Website Plan International Nepal
Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning Officer
Number of Vacancies: 1
Functional Area: Programs
Reports to: Project Specialist-Education, based in Dolpa
Location: Project Office Dolpa
Travel required: Plan International Nepal working districts
Grade: C1
Type: Fixed-term until June 2024 based in Dolpa; Open for female applicants only
ABOUT PLAN INTERNATIONAL
Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners in over 75 countries. Our programs are underpinned by a core of defined values, including transparency and accountability, team collaboration, inclusion and integration, as well as the overall ambition to empower girls and young women as legacy.
Plan International has been working in Nepal since 1978 and developed a strong reputation as a respected development and humanitarian actor helping marginalised children, their families and communities to access their rights to health, education, economic security and protection. Through the support of local partners, Plan International works in 24 districts in Nepal.
Plan International Nepal has a vision for 2030 as “an inclusive, just and safe society where all girls and young women enjoy their rights and live in freedom”. This is coupled with the ambition of taking action so that 100 million girls learn, lead, decide and thrive as “Girls and young women in all of their diversity reach their full potential as equal and active citizens” by 2023. The country strategy is put into action through the implementation of three interrelated program areas defined as follows:
LEARN: the “Education and Skills and Opportunities for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (SOYEE)” program aims to assist vulnerable and excluded girls and young women in adapting and thriving in a changing climate;
LEAD AND DECIDE: the “Youth as Active Drivers of Change and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR)” program aims to empower girls and young women in leading change, having control over their bodies and making informed decisions; and
THRIVE: the “Early Childhood Development (ECD), Child Protection and Child Poverty” program enhances vulnerable and excluded children, especially girls, to be valued and cared for without discrimination, fear and any forms of violence.
Plan international Nepal seeks candidates who practice feminist leadership, promote diversity, actively seek innovative solutions for problems, courageously and respectfully share their opinions and ideas, break down barriers and engender cross-department collaboration, practice active listening, maintain confidentiality, build trust and are passionate about children’s rights and equality for girls.
ROLE PURPOSE
Monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) are all vital to the ambition of our Global Strategy to support 100 million girls to be able to learn, lead, decide and thrive. MERL underpins Plan International’s delivery of effective and accountable gender-transformative programmes and influencing. It is a critical part of our commitments under the Programme and Influence Quality Policy (PIQP) and the Programme and Influence Approach (PIA). The role will support MERL Coordinators at Regional level, and MERL Specialists at CO in developing data collection tools, conduct data analysis and drafting reports as and when needed.
The main purpose of the Monitoring, Evaluation Research and Learning (MERL) Officer is to collect, review and share high quality, timely, accurate and complete programme/project based monitoring information, research and evaluation data to support and inform overall project/programme being implemented at the regional as well as country level. The MERL Officer will focus on supporting partner organisations to improve their projects’ monitoring and evaluation system. S/He will also implement Plan International Nepal’s Accountability Mechanism.
Description
DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE
Matrix Management
Internal and External interfaces
- Budget accountability: N/A
- Reports to: MERL Coordinator, RO West
- Internal and External interfaces:
ACCOUNTABILITIES
Functional Competencies
Ensure effective project monitoring
- Use of periodic/routine monitoring data collection templates and processes.
- Periodic/routine monitoring data collected, reviewed, consolidated and shared with Regional MERL- Coordinator, Regional Manager CO MERL specialists, MERL Manager and RO programme team.
- Inputs/Feedbacks received are incorporated.
- Case stories are collected from each project at least once in three months with quality photographs.
- Regular field (project site) visits and interactions with project stakeholders of concerned programme team to assess progress of
- project activities/interventions are organised; feedback (observations and recommendations) of the field visits are documented; concerned Programme
- Coordinators are provided with necessary support to identify and monitor actions to response feedback on a regular basis.
Implement Plan’s accountability mechanism
- Participation of community people especially deprived communities in project cycle is ensured.
- Project stakeholders including community people are oriented on project scope before project start up and after any changes made in project scope.
- Project stakeholders are provided contact details (toll-free number, SMS, email address and contact person) for any feedback/grievances on staff behaviour and quality of project activities.
- Feedback received from projects stakeholders and community people are processed as per Plan International Nepal’s feedback mechanism.
- Review and reflection with government agencies, partner organisations, and community people including children, youth and girls is carried out at least twice in a year and agreed actions are documented and followed up.
- Partner organisations are provided necessary support to conduct regular social audit at project/community level.
- Necessary support provided to the MERL Coordinator/Specialists for sharing findings, learning and recommendations from research and evaluation with community and partners as appropriate.
- Support MERL Coordinator RO West in joint monitoring visits with government offices Project progress data compiled and shared with MERL Coordinator, RO-West.
Support in evaluation and research activities
- Participated with necessary technical support in baseline studies, research and evaluation as and when needed.
- Study teams are provided with necessary support to coordinate field data collection.
- Programme team are provided with necessary support to implement management responses to recommendations of evaluation and research.
- Good practises are documented and disseminated.
Maintain external information at Province and Municipality level required for programme design and implementation
- Programme information (demographic, geographical, natural resources, government services/facilities, institutions (groups, CBOs and NGOs) and Plan support project information at provincial and municipality level maintained, shared with programme staff.
- Support RO level periodic MER report for sharing within organisations and external stakeholders prepared.
Maintain MERL and Programme/Project Module of ERP systems in field office
- Update of programme/project data in the system in time is ensured.
- Necessary support is provided to Project Manager/Coordinator for the quality and timely process of project documents and use of gender marker and safeguarding review checklist.
- Monthly update of outputs and activities, people reach, milestones is ensured and followed up with the concerned for timely update.
- Update of visit reports and outcome of review/reflections meetings in the system is ensured.
Contribute in emergency responses in assigned location as per organisational need
- Role of MERL in Emergency performed as per MERL in Emergency process and procedure during emergency.
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge and Experience
- Bachelor Degree in Rural Development, Social Work, Sociology, Public Health and other social sciences with 2-3 years of experience in the relevant sector
- Clear understanding of the development sector, its operating and regulatory environment ( in Nepal)
- Clear understanding of the socio/political economic and cultural issues of Nepal, specifically post located districts of the country.
- Clear in-depth technical and practical knowledge and understanding of the relevant job domain.
- Knowledge in use of analytical system (database system, spreadsheet and/or statistical software).
- Use of mobile/digital data collection tools.
- Experienced in applying recognised standards of data quality assurance.
- Analyse, synthesise and draw out conclusions and learning from monitoring data and processes.
- Experienced in implementing result/M&E framework.
- Knowledge on project cycle management.
Skills
- Analytical, strategic thinking and negotiating skills.
- Ability to build effective relations for influencing and team work.
- Ability to write clearly and concisely in English and Nepali.
- Innovative and creative thinking with problem solving.
- Managing work relationships (internal/external), coordination and networking.
- Proven IT skills: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc.
- Report writing and documentation.
- Ability to prioritise and multitask work when dealing with competing deadlines, sometimes with limited resources.
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
- The position is based in Project Office, Dolpa.
LEVEL OF CONTACT WITH CHILDREN
- High contract: Job requires interaction with children while collecting data for monitoring, evaluation, research and feedback purpose.
“Say Yes ! To Keeping Children and Young people safe and Protected”
Application Deadline: Thursday, 28th September 2023
Source: Kantipur Dainik, 15 September, 2023