M&E Officer

Introduction

The Egyptian higher education system is a contributing factor to the economic growth of the country. High youth unemployment rates and long periods of transition between graduation and employment suggest gaps in the quality and relevance of university curricula and the lack of efficient career advisory services. Unemployment and under-employment are even more severe for young women, low-income youth, and young people with disabilities. Equal access to higher education is a further challenge. Significantly, the growth areas of the economy depend on skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Employers are also demanding better core skills for employability, such as English language, communication skills, 21st century skills and business skills.
To respond to the above, the HELW project brings together a consortium of international (ILO, British Council) and national organizations (Al Alfi Foundation and ICareer), public and private sector and NGOs to deliver an innovative programme that leverages existing reform strategies and builds a lasting legacy of public-private collaboration to improve STEM Higher Education participation and outcomes for the most disadvantaged, while simultaneously building Egypt’s capacity for growth in the future economies.
The HELW project proposes a range of innovative responses, based on the experience and capacities of its partners, to address the three strands of the UK call.
For Strand 1- Equity: Promote equitable access to higher education, particularly for low-income youth, young people with disabilities and young women from poor communities, who wish to pursue further studies at public universities in underrepresented subjects such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). HELW will support participating universities to assess and address barriers affecting the target group students, will develop career guidance and outreach marketing, and develop programmes to assist target group youth in meeting the educational and financial requirements to qualify for admission.
For Strand 2 – Quality: Improve the core skills ecosystem within public universities by equipping undergraduates and post-graduates with in-demand and employability skills. HELW will support the development of a common definition for core skills, the identification of priority skills and will pilot the delivery of innovative approaches to teaching, assessment and certification. Because English language (specifically for work in STEM fields) and business skills have already been identified as priorities, these two areas will be piloted. Other core skills will be identified and prioritized for piloting based on research and the guidance of the High Level Working Group for higher education and industry.
 

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Strand 3 – Relevance: Work with UK and Egyptian industry to improve the pathways of transition from higher education to employment, particularly in STEM careers, for the target groups outlined above. HELW will involve a number of elements. Under the general Framework for Employability which will be developed and endorsed by the High Level Working group, HELW will facilitate the creation of partnerships and processes better to connect universities with relevant employer and industry groups, to enable better mutual understanding of needs and expectations. Practices such as staff exchanges and work experience for students will be supported. Finally, more active, more effective career guidance services will be developed to aid in the transition from education to employment, again drawing on UK expertise. Data is key to determining the effectiveness of programme activities, so developing a baseline and subsequent tracer studies for STEM student and graduate outcomes is a critical element which will inform the whole programme. Data will include gender, social inclusion, disability status and other measures to ensure that the impact on target groups can be analysed.
It introduces a fourth over-arching outcome which aims to build a sustainability framework and collaborative process for orienting higher education towards employability by establishing a High Level Working Group for higher education and industry, and a number of partnerships at the university level which will build and reinforce higher education/industry links and partnerships between the British and Egyptian university sector. The High Level Working Group will also develop and adopt an Employability Skills Framework which will anchor interventions under the HELW programme and will serve as a guide for ongoing reform in the sector. This will be complemented by a leadership development initiative, drawing on UK expertise, and the establishment of a challenge fund to support innovation at individual universities. Over the course of the HELW project this group will be supported to become self-sustaining.

2. REPORTING LINE
Under the overall responsibility of the DWT/CO-Cairo Director, the incumbent will perform its duties under the direct supervision of the National Project Coordinator (NOC).  The project will be technically backstopped by the Skills Specialist.
 

Description of Duties

SUMMARY OF MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Ensure the development of MEL plan and its implementation based on ILO and DFID M&E requirements, in collaboration with the NPC and the Skills Specialist.
2. Establish and maintain contacts list of programmes beneficiaries.
3. Monitor the achievement of project indicators and provide timely updates to the NPC on project progress.
4. Draft ToR and ensure the proper implementation of baseline and follow-up surveys and studies and other M&E activities.
5. Coordinate and ensure proper mid-term and final evaluation and provide quality control on respective reports.
6. Provide guidance to HELW consortium partners on M&E related issues and quality control on their M&E figures.
7. Monitor the correct implementation financially and according to the indicators of the three implementation agreements with British Council, Al ALfi Foundation and ICareer.
8. Develop charts and graphs that display project progress towards the indicators
9. Jointly with the NOC prepare and supervise the implementation of an impact assessment of selected activities
10. Perform other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor.
 

Required qualifications

Education

First level university degree in political science quality control, economics, social science, management, or related field.

Experience

• Two or three years of relevant professional experience within the international development context.
• Previous experience and knowledge on communication and M&E
• Field work and experience coordinating with local, national and other key stakeholders regarding communication and M&E
• Familiarity and previous work experience with the ILO or other UN agencies would be an added advantage.
• Ideally previous experience in supporting DFID and or higher education projects
 

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English and good knowledge of Arabic.

Competencies

In addition to the ILO core competencies [Integrity and transparency, Sensitivity to diversity, Orientation to learning and knowledge sharing, Client orientation, Communication, Orientation to change, Takes responsibility for performance, Quality orientation, Collaboration], this position requires:
• Ability to provide technical advice and to guide and coordinate the work of external collaborators and general service staff in the area of specialization.
• Ability to analyse cross-national practices and data sets covering a wide range of issues in the specialized technical field.
• Ability to draft quality reports and prepare guidelines relating to programme development and implementation.
• Ability to provide technical support to senior specialists, carrying out research, project formulation and implementation.
• Ability to participate effectively in technical missions and to provide technical inputs for the ILO Decent Work Agenda.
• Excellent analytical skills and knowledge of analytical tools and qualitative and quantitative techniques.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and gender-sensitive behaviour and attitudes are also required.
• Strong relations with partners and stakeholders.
• Ability to perform a variety of conceptual analyses required for the formulation, administration and evaluation of projects.