About Cuso International

Cuso International is a Canadian not-for-profit organization focused on ending poverty and inequality. We work on today’s most important development issues by connecting global communities in need with the skills they need to create lasting change. And we’ve been doing this for 60 years. How? Through education, empowerment, and an enabling environment. Our skilled volunteers and staff work with hundreds of local partners around the world to advance gender equality, enrich the lives of women and girls, and improve economic opportunities for vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Cuso International is a people-centered organization that prioritizes working in partnership with local organizations. Cuso International presently supports programs implemented in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Canada.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Cuso International has designed U-GIRLS 2 Project to promote access to higher education for high school girls and to address a number of barriers that impede adolescent girls’ education in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia. The project will enhance academic, social, and soft skills for adolescent girls, including those with disabilities, and strengthen the capacity of teachers and education institutions to deliver quality and gender-sensitive education. The initiative seeks to adopt a holistic and transformational approach to address barriers to girls’ higher educations, including through community engagement. Cuso International will implement this project in partnership with Institute of International Education IIE in selected high schools of BSG Regional State.  As the MEAL Officer, you will be responsible for ensuring the implementation of Cuso International’s UGIRL 2 Project as per the Program Implementation Plan (PIP); and capturing successful delivery and learning of the project in line with the set indicators in the Performance Measurement Framework accurately and timely.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES:

• Facilitate vital activities in the project management, such as capturing baseline data, needs assessments, reviewing and update the project logical framework and PMF in line with facts /data available at the grassroots level;

• Lead the design and implementation of the project’s monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) framework;

• Actively participate in developing the project annual work plan and budget by working closely with the CPO team, project implementing partners and relevant stakeholders;

• Develop terms of reference to hire external consultants that will undertake baseline survey, midterm and terminal evaluation and follow up the process up until the winning consulting firm submit the final report;

• Conduct follow up surveys to track changes brought by the project vis -a- vise its outcome targets biannually and come up with possible recommendations;

• Design various data collection tools to capture the routine monitoring data and train the staffs on when and how to use the designed tools and supervise the appropriate utilization to the designed tools;

• Ensure effective and timely implementation of project activities according to annual work plans and identify mitigation strategies to guarantee quality of deliverables;

• Design and deliver trainings or organize meetings for all project implementing partners to ensure clarity of purposes, projected outputs and accepted collective results;

• Ensure an effective integration and mainstreaming of gender equality and social inclusion, as well as environmental-responsive approaches in project implementation activities;

• Administer and manage the project MEAL database (Smap) and perform the following major tasks: capture the project beneficiaries and intermediaries’ profile via registration; and ensure that the training attendances, attendees’ pictures, and some other source documents are uploaded on the project database.  

• Verify the quarterly, biannual, and annual reported figures with that of the source documents and provide timely feedback to the project team;

• In coordination with the Country Representative, develop narrative quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports for donors, including collecting necessary primary information from project partners;

• Collect feedbacks from the project stakeholders that participated in the various activities rendered by the project to enhance the quality of the project implementation via addressing given comments and maintaining the positive ones;

• Maintain strong relationships with project partners, including regular communication to key partners about progress or delays in the execution of planned activities according to the established procedure and protocol;

• Facilitate capturing success stories from the U-GIRLS 2 project beneficiaries and intermediaries;

• Mobilize broad support for the project in Ethiopia by sharing project success stories and learning to a range of stakeholders (local and national government actors, private sector and civil society);

• Coordinate with Cuso and IIE program officers to conduct and follow up the monthly school level project management meeting via reviewing the minutes taken by the school the school coordinators and share with the U-GIRLS 2 project team challenges encountered by the school coordinators while facilitating the project implementation at school level;

• Conduct quarterly and biannual district and regional review meetings involving the project stakeholders;

• Conduct joint project follow up monitoring visit along with the government body that oversee the project implementation progress;

• Provide support on the implementation of the project’s communication strategy in coordination with project partners and Cuso International’s headquarters Communications Team;

• In line with Cuso International, GAC and the Ethiopian government guidelines, prepare regular programmatic and operational reports and review and finalize them for submission in collaboration with the Program Team and the Country Representative;

• Represents the project at events, workshops, conferences and other networking opportunities;

• Analyze and maintain strong understanding of the development context in Ethiopia and identifying new trends and opportunities for partnerships or scale up of the project or new funding;

• Support the coordination volunteer delivery, including reviewing work plans, organizing regular check-ins, managing relationships with partners, handling any volunteer or partner complaints and conducting investigations when necessary;

• Effectively communicate and engage CPO team and relevant project stakeholders to address project implementation gaps and efficiency;

• Occasionally perform other duties as required by the Country Representative.

Location: Addis Ababa, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia 

Reports to: Country Representative

Position Type: Full-time, National

Language requirements: English and Amharic 

Remarks:  With frequent travel to Benishangul Gumuz  

Job Requirements

Essential

• MA qualification in education management, statistics, project management or a related field;

• 8+ years of experience in designing, planning, managing, monitoring and implementing development programs and projects, of which at least 3 years of experience working at the community level;

• Excellent English language skills both in writing and speaking

• Well-developed experience in conducting surveys, annual work planning and reporting;

• Strong knowledge of program and project management cycles;

• Significant knowledge of MEAL systems and frameworks;

• Proven commitment to advancement of gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment;

• Excellent strategic thinking and analytical abilities;

• Excellent cross-cultural interpersonal skills, including the ability to negotiate and develop internal and external relationships;

• Excellent computer skills and proficiency with Word, Excel, Outlook, and web-based research;

• Willingness and ability to travel within the CPO and periodically internationally;

• Ability to work irregular hours and overtime occasionally to meet critical deadlines.

Circumstances

• Ability to spend time away from base visiting project sites, and work with partners and project beneficiaries;

• Ability and willingness to work long / irregular hours, during project implementation pick time;

 Desirable

• Experience working with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) or other development agencies;

• Highly organised, result oriented and good facilitation skills;

• High level of accuracy and attention to details; 

How to Apply

Cuso International is committed to creating and fostering an inclusive culture. We strive to actively celebrate diversity, advance our equitable practices, and drive greater inclusion. We offer a comprehensive employee benefits package and insurance, generous days of paid time off, including vacation and sick days, and more.  

Cuso International is committed to the integrity of our volunteers, interns, staff, managers, board members and subcontractors in preventing sexual violence in the way we operate. This is done through a defined framework, code of conduct, values and guiding principles, as well as Cooperation Canada’s Leaders’ Pledge. 

Please follow THIS LINK and click  “Apply for This Job" button to submit your application by June 23, 2023, at 11:59PM (EST). Expressions of interest should be sent in English. Your résumé and one-page cover letter should demonstrate how you meet all the essential and any desirable qualifications. Please note that a confirmation email will be generated once you submit your application, but it may be directed to your spam or junk folders of your email inbox.  

Cuso International is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified applicants. Thank you for your interest in Cuso.