Position: Monitoring and Evaluation Baseline Consultant
Location: Remotely
Position Type: Temporary consultancy contract for 3 months, starting ASAP for 20 days full time, with 5 additional days in October and/or November.
Conditions: Ability to travel from home for short periods is required. Given the nature of our work, some evening and weekend work is required.
Closing Date: September 30th, 2020
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Program Manager, and under the supervision of the MEAL Officer, the Monitoring and Evaluation Baseline Consultant will be responsible for the development and implementation of baseline assessment tools with a focus on innovative data collection, analysis, and reporting to ensure synergy across teams and contribute to organizational learning. Working closely with other members of Crossroads teams, the candidate promotes and supports holistic learning through innovation and a thorough and rigorous baseline assessment. She/he ensures that all monitoring, evaluation, learning and knowledge sharing systems and tools incorporate a strong gender analysis and approach.
The M&E Baseline Consultant will develop the baseline assessment tools in Year 1 of Crossroad’s 7-year Volunteer Cooperation Program (VCP). The candidate will act as a technical expert for the VCP multi-country baseline study with a focus on the design, sampling, and development of baseline tools for use during the study, data collection guidelines and protocols, planning analysis of all data, with the possibility for later additional contract in relation to report writing.
The successful candidate will be agile, innovative, solution-oriented and client focused, with a high level of adaptability and tolerance in handling uncertainty and multi-stakeholder expectations in a context of change.
Consultancy Deliverables
• Design parameters of baseline study based on assessed VCP program needs and framework through organizational consultation, and GAC reporting requirements
— Baseline data: i) informs the establishment of realistic and achievable targets; ii) provides a point
of reference against which progress on or towards the achievement of outcomes will be assessed,
monitored and evaluated; and iii) informs project implementation.
— Baseline data should be disaggregated by other variables such as gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic
status, geographic area or any other category relevant to the project.
• Develop innovative baseline data collection tools in consultation with MEAL Officer, that are realistic and context specific
• Develop different tools of both broader and targeted scopes that will allow local
consultants to capture baseline information including but not limited to:
— Contextualizing information on the conditions of girls and women in the area of operation, on issues of GBV, access to justice, knowledge of their sexual and reproductive rights and access to related services, their income and economic situation as well as related services, on their decision-making power, their level of leadership as well as the influence that climate change has on their lives, etc.
— More focused and smaller scale data that will provide a baseline on our precise partner organizations and their beneficiaries.
• Ensure that the data generated during the baseline will enable the assessment of VCP impact and efficiency, and as well as generate organizational lessons learned
• Ensure that the data generated during the baseline will comply with all GAC reporting requirements
• Support the Program Team to improve and update existing baseline indicators in response to operating environment and organizational needs
• Determine sample size for intervention and comparison areas
• Develop data quality protocols to guide data collection/ entry in coordination with the MEAL Officer, and in line with the new incoming monitoring and evaluation software
• Develop guidelines for data entry and data collection to ensure high quality and rigor
• Prepare guidance and instructions for baseline tool implementation by in-country staff and consultants
• Pending satisfactory work performance and quality, possibility of an additional contract post-data collection to draft final baseline report, incorporating feedback from Crossroads International
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum five years related work experience in monitoring and evaluation in a development or humanitarian context;
• Demonstrated professional experience conducting a baseline study specifically building data collection tools);
• Fluency in both English and French is essential with proficiency in one of the 2 languages;
• University degree in a related field;
• Demonstrated capacity to develop and manage organizational partnerships, collaborations and relationships;
• Demonstrated experience in developing and using the tools and systems of results-based management and program monitoring and evaluation;
• Strong competencies in RBM, Human Rights Based Approach, and participatory approaches to monitoring and evaluation.
Aptitudes & Skills
• Self-starter, Innovator, Creative, Collaborative;
• Adaptive and tolerant to uncertainty;
• Client- and service-oriented;
• Strong organizational, administrative, communication & interpersonal skills;
• Experience with Volunteer Cooperation Programming would be considered an asset;
• Commitment to women’s rights and experience in integrating a gender analysis.
Essential Conditions
• Ability to work 20 days on a full-time basis (7 hours a day), starting ASAP, with an additional 5 days available for support work in October and November.
the organization
Crossroads International is a leader in international cooperation and has been fighting inequality for over 60 years. Crossroads works in some of the world’s poorest nations in Africa, with local partner organizations to create decent jobs and to empower women to become leaders and live free from violence. Every year, we engage experienced volunteers and staff North and South who apply their expertise locally to address global issues. Together we are leveraging knowledge, expertise and dollars to create a more just and equitable world.
Crossroads is a registered charity supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), other government and non-government funders, and many individual donors around the world.
Crossroads is committed to principles and values of access and equity. Candidates from diverse groups are encouraged to apply.
OUR VISION
ONE WORLD where poverty is eliminated, equality prevails, and the rights of women and girls are fulfilled.
APPLICATION
If you are interested in joining a dynamic and growing international development organization, please submit your résumé and cover letter in one Word or .pdf document by September 30th, 2020 by e-mail to jpearson@cintl.org. The position will remain open until filled. Applications must include “VCP Baseline Consultant” in the subject line of the e-mail. All applicants must be eligible to work in Canada. We thank all applicants in advance, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will occur on an ongoing basis and may be held before the closing date. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
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