL and other stakeholders to properly execute the project implementation in western region of Afghanistan.



Key Results:

The project activities are implemented successfully, timely and effectively in conformity with the objectives of the project.



Key Objectives:

The project activities are implemented successfully, timely and effectively and conform to the objectives of the project. The incumbent is responsible for developing her/his work plan upon joining. The plan must be and based on SMART planning standards and according to project objectives.



Reporting Lines / Supervision Received/Exercised:

The National Monitoring & Evaluation Assistant will be under overall/general supervision of FAO Representative/Country Director in Afghanistan and works under direct supervision/reporting to International M&E Specialist and National M&E Officer. On technical aspects s/he should consult with the International Project Manager/Team Leader. Further s/he maintain in close cooperation with project staff, FAO Representation Units and the counterpart MAIL (Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock) and PAIL (Provincial Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock in Herat, Badghis and Nimrooz) authorities. The M&E Assistant will be responsible for the following tasks and responsibilities:

  Tasks and Responsibilities:


Undertake the responsibilities related to data collection, organization, recording and data management including proper documentation and filing of all M&E data, reports and tools to support the findings and figures;
Assist National Project Manager in designing survey and develop survey questionnaires with support and guidance from the Int’l M&E Specialist and National M&E Officer to conduct verification surveys in collaboration with P/DAIL and other partners.
Assist in Designing and developing appropriate formats, questionnaires and methodologies for data collection and supervise the data collection process to maintain the accuracy of regular data collected on project impacts and outcomes including those from secondary sources, in collaboration with national project staff, and support and guidance from the National M&E Officer.
Take part in regular field visits and meet with various stakeholders to validate the data and ensure the quality of data on regular basis.
Assist National Project Manager, M&E Officer, and also collaborate with National Communication and Knowledge Management Officer in producing periodic detailed reports based on the targeted impacts and outcomes of the project.
Assist in planning and engaging with other project staff to identify project strengths and weakness based on the project progress and draw lessons learned for better planning and improvement of the project with guidance and support from the National M&E Officer.
Assist the Financial Analyst and the project staff to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data, report on findings from monitoring activities, and share information with operations staff on progress under the supervision of National M&E Officer;
Assist in ensuring the relevancy of data collection to FAO’s Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS) required criteria;
Assist and Follow up on reports and uploading them into the FPMIS on a timely manner;
Keep track of M&E tasks in order to meet all requirements as efficiently as possible;


Other Activities:

Any other duties as required by the Organization


Partnership Building and Knowledge Management:

Maintain regular contact with FAO Country Office and the National Project Director (NPD) on project implementation issues of their respective competence;
Develop and maintain relationships with counterparts in the country to ensure adequate and timely technical inputs to the project;
Facilitate information sharing and generate awareness on the VC projects and progress to stakeholders, whenever required;
Builds strategic partnerships and synergies to enhance the impact and sustainability of the project outcomes;
Represent the Organization at project meetings and events, identify strategic partnerships, advocates best practices and increased policy dialogue and develop and negotiate effective working relationships/ consensus and agreements with national stakeholders;


SALARY/REMUNERATION:


The remuneration for the post of National Monitoring & Evaluation Assistant is between USD 1,214 to USD 1,570 (SB-3, Step 1 to 2) monthly based on the qualification and experience of the candidate.
The selected candidate will also receive an additional 8.33% monthly salary as pension benefit/coverage monthly.
Job Requirements:
Education:

University degree in agriculture economics, social sciences, international development, business administration, food security or closely related fields, with solid background/understanding of the agricultural, value chain approaches, agribusiness, food security and sustainable agriculture development sectors;

 Work Experience:


At least five (5) years of professional experience in programme/project related work, including experience in results-based monitoring and evaluation, data collection, management and analysis, research, value chain management, agribusiness, food security and nutrition, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes and capability to perform the tasks described above, preferably experience with UN and USAID funded projects;
Experience to utilize data analysis and statistical software such as SPSS and STATA are highly preferred.
Previous work experience with UN and western region of Afghanistan would be an advantage;
Technical/Functional Skills:

Working experience with ministries, national institutions and the rural/small business sector in Afghanistan;
Strong familiarity with Value Chain management issues in Afghanistan, including the political, institutional and socio-economic contexts;
Experience organizing stakeholder meetings or workshops with national participants;
Proven experience in internationally-recognized best practices and approaches/methodologies of M&E, in the logical framework and other monitoring and evaluation tools, and in the development and use of M&E methods (qualitative, quantitative, participatory);
Ability to use a logical and structured approach to collate, archive and synthesis information.
Experience and knowledge of the FAO rules and regulations and good skills of multi-stakeholders coordination and data collection and management
Experience of working with UN, and government entities is highly desirable;


Other Desirable Skills:

Good understanding and familiarity with UN development/ humanitarian program and working methods, particularly with FAO policies, financial and budget, administration and programming procedures;
Strong research skills;
Excellent data collection skills;
Excellent analytical skills;
Excellent presentation skills.

 PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES


Quality-conscious: Focus on delivering work of the highest quality, and on contributing ideas to improve project processes;
Results-oriented: Focus on achieving high-quality and sustainable results, and delivering results on time to meet project deadlines;
Interpersonal Communication and Teamwork: Possess good interpersonal communication skills to ensure an atmosphere of teamwork and respond to suggestions in a professional manner;
Knowledge Exchange and Learning: Share knowledge and promote a learning culture within the office. Actively work towards continuing personal learning, and applying newly-acquired skills within the Office.

Submission Guideline:
Interested Afghan nationals should complete the FAO Personal History Form (PHF) and submit it along with their application letter and CV to the email address below, clearly mentioning the vacancy number and post title (National Monitoring & Evaluation Assistant – FAO/HRT/PRJ/SC/03-2019) in the subject line of the email, otherwise your email will not be considering for further process.



Please submit your application to below email address:



FAOAF-vacancies@fao.org



NOTE: Applicant who failed to attach the FAO Personal History Form (PHF) their Application will not be considered for further process.



The above required documents can also be submitted in writing (marked “Confidential” and clearly indicating on the sealed envelope the Vacancy Announcement Number, Postal Title, Your Name and Date of Submission) to: the Assistant FAO Representative (Administration), FAO Representation, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Jamal Mina, Opposite Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan.



The FAO PH Form can be downloaded using the following internet link:



http://www.acbar.org/applicationform 



The last date for receiving applications is 28 February 2019. Please note that applications received after closing date will not be given consideration. Only short listed candidates whose applications respond to the above criteria will be contacted for test/interview.



ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview/test.
Application received after closing date will not be given consideration.
Please make sure to sign the first page of your PHF while applying for the vacant post.
Do not forget to write the post title and VA number on subject of your email.
Regret letter will only be sent to interviewed candidates.
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment, respect for all and Integrity and Transparency
Submission Email:
FAOAF-vacancies@fao.org