Terms of Reference Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant

Job Title: Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant

Location: Accra – Ghana

Expected Start Date of Assignment: January 2020

Duration: 12 months (including 3 – month probation period)

CONTEXT:

West and Central African countries, with support from the World Bank and Association of African Universities, launched the Regional Higher Education Project called the Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project in 2014. Under the ACE Project, 57 programmes have attained international accreditation, 9,000 master’s and 2,000 PhD students have enrolled in postgraduate programs, including over 5,000 regional students. Moreover, 4,000 students and faculty have participated in an internship in a company relevant to their field of study, and the 22 ACEs have generated a combined external revenue of US$40 million in the five years of implementation. Following the successful implementation of the ACE Project, the World Bank is scaling up and increasing the impact of ACEs on achieving key outcomes that are fundamental to economic growth through the ACE for Development Impact Project, or simply, ACE Impact Project.

The development objective of the ACE Impact is to improve the quality, quantity and development impact of postgraduate education in selected universities through regional specialization and collaboration. The project will contribute to participate in Governments’ objectives of reducing the higher-level skills gaps and improving applied research and technology uptake in the priority sectors. Further, the project would contribute to the strengthening of the best African universities within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Agricultural Sciences; and Health Sciences, as well as in Applied Social Sciences and Environment. The ACE Impact Project will cover 10 countries (Republic of Benin, Burkina Faso, Republic of Djibouti, Republic of Ghana, Republic of Guinea, Republic of Niger, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Republic of Senegal, Republic of The Gambia, and Republic of Togo). The total investment across the countries is expected to reach USD 300 million. The AAU is the Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU) for the project. The responsibilities of the RFU include the coordination and facilitation of regional activities, monitoring and evaluation, capacity building for the selected centers of excellence and sharing of good practices across the countries.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the general supervision of the Association of African Universities (AAU) Secretary General, the AAU ACE Impact Project Manager and daily supervision of the AAU M&E Officer, the M&E Assistant will provide analytical and operational support for the ACE Impact monitoring and evaluation and verification process. S/he will be responsible for:

1. Contributing to the development of M&E tools (data gathering, analysis of activities, results tracking against indicators) that suits the project’s background and requirements;

2. Supporting the preparation of the M&E performance briefs for the Centers

3. Supporting the verification process for all DLIs for the Centers

4. Updating the status of the projects’ implementation in accordance to the centers’ M&E performance plans on a regular basis;

5. Contributing in convened M&E and learning events from time to time as required e.g. facilitation of M&E clinics at regional workshops, national workshop and as relevant virtual webinars.

6. Following-up on various M&E tasks in order to meet all requirements as efficiently as possible;

7. Following-up with the centers M&E officers and coordinators on data reports and uploading in a timely manner;

8. Assisting in data analysis and reporting;

9. Archiving all M&E work electronically; and

10. Performing other tasks as required by the M&E Officer

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

· Bachelor’s degree in International Development, Political Science, Economics, Statistics or relevant field;

· At least 1-2 years’ experience on M&E, experience in development project will be an advantage;

· Strong knowledge of project cycle management and M&E tools and approaches;

· Ability to write reports and response communicate clearly and effectively.

· Bilingual will be an added advantage

SELECTION CRITERIA:

· Demonstrated ability to liaise with multiple agencies, effectively building an understanding of partnerships and relationships;

· Ability to plan, organize, implement and report;

· Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills in English and French is a must;

· Excellent skills in Excel and Microsoft Office. Experience in data analysis programs is an advantage

APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND CONTACT DETAILS

Applications should be received by 15th December 2019. Apply using this link: https://www.research.net/r/MnEAsst19