Information and Data Officer (IDO)

Position Title: Information and Data Officer (IDO)
Location: Lao Cai with frequent travel within the province Project areas. Some travel to Hanoi.
Period of Assignment: December 2018 to November 2019 (plus possible 2-year extension)
Reporting To: Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) Manager

Background: Founded in 1985, CowaterSogema International Inc. has built a global reputation for excellence in the world of management consulting in international development. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada and with experience in more than 65 countries, CowaterSogema has established itself as Canada's leading management consulting firm in international development. Our clients include the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Global Affairs Canada, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and many more. Join our team and be part of a fast-paced and dynamic team who is passionate about development and achieving sustainable results.

Cowater is recruiting an Information and Data Support Officer (IDSO) to support Aus4Equality/Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) program, funded through the Australian Aid Program in Vietnam. The Program aims to increase women’s economic participation and decision-making through improved access to markets and more effective engagement in the agriculture and tourism value chains in ethnic minority regions of North-West Vietnam.

Statement of Duty:

The IDO will work as a part of the MERL team, under the supervision of the MERL Manager, to contribute to the roles of the MERL team in the Aus4Equality/GREAT program as outlined in the MERL Framework, to ensure that planning, monitoring, reporting and learning within the program is based on sound platform of information.

The Officer will work closely with the MERL Specialist and Management Information System (MIS) Officer, in coordination with the Provincial Coordinator, to operationalize the MELR Framework, set up the MEL system for partners’ projects, collect, verify, collate and store information and data from a variety of sources to ensure the MIS database remains current, retrieve information in response to requests for information, and summarize data to ensure that it meets the needs of information users.

Specific Duties:

• Participate with the MERL team in operationalizing the MERL Framework and setting up the MEL system for partners’ projects, including developing the projects’ data collection plans and establishing the project baselines
• Support the MERL Manager and MIS Officer to operate and maintain the MIS database system;
• Collaborate with MIS Officer to train and support partners to regularly update information on partner projects on the program database; ensuring partners’ information being stored appropriately on the Aus4Equality database
• Follow up with partners to ensure partners’ information and data being updated onto the MIS database regularly and timely with a high quality;
• Together with other MERL team members to carry out data quality assessments, in collaboration with Project Management Unit (PMU), to ensure partners’ data to meet data quality standards;
• Liaise with local agencies in province to collect necessary data from governmental system according to the MERL Framework and Operational Guide
• Assist the MERL Manager to collate, summarise, and report information to support 6-monthly and annual reporting to DFAT, Steering Committee, and PMU;
• Liaise routinely with other MERL team members and PMU members to share information and determine monitoring priorities and needs;
• Conduct monitoring trips to the field, in coordination with other staff of the project office in province, to collect and store timely real-time information on project progress and implementation, including interviews to beneficiaries and key stakeholders;
• Support Aus4Equality provincial team, PMU, and partners on information management tools and approaches, as directed by the MERL Manager;
• Collaborate with other MERL team members to organize MERL activities in provinces according to the annual MERL workplan;
• Provide necessary support and participate when necessary in the surveys and/or research as directed by the MERL Manager;
• Assist the MERL team with Aus4Equality website and social media conte nt and ongoing updates of provincial activities;
• Other MERL related tasks as required.

Required Qualifications:

• At least 5 years of experience in project planning, management, and implementation, including monitoring, evaluation, research and data collection role.
• Experience with data collection, cleaning, entry, data quality assessment and basic data synthesis
• Experience with Microsoft Access and/or other database software (highly preferable).
• Experience with data analysis and visualization (highly preferable)
• Excellent in Vietnamese and sufficient English proficiency for the job

Skills/Abilities:

Desired Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• The IDO will preferably have the following skills, knowledge and experience:
• Experience working with government and on donor-funded projects/programs;
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of gender-related issues and women’s economic empowerment concepts;
• Experience maintaining relationships with stakeholders at all levels (government, international and local NGOs, and at community level)
• Be able to create a supportive working relationship among all partners

Interested candidates are invited to send application to [email protected]. Please indicate in the subject “Application for Aus4Equality Information and Data Officer”

Application should include:

• A detailed Curriculum Vitae in English
• A cover letter including a response to each of the selection criteria
• Contact details of 03 referees

Deadline of submission: 17h00, 28 November 2018

Women, and people of minority groups, are encouraged to apply.