Project Assistant for Monitoring and Evaluation (Adana)

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

Background of Uplands Rural Development Project (URDP)

The overall objective of the Upland Rural Development Project (URDP), on the other hand, is to enhance the welfare and socio-economic resilience of small farmers in highlands. This objective can be attained by making the use of natural resources sustainable and improving the resilience and economic opportunities of poor people in rural areas based on farms and agribusinesses linked to more profitable economic clusters. The key strategy of the Project includes developing rural production, encouraging sustainable use of soil and water, and enhancing the adaptation capacity of smallholding farmers to climate change. This strategy depends on two basic complementary outcomes (outputs): (i) Development of critical agribusinesses through better natural resource management and high added value for rural transformation by using an economic clustering approach, (ii) Enhancing access of small farmers to financial services by strengthening special financial resources.

At the first stage, the Project will be implemented in the Eastern Mediterranean (Adana, Mersin, Osmaniye) and the Western Black Sea (Bartın, Kastamonu, Sinop) regions targeting 45 districts and 30,000 households. At the second stage of the programme, the inclusion of additional provinces will be evaluated by IFAD depending on the successful implementation of first phase. Quantitatively URDP’s two phases are expected to benefit about 60,000 households, or 294,000 beneficiaries. URDP beneficiaries are divided into three main categories: (i) economically active poor households (ii) economically active households with upsides (iii) contributors to rural development and clustering investments.

URDP has three components: (i) Clustering for Flexible Rural Transformation (ii) Inclusive Rural Finance (iii) Project Management.

Project Assistant (M&E) will contribute development of regional M&E System and maintain the M&E System of the project and ensures that it feeds the department system with relevant information for progress assessment and decision-making in provincial level. The M&E Assistant works in close collaboration with the M&E Unit of Survey and Projects Department of General Directorate of Agrarian Reform, the Lead M&E Specialist, the Lead Targeting, Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist and provincial project teams, to ensure smooth and timely management of inputs as well as other Project staff and Projects Manager to coordinate activities and seek synergies.

Under the supervision of Projects Coordinator and the Head of Department of Survey and Projects (DSP) of General Directorate of Agrarian Reform, the Project Assistant (M&E) will perform the following duties in accordance with UNDP and IFAD policy and procedures, including but not limited to:

-Ensures administration and implementation of the operational strategies focusing on: M&E, project progress, AWPB, data collection and planning • Supporting the M&E Officer of ISG Portfolio and the Lead M&E Specialist for the development of the Monitoring & Evaluation System with adequate indicators to monitor and report progress, performance, and impact by also including gender disaggregated data. • Working with the Lead Targeting, Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist in the CPMU and each specialist in the PPMU and the coordinator of the provinces in critically re-viewing project design to see how each component or subcomponent addresses targeting, gender, youth, and social inclusion issues, and identifying opportunities for strengthening implementation from a gender perspective at provincial level. • Planning and collecting provincial M&E data for each project activity and entering related tables. • Ensuring that the M&E activities are carried out in accordance with the guidelines and procedures and establishing an M&E system that captures and analysis sex disaggregated data on gender, youth, and social inclusion. • Collecting data on agricultural advisory services and trainings, by also including gender disaggregated data, through farmer support teams. • Planning and coordinating data collection for preparation of provincial Annual Work Plan and Budget tables. • Documenting and collecting information on lessons learned, including case studies and special research of the implemented project activities, preparing project activities’ completion reports, by also including full targeting, gender and social inclusion monitoring sections. • Monitoring, recording and reporting quarterly on physical progress in the provinces, by also ensuring that there are no adverse impacts on target groups because of project implementation, and suggesting remedial measures if necessary. • Planning, preparing and implementing provincial level targeting, gender mainstreaming and social inclusion training, awareness raising and communication activities under the supervision of the Lead Targeting and Gender Mainstreaming Specialist.

-Preparing reports • Preparing monthly, quarterly and yearly M&E and Gender Mainstreaming & Social Inclusion reports. • Preparing monthly, quarterly, and yearly provincial physical and financial progress re-ports. • Conducting surveys together with the PPMU staff to measure the effects of the grants, demonstrations and infrastructures and preparing reports according to the results of surveys • Actively participating in the preparation of provincial Annual Work Plan and Budget by the Provincial Project Management Unit (PPMU) and ensuring that the activities of the targeting and gender strategy are reflected in the documents. • Preparing effectiveness reports on agricultural advisory and training services, including the information on targeting and gender mainstreaming activities.

-Providing active assistance to implementation of M&E and project progress reporting system and activities: • Undertaking regular visits to the field to conduct and assist M&E activities, project progress, village-based assessments and reporting. • Conducting preparations and actively providing assistance services for provincial level project stakeholder’s review / validation workshops, AWPB studies, village-based development research, and IFAD mission activities. • Undertaking regular capacity assessments on gender and social inclusion issues and provide capacity building for staff at the field level, PPMU, implementing partners and service providers. • Planning and managing provincial project management documentation and filing system. • Assistance in the preparation of budget, audit and other reports • Ensure timely provision of inputs for reporting of project activities and support for developing and maintaining the Project Management Information System (MIS) • Any other task assigned by the project as per requirements.

• Accountability
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Client Orientation
• Commitment and Motivation
• Integrity
• Knowledge Sharing
• Self-Management
• Working in Teams

project implementation in national and/or international context. • Minimum 1 (one) year of experience in supporting M&E activities in the public, private and non-profit sector contexts • Work experience in data collection and/or conducting field surveys and/or working M&E and/or Management Information System (MIS) in government/donor programs with knowledge of logical framework programs and participatory systems and/or working ac-counting and financial reporting clerk • Professional experience in targeting gender and social inclusion issues. • Ability to develop a monitoring system and capacity to carry out relevant field level verification will be evaluated based on the accomplishments in the previous experience. • Experience in project implementation • Strong English and Turkish language drafting skills • Asset: Specific training in M&E • Asset: Specific training in targeting, gender, social inclusion policy development • Previous experience in conducting field surveys and/or preparing M&E and or progress reports in internationally and/or national funded projects development projects • Asset: Knowledge in at least one of particular Excel and certificate of other M&E applications/statistical software packages (i.e. MS Access, SPSS or STATA) • Perform any other administrative and logistical duties as requested by the Project Manager/Projects Coordinator/Portfolio Manager • Develop initial drafts of the reports/minutes of meetings in Turkish and in English; • Provide assistance to the Project team in filing related information, documentation, and correspondences.

The place of work for the assignment is Adana. Please disregard the duty station information (Ankara) above, it is a technical issue that will be corrected soon. The UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging her/his own housing and other living essentials. UNV Entitlements in a Nutshell for National UN Volunteer (Specialist): • Current Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) with the new salary scale rate is approx 930 USD (paid in TRY based on the monthly UNORE rate). • 100% health, life and dismemberment coverage by CIGNA. As per UN’s diplomatic mission status, it is not included in National Security Institution’s (SGK) system but can be initiated on private basis. • Entitlement to annual Leave at the rate of 2.5 working days per completed month of volunteer assignment • Entry allowance for covering relocation expenses • Exit allowance upon completion of service Several learning opportunities Unified Conditions of Service is available on UNV's website.