The USAID/Ethiopia Support Program (ESP) launched in 2019 to contribute to building an enabling environment for inclusive and peaceful national consensus processes by strengthening intra- and inter-group relationships and actions, advancing inclusive and constructive public discourse and mitigating mis/disinformation and hate speech. Dexis Consulting Group is USAID’s implementing partner for ESP.

I.               General Summary

The Field Officer (FO) will work closely with the MEL Specialist and Program Development Officer (PDO) on activity/grant-level data collection to support successful monitoring and evaluation of ESP activities in the assigned area. Guided by this overall objective, the FO will assume two primary responsibilities: (1) Monitoring the implementation of ESP activities by attending events, taking photos and collecting feedback from grantees, beneficiaries and other stakeholders; and (2) monitoring news, events and public perceptions on political, economic and social developments.

During the implementation of activities/grants, the FO will play a key role including, but not limited to, attending and monitoring planned events, collection of data during implementation of the activities and after completion of the activities. This role will be directly supervised by the MEL Specialist. However, the FO is required to collaborate with all team members in the regional office as well as others in the Headquarters (namely PDOs, MEL Manager and Senior Regional Program Manager (SRPM)). The FO is also required to collaborate with ESP Communication Specialist identifying activity highlights, photos and quotes for immediate dissemination on social media.

II.               Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the MEL Specialist, the FO will be responsible for the following:

●       completing activity notes on observed events and sites visited;

●       conducting qualitative data collection (focus-group discussions (FGDs) and/or in-depth interviews or carrying out surveys) with grantees, beneficiaries and key stakeholders and the target populations;

●       monitoring activities in accordance with the activity level MEL plan (e.g. conducting key informant interviews or FGD or surveys), beneficiary plan, and implementation plan to provide gender, religion, ethnic and age disaggregated data on events.

●       developing and maintaining collaborative partnerships and working relationships with governmental and non-governmental actors, beneficiaries and grantees;

●       developing data collection plans based on the activity-level MEL Plans in close collaboration with MEL Specialists and PDO, ensuring major events are attended and observed;

●       monitoring grants progress, and coordinating with grantees and the M&E Specialist to ensure that monitoring and evaluation data and final reports provided are satisfactory;

●       traveling as often as needed to activity locations in the performance of his/her work, sometimes to remote locations under challenging conditions;

●       performing other duties assigned by MEL Specialist, MEL Manager and/or SRPM.

Job Requirements

III.               Qualifications and Experience:

●       University degree required;

●       At least one year of demonstrated experience in monitoring project implementation, including data collection using tools such as key informants’ interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), surveys etc;

●       Ability to demonstrate organizational and administrative skills, with respect to report writing, developing plans, and keeping/updating a calendar of events, and ability to use computer packages such as email, MS Word and Excel, Google Sheets etc. essential;

●       Proven knowledge of local and international CSOs/NGOs and community-based organizations implementing relevant activities and programs, as well as key governmental actors and stakeholders, in the respective assigned ESP areas; 

●       Experience of working with local organizations and beneficiaries of projects to monitor implementation of activities;

●       Fluency in Amharic and Afan Oromo with proficiency in written and spoken English required;

●       Experience with USAID-funded projects is an advantage but not required.

IV.            Contract Type, Location and Conditions:

The FO will be a Short-Term Technical Assistance (STTA) position based in  Western Oromia with exact location(s) to be determined. The initial assignment period will be three (3) months subject to the development of ESP’s engagement plan in the specific area. The FO will work virtually (laptop & wifi dongle provided by ESP for the assignment) and is expected to work on a full-time basis (40 hours a week). 

How to Apply

Please send a letter of application and a CV (max 2 pages) in MS Doc or PDF format to  ethiojobs. com with subject line “Field Officer – Western Oromia” no later than 5pm, Friday 30 June 2023. Do not attach certificates. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Register using this LINK