Monitoring and Evalution Officer - African Virtual University (AVU)

The African Virtual University (AVU) www.avu.org is a Pan African Intergovernmental Organization established by charter with the mandate of significantly increasing access to quality higher education and training through the innovative use of information communication technologies. A Charter, establishing the AVU as an Intergovernmental Organization, has been signed so far by eight (8) African Governments - Kenya, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Tanzania Mozambique, and Democratic Republic of Congo. The AVU has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and a Regional office in Dakar Senegal with Host-Country Agreements and Diplomatic Status with the two governments.

The AVU Business Plan 2009-2014 has two main thrusts: (a) Educational and support services provided on a fee basis; and (b) Not-for-profit development services. The, Not-for-profit development services, aims at building the capacity of AVU Partner Institutions (PIs) with an objective of increasing access to quality education through the following activities: updating and developing content; Open Educational Resources (OER) Development; AVU Capacity Enhancement Program (ACEP); set up/upgrade ODeL centers; developing professional networks through Communities of Practices; Research and Development; and Quality Evaluation and Benchmarking.

Some of the Not-for-profit development services were delivered from 2005 to 2011 through the AVU Multinational Project I, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and implemented in 10 African countries.

The AfDB is funding a second phase of the Multinational Project which will build on the first phase and will extend its benefits to more countries. The overall objective of the AVU Multinational Project II is to strengthen the capacity of the AVU and a network of 27 institutions to deliver and manage quality ICT integrated education and training opportunities in 21 African countries. The project has the following activities: (1) Establishment of new Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) Centres and/or upgrading of exiting AVU Learning Centres as well as Internet connectivity provision at AVU Partner Institutions; (2) Development and/or improvement, and delivery of four ICT integrated Programs: AVU Capacity Enhancement Program (ACEP); Teacher Education (TE), Computer Science (CS), and Peace and Conflict Resolution; (3) Gender Mainstreaming (4) Research and Development; (5) Promotion and development of Open Education Resources (OERs); and (6) Enhancement of AVU Capacity .

The AVU Multinational Project II will be implemented in 27 AVU Partner Institutions in the following 21 countries: nine (9) Francophone African Countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal; four (4) Lusophone African Countries: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Mozambique; and eight (8) Anglophone African Countries: Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, and Tanzania.

To successfully implement these project activities the AVU wishes to engage a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer to undertake activities related to the project's monitoring and evaluation with the framework of the AVU M&E system. This post will be located in Nairobi, Kenya.

2.0. SCOPE OF WORK

• Coordinate the review and improvement of AVU M&E tools and system and M&E Framework , so that it reflects effectively the Multinational Project II
• Ensure effective planning and management of Monitoring and Evaluation Systems
• Evaluate project progress and performance on activities based on indicators outlined in project logical framework and AVU M&E
• Conduct beneficiary impact assessments and assess project effectiveness from the perspective of the beneficiaries served by the project
• Make necessary recommendations on the way forward to improving project outputs
• Ensure donor regulations are met in implementation of project activities
• Assess roles and ownership by beneficiaries, Governments and private sector
• Assess possible areas for new funding opportunities.
• Develop reporting frameworks and disseminate reporting guidelines for various projects activities
• Synchronize all countries and partner institutions reporting systems to the AVU
• Coordinate the development and implementation of online tracking and information dissemination systems for partners institutions and donors
• Organize and manage external evaluation missions for consortia programs
• Coordinate the collection of M&E data, production and dissemination of reports.
• Ensure uniformly defined Indicators, data reporting requirements, new staff training in M&E capabilities, roles and responsibilities.
• Maintain the functional operation of the M&E System needed to ensure quality
• Ensure facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the area of monitoring and evaluation
• Quality control of all reports, proposals and concept notes being sent from AVU to the donor.
• Other duties assigned by the supervisor

3.0. DELIVERABLES

• A M&E system reviewed and implemented effectively
• An effective overall M&E strategy
• Well planned, monitored and evaluated Multinational Project II
• Adherence to set project monitoring protocols
• Project performance evaluated
• Timely and relevant information to all project stakeholders.
• Data on project activities collected in all countries and reports disseminated
• Analysis and M&E reporting.

4.0. QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• University degree in management and /or development related field
• Post graduate training in organizational development, project cycle management and participatory approaches.

Knowledge and experience:

• At least 5 years experience in project development and management especially in education areas
• Very good experience with proposal writing;
• Good knowledge of donors rules, in particular AfDB, World Bank, EC, CIDA and USAID;
• Experience of working in other countries is an advantage
• Experience of working in a international organization in ad added advantage
• Good knowledge of project cycle management and results based management
• Proven experience of monitoring and evaluation of development projects
• Experience with the logical framework approach to M&E and with quantitative, qualitative and participatory M&E approaches.
• Experience with participatory monitoring and evaluation approaches.

Skills:

• Strong management, planning, organizational and coordination skills
• Proven ability to work with a range of stakeholders including Academic Institutions, Donors and project partners
• Computer literacy with very good MS Word, Power point and Excel, and
• A knowledge of statistics and the use of statistical analysis software e.g. SPSS, EPI-Info would be an advantage
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Accuracy,
• Good writing and reporting skills
• Ability to work independently, under pressure and meet strict deadlines, prepare and present issues at all levels
• Ability to deal with conflict and crises
• Fluency in written and spoken English; French and Portuguese would be an added advantage

5.0. MODALITIES OF WORK
This is a full time employment

6.0 REPORTING
The officer will work under the coordination of the AVU Rector or such other person as the client may designate from time to time in writing.

7.0 PAYMENT
The salary will be commensurate with the qualification and experience of the successful candidate
Application must include detailed curriculum vitae with a telephone number, an email and residential address, names and contact addresses of three professional references

Applications should be sent to Ms Catherine Wangeci at cwangeci@avu.org with a copy to rector@avu.org

The successful candidate will be based at the AVU Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya

The closing date for this application is January 12th 2012 at 12:00 p.m East African Time (UTC/GMT + 3)