SCOPE OF WORK
Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability Project (IGPA)
SENIOR COMPLEXITY AWARENESS and MONITORING, EVALUATION,
and LEARNING (MEL) SPECIALIST
ERBIL
Project Background:
The purpose of the Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability (IGPA)/ Takamul project is to advance effective, accountable, and transparent governance in Iraq. This USAID effort, implemented by DAI, will work with the Government of Iraq (GOI) at all levels to better respond to citizen needs by supporting reform initiatives and Iraqi change agents on inclusive governance and public sector transparency, accountability, and economy & Reform initiatives & include support to improve service delivery functions, public financial management, and open government initiatives. IGPA will support the GOI and the citizens of Iraq in forming partnerships and collaborative efforts to solve problems jointly. IGPA has four (4) objectives:
1. Enhance GOI service delivery capacity
2. Improve public financial management
3. Strengthen monitoring and oversight of service delivery and public expenditure
4. Support Iraqi change agents (cross-cutting objective)
Also, through Task Order 4, the IGPA supports increasing employment and economic opportunities by helping the private sector, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and, as appropriate, larger, developed businesses, and build the capacity of Investment Commissions in six provinces (Ninewa, Wasit, Basra, Baghdad, Najaf, Anbar) to increase investments from local and international investors. And, through Task Order 6, IGPA/Takamul supports climate change governance improvements in priority sectors and public financial management reform for climate change.
The operational context of the IGPA/Takamul Project in Iraq is complex and dynamic, with layers of complicated variables. Government economic institutions are not genuinely independent. Rather, they are subject to tactical political decisions to reward individual communities, advance specific social engineering agendas, or react to election season campaigns for political gain. Political considerations strongly influence resource distribution decisions, leading to inequitable government resource allocation and politicized employment opportunities in government and service delivery agencies.
systemic corruption schemes that result in public unrest and demands for efficient services and more accountable government institutions. Operating in a complex environment, the IGPA/Takamul Project's Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team require innovative and non-traditional approaches to fit the project implementation realities. As the operating environment progressively requires flexibility, IGPA/Takamul complements the project's performance monitoring with a Complexity- Aware Monitoring evaluation approach. Together, these strategies further promote collaboration, adaptive management, and learning, thereby creating a circular framework for components to reinforce and complement each other.
Responsibilities:
The Senior Complexity Awareness and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Specialist is a senior-level professional and expert in conducting complexity-aware monitoring and evaluation approaches, which will take an adaptive, interactive approach towards monitoring and evaluation. Additional roles include the following:
- Work with the technical/regional team to select activities and participants to be included within the CAM evaluation study according to a set of criteria.
- Collect CAM related data through surveys, FGDs and KIIs.
- Monitor and perform trend analysis following to the data collection through Pre and Post Technical Assistance Workplace Impact Assessment (TAWIA) and KIIs.
- Develop methodology and guidance in managing perform Complexity-Aware approaches, reports, and evaluation strategies.
- Design quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analytical methods and tools to support evaluation design and implementation.
- Liaise with IGPA/Takamul Objective Team Leads to inform the design of each study/evaluative activity and support quality assurance activities throughout each study, including the review of milestone deliverables and final reports prior to submission to USAID.
- Interpret outcomes of implementation through data or other evidenced- based sources and provide program recommendations as needed
- Contribute substantively to the design and field testing of the evaluation methodology, participatory data collection methods and protocols, data verification techniques, and other technical evaluation and analytical tasks conducted during the project length.
- Employ strong collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA) practices throughout the work, with an understanding of the USAID Program Cycle.
- Contribute to MEL quarterly, and yearly reports, which is part of the IGPA contractual requirements.
- Lead the development and submission of the annual complexity-aware monitoring report.
- Support the Communication team in collecting lessons learned and identifying/ drafting possible success stories.
- Support the MEL unit in analyzing indicators progress reports by linking them to the trends captured through the CAM study.
- Work with the PEA team to include political, economic, and other factors captured by the department to the CAM study.
- Support the MEL Manager on additional tasks that may arise in relation to but not limited to standard performance monitoring.
How to apply You can address your application to: IGPArecruitment@dai.com Your application will not be taken into consideration if you do not insert the position title in subject line of your e mail. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. This position is for Iraqi nationals only.
Common Duties:
- Uphold the mission, values, and spirit of DAI in coordinating the program and in interacting with all community members.
- Follow and enforce all DAI codes of conduct, including but not limited to the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Code of Conduct and Drug and Alcohol Policy. Report any violations to appropriate IGPA/Takamul authority, and participate in preventative initiatives.
- Follow and enforce all DAI organizational policies, procedures, and guidelines, including but not limited to personnel, security, communications, finance, procurement, and logistics. Report any violations to the appropriate DAI authority.
- Actively seek opportunities that will complement the ability to fulfill the position'ss responsibilities as well as further professional development, such as taking part in internal and external training and participating on relevant advisory boards.
- Perform other duties as requested by supervisor.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in a related field. Master's degree strongly preferred.
- At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in monitoring evaluation, program management, or knowledge management.
- 2-5 year of experience in a USAID MEL function with responsibility for data collection and maintenance of MEL systems in Iraq.
- Demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking/planning, management, and presentation skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with institutional and private- sector partners and stakeholders in a multi-country setting
- Excellent writing and organizational skills and experience preparing well- researched reports
- Excellent writing, speaking, and reading skills in Arabic and English. Kurdish strongly desirable.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Substantial knowledge and experience in evaluation methodologies,
- Experience in managing MEL adaptively.
- Experience leading large, complex, and politically sensitive evaluations.
- Experience with Complexity-Aware approaches (Sentinel Indicators, Process Monitoring for Impact, Outcome Harvesting, and/or Stakeholder feedback).
- Significant expertise in leading the design and implementation of performance and impact evaluation in complex contexts.
- Significant experience in indicator development, data collection, quantitative/statistical analysis, performance monitoring, and reporting.
- Experience creating and managing performance monitoring plans and building adaptable knowledge and expertise in evaluation methodologies
Location and Reporting:
The Senior Complexity Awareness and MEL Specialist will be based in Erbil, Iraq, and will report to the MEL Manager.
