Project Assistant - Design, Monitoring & Evaluation at Search for Common Ground (SFCG)

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and a European office in Brussels, Belgium, SFCG’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. SFCG seeks to help conflicting parties understand their differences and act on their commonalities. With a total of approximately 600 staff worldwide, SFCG implements projects from 50 offices in over 30 countries, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. The organization is an exciting and rewarding place to work, with a dedicated and enthusiastic staff that is committed to its mission and values. You will be joining a highly motivated staff with a good team spirit and there will be opportunities to grow in the role.

SFCG has been working in Nigeria since 2004, beginning with the production and broadcast of a TV series targeting a youth audience. In 2010, SFCG began building its engagement in Nigeria, establishing a full country office program, utilizing media, capacity- building, and civil society engagement to expand and deepen the impact of the Common Ground approach in Nigeria. SFCG Nigeria is headquartered in Abuja, with offices in Port Harcourt, Jos, and Maiduguri to support our peacebuilding work in the Niger Delta, the North East and North Central areas of the country.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Project Assistant - Design, Monitoring & Evaluation

Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria

Summary of Position

• The Design, Monitoring and Evaluation (DM&E) Assistant will support the DM&E Manager in all monitoring, quality assurance, indicator tracking, and evaluation activities.
• S/he will be based in Maiduguri and will report to the DME Manager, based in Jos.

Responsibilities

• Develop appropriate project monitoring and reporting tools in line with SFCG Design M&E system and donor requirements, including tools for measuring women’s and minority participation;
• Support the coordination of all aspects of project monitoring and reporting in the North East and ensuring that data is of high quality and produced in a timely fashion;
• Support the development of the DM&E plans in program proposals for the North East;
• Collect case studies and success stories across the projects suitable for external audiences;
• Maintain up to date Excel databases of program progress against the log-frame;
• Assist the DM&E Manager in designing and coordinating baseline studies, evaluations and annual project reviews;
• Conduct monitoring visits on a regular basis and report findings to the project and DM&E teams;
• Participate in evaluations and other analyses, as requested by DM&E team, project team, external evaluators or donors;
• Provide technical assistance on monitoring and data collection to field officers, volunteers, and local partners;
• Share success stories, case studies, and other project communication via SFCG’s social media platforms and to internal and external audiences through SFCG’s Communications department.

Project Oversight and Management:

• Coordinate development of project core monitoring and reporting tools and database during the start-up phase;
• Participate in the development of detailed project implementation plans, targets, and roll out strategy as part of project teams;
• Participate as required in project steering committee meetings, providing accurate and timely updates on results;
• Ensure partners are fully trained on M&E and the project’s reporting requirements;

Project Monitoring and Reporting:

• Support project monitoring and reporting, ensuring that data is of high quality and produced in a timely manner;
• Collect case studies and success stories across the projects suitable for external audiences
• Work closely with the DM&E Manager in Jos, to produce quarterly and annual data for narrative reports of the project to the donor;
• Maintain up to date Excel databases for the projects, capturing progress against the log-frames.

Project Quality Support:

• Conduct project monitoring visits on a regular basis and report findings to the project team and DM&E team
• Conduct spot checks with project volunteers, beneficiaries and stakeholders to ensure project implementation conforms with the purpose of the project, and SFCG Values, Policies and Codes of Conduct
• Support the program teams to identify and address challenges in the project’s performance to ensure annual targets and outcomes are achieved;
• Proactively advise and support volunteers in the field to ensure they are active and delivering on their projects.

Minimum Qualifications for the Position
Essential:

• Graduate degree in a relevant field, preferably related to Monitoring and Evaluation, Project Management, IT, Statistics and Civic Education.
• Experience measuring peacebuilding, social transformation or development initiatives
• Experience of working in conflict and violent settings
• Knowledge and experience of project cycle management
• Technical expertise in community development approaches
• Demonstrated ability to plan and deliver training and on-site capacity building
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills suitable for high level government audiences
• Good IT skills including Word, Excel, email/internet, PowerPoint
• Fluency in spoken and written English; fluency in Hausa, Kanuri, Fulani a bonus
• A strong personal commitment to the values of SFCG

Desirable:

• Experience in managing partnerships within programs
• Experience of working in a multi-cultural environment

The successful candidate will be:

• Detail-oriented and analytical
• A positive communicator, able to make complex data simple
• A team player
• Able to inspire others
• Able to communicate clearly to diverse audiences
• Able to analyze and interpret large amounts of information

Salary
Commensurate with education and experience, with excellent benefits

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: Please send as One (1) document a cover letter and resume with the subject heading: PROJECT ASSISTANT- DM&E - MAIDUGURI through our application system. Please be sure to include Minimum salary requirements (in currency figures) or current salary, projected start date, and to mention where you found this posting. No phone calls please. Noncompliance will automatically disqualify your application. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.