Third Party Monitoring (TPM) Coordination Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO Afghanistan is investing, across all 34 provinces, in resilience reinforcing actions that focus on protecting agriculture livelihoods and local ecosystems, boosting local production of nutritious foods and cash-incomes, and safeguarding critical agriculture sectoral development gains achieved over the past couple of decades through revitalizing rural markets and economy. In 2022-2023, FAO will, under the life-saving assistance Outcome (1) of the UN Transitional Engagement Framework (TEF), focus on the following four priority actions: (i) Safeguarding Wheat Seed Security, (ii) Enhancing Local Production of Nutritious Food, (iii) Livestock Protection and Dairy Sector Support, and (iv) Restoring Irrigation Structures to Boost Cash Incomes. Additionally, FAO will contribute towards resilience building activities under Outcome 2 of the TEF.

Reporting Lines

The Third Party Monitoring (TPM) Coordination Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, the direct supervision of the Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer and the technical supervision of the Head of MEAL Team.

Technical Focus

The Third Party Monitoring (TPM) Coordination Specialist will work within the multidisciplinary MEAL unit and with programming colleagues to coordinate the data collection activities implemented by the TPM partners to meet the information needs of FAO Afghanistan’s programme in a timely and consistent manner.

Tasks and responsibilities

• In collaboration with the Head of MEAL Team and Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer, draft terms of reference, evaluate bids and oversee the selection of third party monitoring partners through FAO’s competitive selection procedure, and work closely with Procurement colleagues on the contract management and applicable extensions etc;
• In collaboration with the Head of MEAL, identify key information needs and data collection exercises (for example, baselines, post-distribution monitoring, spot-checks and endlines) that can be aligned thematically and geographically for increased efficiency of data collection and analyses;
• Develop and monitor the TPM’s workplans to ensure timely implementation of activities;
• Ensure the timely engagement of FAO partners and counterparts to facilitate data collection according to the established workplan;
• In collaboration with UN security services and FAO management, support the TPM in obtaining required clearances from relevant authorities for data collection;
• Remotely monitor the collection of data to verify quality and accuracy;
• Review field reports provided by TPM in relation to the data collection activity to identify any logistical adaptations required, and support the Head of MEAL to review the reports drafted;
• Ensure the timely delivery of databases and reports in alignment with the established workplan;
• Oversee the financial reporting of the TPMs to ensure alignment with agreed budgets per activity, in collaboration with Operations colleagues;
• Perform any other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced (Master’s) degree or University (Bachelor’s) degree in business administration, economics, data sciences, social sciences or related field.
• For advanced degree at least five (5) years of professional experience in results based management, monitoring and evaluation and/or relevant coordination for humanitarian/development project implementation.
• For university degree at least seven (7) years of professional experience in results based management, monitoring and evaluation and/or relevant coordination for humanitarian/development project implementation.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and local languages (Pashto and/or Dari).
• National of Afghanistan.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Strong project management and organisational skills, including a keen eye for detail, ability to work under minimal supervision and to meet tight deadlines;
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation and the use various data collection methods;
• Experience organizing stakeholder meetings or workshops with various partners;
• Excellent writing and analytical skill in drafting various types of reports;
• Strong interpersonal and communication, reporting and presentation skills, analysis and interpretation of data, ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
• Previous work experience with the UN is considered a strong asset;
• Strong professional command of Microsoft Office, in particular Word and Excel.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION