Self Help Africa (SHA) – MEAL Officer – Rural Women Entrepreneurs (KEM4 Project).

Job Title: MEAL Officer – Rural Women Entrepreneurs (KEM4 Project)
JD Unique ID: KEM4/M&E/2023
Organisation: Self Help Africa
Location: Nakuru County, Kenya
Contract type: Fixed term, full time contract
Reports to: Dairy Cluster Manager – East Africa
Benefits: 22 days annual leave, Medical Insurance, 10% Employer pension contribution and 25% leave allowance

Organisation Overview: About Self Help Africa & United Purpose
In late 2021 Self Help Africa (SHA) and United Purpose (UP) merged. The two organisations – one headquartered in Ireland and the other in Wales – implement projects to end extreme hunger and poverty.

This merger doubled our size and reach – and means that in 2022 we are implementing poverty eradication projects in 17 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Collectively, we are also part of a group that includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, TruTrade and Cumo Microfinance.
In 2022 our work will reach more than six million people and invest upwards of €45m in more than 100 development programmes designed to improve food systems, facilitate access to markets and financial services, combat climate change, gender inequality, and improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

This is an exciting time to join us as we unite two like-minded and entrepreneurial organisations seeking to tackle the global challenges in progressive and innovative ways.

Project Overview:

The Scaling Rural Women Entrepreneurs for Community-Led Digital Adaptation & Resilience in Africa project, which will be implemented in Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi, combines the lessons learned in Bangladesh from the women-led social enterprise model and the collaborative development practices honed through the GIZ-funded Mobilizing Rural Women Entrepreneurs for COVID-19 Response and Recovery in Rural Bangladesh project. The 12-month pilot will take an adaptive approach to implementing the model, evolving at each stage to respond to the unique contexts and demands of the three proposed pilot countries.

Women’s Business Centres (WBCs) have been a growing platform for digital service delivery in remote regions that respond directly to chronic disconnection of the most under-resourced members of rural communities. As women-led organisations, WBCs offer access to skill development opportunities and aggregation services in a friendly, safe, and trusted environment which fosters community and wellbeing.  In order to scale this model, the pilot will seek to engage with and strengthen existing community structures, identifying key women entrepreneurs who can lead cooperative social enterprise centres in the WBC model. The pilot will work collaboratively with these entrepreneurs to create market-based strategies and approaches to identify and respond to contextual opportunities in food security, nutrition, WASH, family planning and beyond, integrating their existing business activities in such a way that they are able to build lasting connections and incentives as well as adaptive local structures that are increasingly resilient to disruptions in global supply chains created by the interlinked food and climate crises.

In Kenya, solutions to monitor and promote nutrition will be deployed by women in dairy cooperatives to promote locally produced organic milk. These cooperatives will use digital skill building and agroecological training resources to expand their product offerings, extend their market reach, and to build communities of good practice around nutrition and agroecology. This in turn aims to build adaptive circular economies that are resilient to the food crisis and its impacts.

Job Purpose:

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Analysis and Learning (MEAL) Specialist will be responsible for contributing to the implementation of activities for the Scaling Rural Women Entrepreneurs for Community-Led Digital Adaptation & Resilience in Africa project. This innovative pilot is testing the relevance & efficacy of a women-led social enterprise model for digital service delivery in Kenya. Using a range of participatory mixed methods, the project will map existing market systems in Nakuru, evaluate care seeker needs, and build marketing strategies from consumer needs, best practices, and contextual perspectives. The MEAL Officer will be responsible for progress monitoring throughout the project period, assessment tool design, data management, and facilitating participatory analysis exercises. This position will be based in Naivasha with 60% travelling across Self Help Africa Project location.

