Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Specialist at Land O’Lakes Venture37

Project Summary: 

The Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AIDI) is a CGIAR initiative consisting of a series of rapid impact interventions aiming to ensure that smallholder farmers in key food production areas of sub-Saharan Africa have the information and innovation they need to offset the increase of food, fuel and fertilizer prices brought on by the war in Ukraine. The initiative aims to support resource-poor smallholder farmers to increase crop production and productivity through access to know-how, fertilizers, improved seeds, and financing mechanisms.

Land O’Lakes Venture37 has a sub-agreement with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) to implement a rapid impact intervention focusing on the commercial and indigenous poultry value chains in Zambia. The Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative – Livestock (AIDI-L) is a 24-month project whose overall aim is to contribute to improved food and nutrition security and rural incomes in Zambia. Specifically, the project’s purpose is to improve productivity and availability of poultry meat and eggs at household and local market levels through widespread adoption of sustainable livestock innovation. AIDI-L aims to reach 15,000 smallholder households in Zambia through private sector-led, women-and youth- focused innovations in poultry, and 375,000 through poultry vaccination and media campaigns.

Position Summary:

The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Specialist will develop and implement a MEL system for the project. Specifically, the MEL Specialist will develop tools and processes, documented in a MEL plan, train staff and partners in the MEL system, coordinate all data collection efforts, ensure data quality, process and analyze the data for donor reporting, adaptive management, and learning purposes, and provide oversight support to external evaluators. The MEL Specialist will also lead learning and adaptation activities. This individual reports to the Project Advisor with technical support from the Venture37 Global MEL staff based in the United States. This position is based in Lusaka, Zambia.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and oversight of the MEL system and update as necessary throughout the life of the project;
• Train project staff and key partners in their role in project monitoring and evaluation;
• Manage an electronic data collection platform, including training staff and ensuring timely data entry and cleaning;
• Select and manage appropriate consultants for a baseline assessment and final evaluation, including developing scopes of work, reviewing methodology and survey design, conducting quality control of the work, and reviewing final reports.
• Regularly review data collection processes, including regular field visits and data quality assessments, and adjust processes as needed;
• Lead the team in developing learning priorities and organize regular collaboration, learning and adaptation events;
• Provide regular updates and data on project progress against key metrics into donor reports, work planning and learning events;
• Support the writing and editing of success stories
• Demonstrate the highest degree of integrity throughout all activities, and raise any concerns with implementation quality immediately with the Project Advisor;

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in economics, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, or related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant and progressive experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning of development projects in Zambia
• Excellent quantitative and qualitative research, analysis and evaluation skills.
• Highly developed conceptual, analytical and innovative problem-solving ability.
• Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor tasks.
• Computer literacy and competency in use of Microsoft Office software.
• Ability to independently and proactively work as a team member with minimum day-to-day oversight.
• Proficiency in statistical software (e.g. Stata, SPSS).
• Strong writing and oral presentation skills;
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Preferred Skills & Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in economics, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, or related field.
• Experience in monitoring, evaluation and learning of agriculture programs in Zambia
• Experience utilizing data for creative communications.