Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Consultant

Job Description   

Project:    USAID Green Annamites
Office:    ECODIT, 5th Green Plaza, Da Nang, Vietnam
Position:    Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Consultant 
Duty station:    Da Nang, Vietnam
Work area:    This position will be based in Danang, Vietnam, with travelling to two project provinces: Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue
Starting date:    As soon as possible

PROJECT OVERVIEW

ECODIT is implementing the USAID-funded Green Annamites activity (the GA Project) in Quang Nam (QN) and Thua Thien Hue (TTH) provinces in central Vietnam. The purpose of the Green Annamites activity is to assist Vietnam’s transition to climate-smart, low emission, and resilient development that protects people, landscapes, and biodiversity in Vietnam’s priority forested provinces. The project’s overall period of performance is September 26, 2016 to December 16, 2020, subject to the availability of funding, and includes three main tasks:

1. Increased application of low emission land use: conserve the existing carbon sink; stop emission from small scale deforestation and degradation, and unsustainable agricultural practices; and increase carbon sequestration from restoration of degraded landscapes. A key component of Green Annamites’ intervention strategy is the focus on livelihood improvement and value chains, aiming at generating sustainable revenue streams for communities living in forested areas and in or around protected areas.
2. Strengthen biodiversity conservation: mitigate threats to the globally significant biodiversity in central Vietnam, including poaching and activities that destroy habitats for wildlife and cause habitat fragmentation (e.g., deforestation, forest degradation, and conversion of natural forest into plantation)
3. Increase resilience for vulnerable communities: ensure that results of activities supported under the two other components are not affected by climate change impacts. In addition, under this task the Program conducts standalone activities to build resilience for vulnerable communities. Much of these activities reflect findings and recommendations from the climate vulnerability assessment findings.

Key program results include improving the livelihoods of 20,000 forest dependent people; improving biodiversity of over 400,000 hectares of natural forest, mobilizing at least $20 million in public and private resources for sustainable livelihoods and forest conservation; and avoiding and/or removing the equivalent of at least 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The GA Project is entering to the fourth year of its implementation and during that last year, additional efforts will be put into monitoring, evaluating, reporting and compiling the lessons learned from the supported activities. Acknowledging that every project has its own unique, culture, systems, policies and programmatic activities, GA wants to document what has been done and how was it done by strengthening its monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL), as a critical component of project success”(1) . Therefore, the GA Project seeks a qualified MEAL consultant to provide technical support on MEAL for the GA Project.  The Consultant shall conduct all activities and prepare deliverables under the overall supervision of the Chief of Party (COP) and direct supervision of Deputy COP based in Da Nang, Vietnam. The Consultant will receive the field support from the Community Development Facilitators of the GA Project.

OBJECTIVES

• Develop a strategy and produce three reports to document lessons learned and recommendations for key interventions(2) on (i) sustainable landscape, (ii) biodiversity conservation, and (iii) climate change adaptation implemented by the GA Project in QN and TTH provinces.
• Provide technical support on monitoring, evaluation, learning and knowledge products.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Upon contract signature, study available documents (including quarterly, annual progress and technical reports) and prepare a detailed work-plan in consultation with the COP, DCOP and/or M&E-GIS Specialist;
• Develop a brief strategy, including an action plan on how to:
  
  • implement the MEAL activities;
  • produce three brief assessment reports on (i) Acacia value chain, (ii) biodiversity conservation and livelihoods, and (iii) climate resilience; and
  • produce three knowledge products (e.g. brief Technical Guideline on FSC Acacia) from these three assessment reports in close cooperation with technical staff of the GA Project and/or its implementing partners.
• Work closely with the GA Project Task Leads and Project Managers to produce one brief assessment report on Acacia value chain; one brief assessment report biodiversity conservation and livelihoods; and one brief assessment report on climate resilience. Each assessment report should include, but not be limited to, the implementation progress, approaches, impact, lessons learned and recommendations to improve sustainability and/or scale up;
• Support the GA Project’s grantees and sub-contractors (e.g. QNAFOR Company, WWF Vietnam, SNV, etc.) to produce at least three knowledge products (3) on Acacia value chain, biodiversity conservation and livelihoods, and climate resilience, in collaboration with the relevant Project Managers and Technical Advisers.
• Assist the GA Project M&E team to review and provide comments on the proposals of conducting final impact evaluations for the GA Project’s grants and sub-contracts.
• Work with the GA Project M&E team to conduct and write five final impact evaluation reports of the five grants: (i) Grant # 18-AF-GA-008-World Vision; (ii) the Grant # 18-AF-GA-010-Dai Binh Cooperative; (iii) the Grant # 18-AF-GA-009-Phong My Nature for Life Society; (iv) the Grant # 18-AF-GA-018- Macooih Cooperative; and (v) the Grant # 18-AF-GA-017-Linzhi Mushroom Company.
• Provide technical support on MEAL to respond to the learning questions stated in the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan approved by USAID.
• Write the final completion report and submit all related deliverables/reports timely.

LEVEL OF EFFORT, REPORTS, DELIVERABLES, AND TIMELINE

The period of implementing this assignment is within 365 days, with total level of effort (LOE) is not exceed 120 days, based on the break-down in the Exhibit 1 below. The assignment will be implemented from August, 2019 to July 2020.  All progress reports must contain as annexes all information collected or generated during implementation of the relevant activities. All reports are required in English and Vietnamese.

Exhibit 1. Deliverables and Due Dates

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree in social science preferably in natural resources management, community development, economics or management;
• Sound knowledge in Vietnamese development planning process and development plans;
• Knowledge and experience in designing M&E systems and conducting evaluations;
• At least 3 years of previous experience conducting field monitoring of livelihoods and/or biodiversity projects and experience working with rural and ethnic communities
• At least seven (7) years of experience in monitoring and evaluation, results based management;
• Excellent writing and analytical skill in drafting strategies and reports;
• Understanding and knowledge of basic computer applications such as MS Words, Excel and data base management; and
• Prior experience with USAID funded program is desirable;
• Competent in interpersonal and communication skills in Vietnamese and English;
• Vietnamese nationality.

Interested candidates should send an application package including:

• A cover letter
• Latest CV, and
• Two references.

By 28/07/2019 to the following address: [email protected]

No phone calls please. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

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1 Culligan et al., 2019. A Guide to the MEAL DPro.
2 To be defined specifically in Exhibit 1
3 Specific type of knowledge product will be defined after consulting with the GA Project’s grantees and sub-contractors.