Job at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for a Head of Monitoring and Evaluation

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The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. We are recruiting to fill the position below: Job Title: Head of Monitoring and Evaluation Ref: DDG-R4D/H/MES/05/17 Location: Ibadan Recruitment Type: National (3-year renewable contract) Job Summary

• The Head of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) shall provide leadership for establishing and nurturing a strong, integrated and effective institutional M&E framework for IITA.
• The Head of Monitoring and Evaluation shall provide support on proposal/strategy development, baseline and special studies, annual reporting, mid-term, and final evaluation methodologies; and facilitate critical reflection and learning across the institution based on information generated from the M&E system.
• In addition, contribute to increased appreciation of the need for quality M&E across the Institute, as well as increased confidence within the Unit by mentoring and appreciation of its personnel.
• Leadership tasks include, but are not limited to guiding the institution into building a strong M&E culture and practice; obtaining, institutionalizing and managing an appropriate software platform to automate the aggregation and presentation of necessary M&E data; providing oversight to ensure quality data collection, analysis, and reporting to IITA management, donors and other stakeholders in a timely manner; building and overseeing the implementation of a strategy for capacity development of M&E personnel, focal persons as well as key partners to ensure best practices.
• S/he shall be based at the IITA headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria and have close interaction with the four hubs, country offices, and IITA project sites.

Position/Responsibilities The specific responsibilities of the Head of M&E will include Institutional M&E Leadership (70%):

• Guide the conduct of M&E across all projects and programs of the institute. Institutionalize and manage the automation of M&E processes.
• Generate verifiable information for strategic decision-making through aggregation of data from all reporting levels.
• Lead the integration of results-based management into all interventions.
• Collaborate with the impact assessment team to streamline methodologies for measuring results.
• Coordinate the institute-wide M&E team that includes M&E professionals and focal persons of hubs or other projects. Interact and contribute to data aggregation and alignment functions of KPIs and Systems and Site Integration.
• Maintain/Develop M&E related collaborative relationships with strategic partners on behalf of IITA.
• Represent IITA on the CGIAR M&E groups, and regional M&E communities of practice.
• Review progress on achieving institutional objectives and provide IITA Management with information about important lessons learned and replicable practices.
• Collaborate with other research support units to implement knowledge management systems that provide up-to-date information on institutional performance and operational effectiveness.
• Continuously review, the M&E framework and ensure existence of M&E competences throughout the institution in terms of human and resource capacity as well as an enabling environment. Identify and minimize existing M&E procedures leading to duplicated efforts in order to save IITA’s resources.

Hub/Program/Project Level M&E Leadership (30%):

• Work with hub-level M&E personnel to review hub level M&E status and provide requisite support to strengthen the systems with specific attention to project inception, implementation and the various stages of project evaluations.
• Support program/project teams in development and implementation of M&E systems that satisfy institutional and donor standards, which include:
  • M&E plans with clearly defined indicators reflecting causal models;
  • Procedures for collection, collation, analysis, reporting, and use of data for decision-making;
  • Monitoring, documentation and learning approaches that are integrated, aligned, and mainstreamed into project activities and coordinated with stakeholders;
  • Plans for evaluation studies on outcome and impact level achievements.
• Develop staff capacity in maintaining data quality standards, and conduct data quality audits of all sources of M&E data that are reported.
• Support the use of appropriate software systems within the hubs, country offices and programs/projects as well as linkage to the institutional wide software system.

Educational Qualifications

• The candidate should hold a PhD, MBA or similar advanced degree in a relevant field.

Core Competencies:

• At least 10 years of relevant experience.
• Excellent track record in developing M&E frameworks and implementing results-based performance management.
• Proven leadership skills and sensitivity to cross-cultural and gender issues and ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English language are required with proficiency in other international languages viewed as a strong asset. Demonstrated strategic thinking and time management skills.
• Commitment to gender equity and diversity
• Knowledgeable in:
  • Performance analysis indicators
  • Logical framework approach
  • Theory-based evaluation
  • Formal survey techniques
  • Rapid appraisal methods and other participatory methods
  • Cost-benefit analysis and impact assessment approaches
• Conversant with database development, storage and management.

Remuneration IITA offers internationally competitive remuneration package paid in U.S. Dollars Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. How to Apply Interested and qualified applicants should complete the online application attaching a cover letter which should address how the candidate’s background/experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, curriculum vitae, names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s  current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor/Superior at his/her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service. Click here to apply Click here for more information (PDF) Application Deadline: 2nd June, 2017. 

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