(RFP300420)- Program Associate – Administration, Monitoring, and Evaluation (M&E)- Harare Zimbabwe

The Organization

The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people's lives. Alliance solutions address the global crisis of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national, and multinational partners across Sub Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia, and with public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

IFPRI-HarvestPlus is a program of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). IFPRI is one of the CGIAR centers, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. IFPRI-HarvestPlus work to improve nutrition and public health in LMICs, by developing and promoting biofortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals while providing global leadership on evidence and technology. In [Zimbabwe] IFPRI-HarvestPlus is implementing projects to improve nutrition and public health by promoting biofortified crops like vitamin A-rich maize and sweet potato, iron-rich beans, cow peas and pearl millet and collaborating with various partners to increase their production and consumption.
About the position
The Alliance seeks to recruit a highly motivated Program Associate - Administration, Monitoring, and Evaluation to lead its national level Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (M&E) function in Zimbabwe. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, learning and reporting program progress and results. The position will report to the Country Program Manager. The position is expected to dedicate 50% of their time to support global MEL work, 30% to support in-country MEL work and 20% of their time to project administration activities including project procurement.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

1. Monitoring Learning & Evaluation (MLE):

• Identify and track project specific indicators.
  
• Develop and maintain an up-to-date database of project beneficiaries, including the inputs, training, and other benefits they receive from projects.
  
• Lead in the design and implementation of projects' baseline, output and outcome monitoring surveys.
  
• Support the global MEL team with survey design, coordination, and data analysis.
  
• Collect monitoring data from implementing partners, analyze, and share results with relevant stakeholders.
  
• Plan and facilitate projects' progress review and reflection platforms. 
  
• Prepare periodic reports to meet management and donor reporting requirements.
  
• Coordinate data collection across the various functions within the country program for global reporting.
  
  2. Program Design and Planning:
  
  • Assist in the design and implementation of the M&E country strategy in close collaboration with the global senior monitoring specialist.
    
  • Support the development of a Theory of Change (ToC) and results frameworks for new project proposals.
    
  • Design project specific monitoring frameworks in line with HarvestPlus global M&E Results Framework.
    
    3. Support for procurement and administrative coordination:
    
    • Assist with program procurement activities, including supplier identification and processing of supplies and services transactions, while ensuring compliance with tax regulations and adherence to Alliance and IFPRI-HarvestPlus policies and procedures.
      
    • Create and maintain an updated Procurement Plan for HarvestPlus Zimbabwe.
      Assist in preparation of reports for The Alliance Regional Operations unit on program asset register and vehicle fleet management for Zimbabwe.
    • Coordinate stock distribution, ensuring proper documentation of inventory movement for audit and project M&E purposes.
      
    • As and when required, traveling within Zimbabwe, for IFPRI-HarvestPlus project activities to facilitate logistical arrangements and payments of allowances.
      
      4. Any other duties as may be assigned by the Country Manager/ Team Leader. Personal Attributes:
      
      • High level of organization, analytical/critical thinker, paying attention to detail.
        
      • A team player with the ability to work well with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
        
      • Excellent leadership, training and facilitation skills.
        
      • Advanced written and verbal communication skills.
        
      • Ability to multi-task and work under pressure.
        
        
        

        Requirements

        • A minimum of  Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Agri-Business or related field.
          
        • At least three years of experience in designing, implementing and maintaining M&E systems in the agricultural sector.
          
        • Experience in project administration within agriculture or development sector.
          
        • Competent in quantitative   and   qualitative   data   analysis using SPSS, CSPro, STATA and other related software.
          
        • Clean Class 4 drivers' license acquired no less than four years ago.
          
          

          Benefits Terms of employment
          

          This is a nationally recruited position based in Harare, Zimbabwe. The initial contract will be for one year subject to a probation period of three