Key Responsibilities

Technical M&E lead and advice:

• Develop and adopt M&E tools for measuring and reporting against progress and impact indicators
• Identify community-derived impact indicators using participatory methods
• Provide technical support in developing/refining participatory assessment tools
• Contribute to updating the log-frame and results against programme indicators with more detailed input provided towards preparing annual reports.
• Conduct participatory data gathering and analysis focus groups with various stakeholders involved in the project
• Jointly define market assessment strategies with community partners and other project staff
• Visit project sites for monitoring and quality assurance of Women business Centers training on nutrtion
• Monitoring and data checks on digital nutrition service delivery s to ensure reporting compliance.
• Work collaboratively with other programmes to strengthen integration and cross-learning in the country programme and with Donors.
• Represent the project to community partners and stakeholders

Training and supporting partners:

• Capacity building of partners and local government authorities.
• To supervise regular data collection and ensure the quality of the data by verifications and validations.
• Provide feedback to staff on project performance based on data collected and findings, and lead staff in reviewing project plans as part of the learning and sharing process.

Reporting:

• Provide regular updates reports as per guidance of the Project Manager, summarising the progress made in project implementation, lessons learned, recommendations for improvement, and case studies

Documentation and learning:

• Set up and manage the Program Monitoring & Evaluation and learning system while ensuring adequate technical capacity to enhance the system’s performance to achieve optimal program reporting.
• Participate in regular meetings with key stakeholders at the community/civil society/Local Government level, ensuring a common understanding of the project’s objectives and outcomes.
• Other reasonable duties may be assigned to you that are consistent with the job and its level of responsibility. These will require pre-approval by your line manager.

Key Relationships

Internal

• Regional M & E Advisor
• Head of Programmes
• Project Coordinators – Nutrition and Gender, Agriculture and NRM, Financial Inclusion, Agribusiness
• Finance and Administration Team

External

• County Governments and relevant County departments – Health, Cooperative, Nutrition, Agriculture, Trade, Social Services, Gender, etc
• Dairy Cooperatives
• Other development organizations/ stakeholders/ Cooperatives

Knowledge, Experience, and Other Requirements:

• A first degree in Economics/ agricultural economics/ development studies/ project planning & management/ monitoring & evaluation or other related discipline and Master’s degree will be an added advantage
• At least 3-6 years of experience in Monitoring and Evaluation in development sector
• Experience in participatory learning & analysis methods
• Knowledge and understanding of project monitoring and evaluation, including data management tools
• Knowledge of the current M&E trends and especially M&E systems in development organizations
• Good abilities for training, mentoring, and coaching skills (supervising enumerators and field staff)
• Good technical writing skills, presentation, facilitation, abilities for synthesis
• Proactive, resourceful, and results-oriented
• Must be a good team player, honest, dependable, and willing to be flexible with work hours
• Fluent in written and spoken English, with the ability to speak local languages
• Gender, intercultural and interfaith sensitivity.
• Willing to work additional hours at crucial times.
• Positive outlook and stand-alone disposition.
• Adaptable and responsive disposition relative to the demands and development of the programme.

Download the Job Description

This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available and SHA reserves the right to make necessary changes.

How to apply:

If you are interested in the position and have the right skills and attributes, please download the Application Form and fill it in. Upload this form along with your CV and covering letter to our Online Recruitment Platform.

If you are experiencing any problem with submitting your online application please visit this link for assistance: https://bit.ly/SHA_TechSupport1

Please note incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting.

Closing date is 25th January 2023 at 5pm

Please note that Self Help Africa Kenya advocates for equal opportunity and does not require applicants to pay any fee at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process. Canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.

Self Help Africa is committed to the highest possible standards of openness, transparency, and accountability in all its affairs and is completely against fraud, bribery, and corruption. All employees are bound by code of conduct, child protection and conflict of interest policies.

Any candidate offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

Police vetting is required.

All applicants are encouraged to read through the following safeguarding policies as you make your applications:

1. Code of Conduct
2. Conflict of Interest
3. Child Protection

Women applicants are highly encouraged; Self Help Africa is an Equal Opportunities Employer