Monitoring and evaluation specialist, CDRRF

Introduction

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB or the Bank) is seeking to recruit an experienced professional to perform the role of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist, for its Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (CDRRF) Project. The successful candidate will be based at CDB’s office in St. Michael, Barbados.

The CDRRF Project is focused on implementing natural hazard risk reduction, and climate change adaptation (CCA) through community-level demonstration sub-projects aimed at reducing risk to vulnerable populations. It is expected that the CDRRF will generate experience-based knowledge from the pursuit of these sub-projects to fill existing national and regional knowledge deficits as well as undertaking a targeted strategy for dissemination of knowledge generated. The project is also expected to develop guidelines for enhancing the consideration of disaster risk management and CCA in country poverty assessments in order to more accurately measure the impact of natural hazards on household and national poverty. Demonstration sub-projects will be supported on a competitive basis.

The M&E Specialist will guide the design and implementation of appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems for the CDRRF and for CDRRF sub-projects.

About the organisation

CDB is a regional multilateral development bank which was established in October 1969 and began operations in January 1970.

CDB’s members are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominica, Germany, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Italy, Jamaica, The People’s Republic of China, Mexico, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.

CDB is committed to the harmonious economic growth and development of its member countries in the Caribbean and promoting economic cooperation and integration among them, having special and urgent regard to the needs of the less-developed members of the Region. CDB is the premier vehicle for development financing in the Region.

The department

The Projects Department is primarily responsible for the efficient and cost effective identification, preparation, appraisal and supervision of CDB’s portfolio of public and private sector, utility and technical assistance projects consistent with the Bank’s policies, procedures and conditions.

The Environmental Sustainability Unit is responsible for the design and execution of programmes and projects in the areas of disaster risk reduction, climate change response and the environment.

The role

Reporting to the Project Manager (PM), CDRRF, the objectives of the M&E Specialist will be to:

- Guide the design and implementation of appropriate M&E and reporting systems for the CDRRF and for CDRRF sub-projects.
- Analyse, interpret and present M&E results.
- Coordinate the delivery of the M&E objectives of the CDRRF and approved sub-projects.
- Monitor CDRRF progress identifying problems and recommending strategies to address them.

Key responsibilities

The M&E Specialist will:

- Develop the overall strategy for CDRRF M&E, including but not limited to project reviews, participatory impact assessments, process monitoring, operations monitoring and reporting and workshops to share lessons-learnt.
- In collaboration with the PM and the CDRR Programme Management Unit team review the CDRRF results and performance measurement framework, revising it as appropriate with respect to outputs, outcomes, related targets, indicators and monitoring mechanisms to be pursued in the development of the Project Implementation Plan.
- Guide the process for identifying key performance indicators; design and facilitate the establishment of demonstration sub-project M&E systems that relate appropriately to the CDRRF, developing results-oriented logical frameworks.
- Record and report progress against the annual Work Programme and Budget, and results-based framework; and lead the process for designing the format of progress and performance reports.
- Review progress performance reports, analysing them for outcome achievement and to identify the causes of potential bottlenecks in project implementation.
- Supervise CDRRF and sub-project monitoring arrangements to ensure compliance with the CDRRF Project Agreement.
- Guide the preparation of the project reports and sub-project related results-based reporting and review for the quality control. Prepare reports for submission to the Project Technical Review Committee and for the Trust Fund Steering Committee as required.
- Review the quality and availability of existing social, economic and disaster risk management (DRM) data in the project data, methods of collection and the degree to which it will provide good baseline statistics for outcome monitoring, reporting and impact evaluation.
- Coordinate the collection of existing and/or new data, as necessary, to give effect to agreed M&E systems for the CDRRF project as well as for approved sub-projects.
- Develop a plan for project-related capacity building on M&E and organise training with stakeholders in participatory M&E skills.
- Work closely with the Knowledge Management/Public Education Specialist and implementing partners, prepare reports on M&E findings and disseminate as part of CDRR knowledge products.
- Draft terms of reference for evaluations, surveys or special studies of the CDRRF and approved sub-projects as well as procure, guide and supervise Consultant(s) as required.

Qualifications and experience

The successful candidate must have:

- At least a Bachelor’s degree in a field related to development and/or management.
- At least five years of experience with: logical framework and other strategic planning approaches; M&E methods and approaches (quantitative, qualitative and participatory); planning and implementation of M&E systems; training in M&E development and implementation; information analysis; report writing; and field research. Prior project-related and DRM, community development or natural resource management experience will be an asset.
- A solid understanding of community development with a focus on participatory processes, gender issues; and a supportive/mentoring attitude towards processes of strengthening local organisations and building local capacities for self-management. Demonstrated competence in managing donor-funded programmes and the ability to effectively communicate with community groups, Government officials, donors, private sector representatives and non-governmental organisations would also be an asset.

Competencies

The successful candidate should have the following competencies:

- Diplomacy and conflict resolution skills as well as the capacity to work both as part of a team or individually.
- Sound analytic, innovative and strategic thinking skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and be able to meet deadlines while working collaboratively in a team environment. Candidates must be able to work in a fast-paced and time-sensitive work environment, and possess a high degree of discretion and tact in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels.
- Proficient in the use of the Bank’s standard software and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Client focus, drive for continuous development and achievement of results.