Democratic Republic of the Congo: Design, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager

The Organization

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and a European office in Brussels, Belgium, SFCG’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. SFCG seeks to help conflicting parties understand their differences and act on their commonalities. With a total of approximately 500 staff worldwide, SFCG implements projects from over 35 countries, including in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The organization is an exciting and rewarding place to work, with dedicated and enthusiastic staff who loves their work. You will be joining a highly motivated staff with a good team spirit and there will be opportunities to grow in the role.

Search for Common Ground in DRC

SFCG is present in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 2001 and has main offices in Kinshasa, Bukavu, Goma and Kalemie with more than 100 employees in six provinces. SFCG's approach is to intervene at different levels of society in order to transform the behavior of both key players in conflict while shifting broader social norms to transform how societies deal with conflict.

SFCG also has partnerships with local organizations, including 85 media partners that broadcast educational radio and television programs, entertaining and appreciated by millions of listeners. Beyond the production of programs, SFCG uses innovative tools for conflict transformation, such as sports and cultural rapprochement activities, participatory theater, mobile cinema, comics, and organizes training on the transformation of conflicts.

Institutional Learning Team

The Institutional Learning Team (ILT) was set up in 2002 with the aim of supporting SFCG as a learning organization by enhancing the effectiveness of SFCG’s programming through a commitment to excellence in programming,monitoring and evaluation, and through continuous learning institutionally and within related fields. ILT supports all country teams in these and other research efforts to improve organizational learning, support capacity and develop effective strategies for sharing information and results.

Summary of Position

The Design, Monitoring and Evaluation (DM&E) Manager is responsible for providing leadership and technical support on design, monitoring and evaluation within the DRC Country Program. The position includes supervision of staff on the national DM&E team, as well as coordination with DM&E colleagues in the Great Lakes region on regional projects. The DM&E Manager will track DM&E responsibilities and deliver, ensure quality monitoring and evaluation, and strengthen the capacity of program and support staff to capture accurate and useful data that informs program implementation and results. S/he will report to DRC Program Director (in-country) and the Sr. DME Regional Specialist (from ILT), and work closely with Project Managers, Country Director, and the Director of DM&E at HQ.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities and specific duties include, but are not limited to:

• Overall responsibility for the quality and timeliness of DM&E efforts in the DRC program, as well as the program’s contribution to regional DM&E;
• Manage the implementation of baseline studies, monitoring missions, and evaluations, ensuring quality methodology and analysis as well as timely delivery;
• Analyze data collected and share findings with key internal and external stakeholders;
• Develop Terms of Reference and manage consultants as needed for external M&E exercises;
• Provide leadership in the development of monitoring systems (e.g. the development of common indicators, M&E plans, data collection tools, evidence-based processes, and knowledge management plans);
• Contribute to project and program planning and review meetings, including preparing and sharing monitoring data on progress and challenges;
• Support the development of the country’s DM&E strategy, including identifying opportunities for synergy between projects and common indicators that capture the collective effect and results of SFCG’s work in the DRC and in particular sectors;
• Develop and manage the capacity of the country program to improve program design, monitoring and evaluation;
• Provide orientation, regular support, and training to DRC program staff members, particularly in areas of design, monitoring and evaluation;
• Liaise with the Country Director and Regional Director to align with national and regional priorities;
• Participating in regional DM&E conference calls;
• Contribute to the development of project logframes and proposals;
• Contribute to cross-organizational learning, including providing information, guidelines, lessons learned, and tested tools to the HQ-based Institutional Learning Team;
• Attend DM&E events, conferences, and meetings to keep up to date and maintain relationships; and
• Be directly engaged in the continuing development of the organization, its mission and its staff, through the sharing of experience and knowledge, particularly contributing to its Institutional Learning efforts.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key duties.

Education, Experience and Expertise

• Minimum of three to five (5) years of work experience in design, monitoring and evaluation methodologies
• At least one year of field-based data collection and analysis experience
• Multi-country and cross-cultural experience related to program or DM&E implementation
• Collaborative working style that enables coaching and training in M&E principles and best-practices
• Demonstrated capacity to coordinate evaluations, including experience developing evaluation terms of reference and recruiting and managing consultants
• Extensive knowledge and application of proposal design principles
• Proficient in use of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, Pivot Tables, Access, as well as web browsers
• Fluency in both French and English.
• Ability to travel for extended periods of time within DRC (25 to 30%)

Highly Desirable:

• Knowledge of participatory methods, mix-methods, outcome mapping and/or impact evaluation techniques
• Experience working internationally and specifically in conflict/fragile state environments
• Knowledge of data analysis software (e.g. STATA, SPSS)
• Personal Characteristics
• High standards of integrity, professionalism, and impartiality
• Demonstrated skills in working collaboratively and effectively across cultures
• Ability to multi-task, be self-motivated, and be organized but flexible
• Sense of humor and grace under pressure
• Able to work independently and effectively in a team environment

Please note:

• Qualified national and international persons are encouraged to apply.
• The position is to be based in one of our three largest offices: BUKAVU, KINSHASA or GOMA.
• Salary: Commensurate with experience and education, with excellent benefits.

Closing Date: January 1, 2017, or as soon as possible (applicants reviewed on a rolling basis, beginning December 19^th). Please send a cover letter and resume through our application system here. Please be sure to include projected start date, salary range, and to mention where you found this posting. Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. Please see our web site https://www.sfcg.org/ for full details of our work.