INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION LATEST JOB VACANCIES IN GHANA: RECRUITMENT FOR NATIONAL PROGRAMME OFFICER (VACANCIES INGHANA 2011)

Company Profile

General Introduction:
The International Labour Organization on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), a programme of the International Labour Organization, is operational in over 80 countries worldwide and supported by more than 20 donors. Its objective is the effective abolition of child labour, assisting member States in designing and implementing policies and programmes to prevent and eliminate child labour, including a focus on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency. IPEC works to enhance the

awareness of member States, workers' and employers' organizations, the international community and a wide range of actors about the problem of child labour. It assists countries in implementing International labour standards on child labour and in taking the necessary comprehensive and integrated measures for sustained and effective action.

IPEC is implemented through national, sub-regional and regional programmes, which include country-based and regional technical cooperation projects. IPEC provides assistance through technical advisory services to ILO Constituents; direct action for the withdrawal, prevention and protection of child labourers; institutions  and capacity building; policy and legal reform; training; advocacy; development of tools and methodologies; research and statistical surveys; and regular sharing of good practice and collection and dissemination of information. It promotes a worldwide movement to advocate for and provide resources to support national action and works through various interagency partnerships and task forces.

The Project named "Towards child labour free cocoa growing communities in Cote d' Ivoire and Ghana through an integrated area based approach" (hereafter "the Project") proposes an Integrated Area-Based (IAB) approach in which - recognizing that poverty and decent work deficits are among the primary root causes of child labour - eliminating child labour in cocoa growing communities is managed as a process embedded in the wider national strategies for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, the promotion of education and decent work and the reduction of poverty. This integrated approach aims to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of IPEC interventions by creating an environment in which children do not simply shift from one hazardous sector or occupation to another, in which vulnerable families and communities are empowered to address their livelihood and economic situation and thus one of the root causes of child labour, and in which the necessary consensus at both community and national levels is generated to gamer the ownership needed to support long-term change

Background to Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation System:
The project will develop and implement a Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy (CM&ES). Within this CM&ES an impact evaluation will be carried out in at least one selected intervention will be carried out.

Based on a theory of change approach to evaluation, the CM&ES will develop a broad strategy composed of complementary elements. The aim is for the system to generate information that will allow monitoring progress in delivering services; outcomes for families and children and outcomes at the institutional, policy and legislative level during the life of the product and beyond. In addition, and as part of support to national policy efforts and national plans of action, the purpose of the CM&ES is also to enhance the knowledge base on the nature, degree and causes of impact as a result of specific project interventions. This information is crucial in advocating for interventions that are the most effective and appropriate for replication and up scaling. To this, the CM&ES will include the design and implementation of at least one impact evaluation in a selected intervention.

The National Programme Officer M&E will be the main person responsible for the management and supervision of the implementation of the CM&ES and, as such, s/he will play a crucial role in monitoring activities of the overall project. She/he will work as part of the Project team managing and implementing the project as the national technical professional working specifically on the Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (including the impact evaluation). Although the ultimate supervision of project staff will remain with the CTA, in her/his capacities, the National Programme Officer M&E will have to directly supervise the work of 8 national project staff as far as planning and monitoring are concerned. The profile is of an individual with substantive experience in project M&E systems and if possible a solid understanding (or hands on experience) in designing and/or managing an impact evaluation.

The overall framework for the CM&ES and impact evaluations comes from the collaboration of two global ILO-IPEC Projects: the Understanding Children's Work (UCW) managed project, "Building the knowledge base on the design and implementation of impact evaluation of child labour interventions" and the ILO-IPEC's "Impact Assessment Framework Project"

Job Description

Project Title: Towards child labour free cocoa growing communities in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana through an integrated area based approach
Position Number: 9
Grade: NO-B
Contract Duration: 12 months with possibility of extension
Duty Station: Accra
Geographical Coverage: Ghana
Starting Date: immediate

Under the overall guidance of the Director of the ILO Office in Dakar, the National Programme Office M&E of the Project will work under the overall supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and the direct supervision of the International Programme Manager of the Project and in collaboration with the other Project staff.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

• Overall coordination of the inputs, information and data on planning and monitoring generated by the project in the two countries
• Overall support and national leadership in the operational planning phase for the design and development of the CM&ES including impact evaluation
• Day to day responsibility in supervising the implementation of the CM&ES
• Liaise with technical experts in ILO-IPEC (Design Evaluation and Documentation section DED, and the Statistical Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour, SIMPOC) and UCW

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Provide technical input into the design, development and implementation of the CM&ES including the Impact Measurement Framework and the Project Monitoring Plan
2. Provide technical advice on the design of baselines and other data collection activities
3. Follow-up the carrying out of baseline surveys and repeat baseline surveys in collaboration with ILO-IPEC (SIMPOC and DED) and UCW as well as any other relevant data collection initiatives
4. Provide process and methodological support to the design of the impact evaluation, including beneficiary selection and control groups
5. Advise and plan for M&E systems for specific interventions
6. Become familiarised with SPIF tools and theory of change approaches and methodologies
7. Understand and be ready to adapt if necessary previous ILO-IPEC monitoring systems such as the Child Labour Monitoring Systems in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire and the DBMR
8. Spearhead efforts at mainstreaming child labour into national monitoring and evaluation systems and processes, including mainstreaming indicators into national monitoring frameworks
9. Establish and maintain linkages with national monitoring and evaluation offices as part of strengthening national monitoring and evaluation processes
10. Design and implement capacity building activities on monitoring and evaluation for national monitoring and evaluations systems and processes
11. Act as resource person for training on the CM&ES
12. Support independent evaluations as decided by IPEC DED. Provide input to the methodological review and preparation of consolidated comments for independent evaluations
13. Act as national focal point within the project on the technical support to monitoring and evaluation within the project
14. Execute other tasks as they might be assigned by the CTA and the International Programme Manager

Required Skills or Experience

• Education - Advanced university degree in economics, statistics, management, social science or related field with demonstrated expertise or equivalent experience. Specialization or formal training in planning, design, data collection, monitoring and evaluation methodologies and project cycle management
• Experience - Four years experience in Monitoring and Evaluation of development programmes and policies, including planning, management and conducting evaluations. Familiarity with project management and implementation. Knowledge of evaluation theories and methods. Experience with baseline surveys and other comprehensive systematic data collection approaches
• Experience in the management or implementation of impact evaluation would be a definite advantage. Knowledge of current debates and the literature on: theory of changes, impact evaluation and related aspects is desirable as is experience in setting up and supporting broader comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems, preferably at national level. Documented publications and experience in training is also highly desirable
• Languages - Excellent command of English and French. Ability to communicate in written and oral English and French.

Competencies:

• Understanding of qualitative and quantitative approaches in social science research
• Theoretical and practical (preferred) knowledge of experimental and quasi experimental type impact evaluations
• Ability to provide advice on good practices
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal
• Team-leadership, ability to work in a team, and good interpersonal skills
• Ability to train and guide personnel
• Ability to work under time and political pressure and meet deadlines
• Ability to work independently with a minimum of supervision
• Proficient in information technology Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, web-browsers, use of database applications)
• Proficient in statistical software (SPSS, Stata) (desired)

How To Apply

Qualified candidates are requested to send their application marked "Position number 9: National Programme Officer M&E" a supporting resume, a one page synopsis and relevant certificates, telephone numbers and email address to the address below:

The Chief Technical Advisor
International Labour Organisation
P.M.B
Ministries Post Office
Accra