Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Economic Analysis

Position: Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Economic Analysis 

Division: Program 

Reports to: Deputy Executive Director/Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DED/DCEO) Management 

Band: D 

Background & Project Description: 

In September 2017, the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) signed a $500 million compact agreement with the Government of Nepal. The compact aims to increase the availability and reliability of electricity, maintain road quality, and facilitate power trade between Nepal and India - helping to spur investments, and accelerate economic growth.  The compact agreement is valid for a period of five years, and is currently in implementation stage, prior to Entry-Into-Force (EIF) at which time the five-year time period begins. 

Pursuant to the aforementioned agreement, the entity charged with implementing the project has been established as the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal (MCA-N) entity. This position will assume a critical role in the success of MCA-N. 

Position Objective: 

The Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Economic Analysis (MEE) leads the combined Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Economic Analysis (EA) Unit, under the guidance of the Deputy Executive Director, Management.  The goal of the MEE unit is to produce timely, relevant, and reliable data and assessments related to the progress and quality of project implementation and the achievement of targeted results by the Nepal Compact.  The MEE Manager, is responsible for leading the monitoring and reporting of progress toward compact targets, supporting the independent evaluations of the compact program, updating the economic analysis activities of the compact program, and managing the Compact M&E budget and MEE staff.  The MCC counterparts to this position with whom the MEE Manager will liaise are the M&E Lead(s), Results Reporting Analysts, and Economist(s). 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and periodic updates of the Nepal Compact M&E Plan, in accordance with MCC Guidelines and in coordination with MCC and relevant stakeholders  
• Lead the implementation of the monitoring component of the Nepal M&E Plan to provide timely and relevant input to project management and external reporting, including: 

1. Define the performance indicators to be monitored along with their baselines and targets in collaboration with project teams; ensure that monitoring indicators are relevant to project management needs and that risks and assumptions included in the M&E Plan are appropriately tracked 
2. Produce the quarterly monitoring report, including the M&E Plan Indicator Tracking Table (ITT) and an associated analysis and narrative, to be reviewed by MCA-Nepal and MCC to inform project management. This should include reviewing all of the ITT data on a quarterly basis, checking inconsistent values with project leads and implementers, and storing supporting documentation for all data that is reported 
3. Identify critical data gaps or data quality issues related to the M&E Plan indicators early on and design and implement a plan to resolve these issues and build capacity with the party that produces the data (e.g. government entities or project implementers) or through independent data collection
4. Commission an independent Data Quality Review of monitoring or evaluation data reported by MCA-Nepal and implement a plan to address any identified weaknesses
5. Design and implement field assessments of project implementation and achievement of outputs and intermediate outcomes
6. Facilitate good reporting protocols for field visits conducted by all MCA-Nepal staff, through use of standardized field checklists and review of trip reports
7. Disseminate information from M&E systems to relevant stakeholders in Nepal and to MCC 

• Support the design and implementation of the evaluation component of the Nepal M&E Plan to promote accountability and learning, including: 

1. 1. Advise on the data and evidence needs of Government of Nepal stakeholders so that, where possible, evaluations can be designed to meet those needs 
   2. Provide data and documentation required to inform the design and implementation of evaluations to MCC and independent evaluators 
   3. Monitor adherence to the project design and implementation plans and report any deviations to the independent evaluator 
   4. Review evaluation reports, survey instruments, and other materials produced by each of the evaluators hired by MCC to conduct independent evaluations of the Compact projects
   5. Manage local stakeholder reviews of evaluation reports and materials 
   6. Contract survey firms to undertake baseline and interim data collection for independent evaluations and supervise work in coordination with the independent evaluator 
   7. Organize meetings/events for the dissemination of evaluation findings for each evaluation report  

• Ensure that the Cost-Benefit Analyses and Beneficiary Analyses, including estimates of the Economic Rate of Return (ERR), are modified and updated in accordance with MCC Guidelines as improved information becomes available (updating key parameters and variables upon the receipt of new or higher quality data) 
• Provide recommendations on project scope or detailed design to MCA-Nepal project directors, including on policy and institutional reforms, as necessary to ensure the projects achieve their intended economic impacts 
• Maintain close collaboration and integration between MEE and project teams to ensure that MEE’s data and analysis is accurate, up-to-date, and supports evidence-based project design and management   
• Maintain regular communication with MCA-Nepal leadership, MCC M&E and Economic Analysis staff to provide updates on the status of MEE activities and to communicate risks related to the progress of implementation or the achievement of results and offer potential solutions 
• Manage the MEE staff and supervise their activities 
• Manage the Compact M&E budget and provide updates to MCC on commitments and disbursements on a quarterly basis; 
• Manage the procurements and contracts funded by the M&E budget and report progress to MCC on a quarterly basis

Requirements (Education, Experience, Technical Competencies): 

• Bachelors’ Degree (Required) and Master’s Degree preferred from a recognized institution in the following or equivalent fields: Economics, Statistics, Monitoring & Evaluations, Mathematics, Engineering, Finance or equivalent field 
• Ten (10) or more years’ cumulative experience, (accumulated after acquisition of Bachelor’s Degree) seven (7) of which is in managing teams that conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses of programs, including a minimum of five (5) years of experience in Monitoring & Evaluation 
• Previous managerial experience with demonstrated ability to balance a variety of tasks and demands and to meet deadlines in a responsible and flexible manner. Must demonstrate history of delivering high quality projects on time and within budget 

• Previous supervisory experience managing at least 2 subordinate staff 
• Experience applying economic concepts to real-world problems, using data and analysis to reach conclusions and provide recommendations. Experience conducting this type of work in Nepal is desired but not required. Demonstrated competency in cost-benefit analysis of projects is desired but not required. Demonstrated experience designing and implementing monitoring systems, including collecting, analyzing, and reporting performance data 
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing program evaluations; experience implementing rigorous, quantitative evaluations involving household or business surveys preferred 
• Strong and demonstrable skills in contract management 
• Willingness to undertake regular field visits and interact with the different stakeholders. Occasional international travel may also be required 

• Strong analytical and report writing skills 
• Proven ability to work with national government counterparts 
• Experience working with international donor organizations preferred 
• Good written and oral communication skills, ability to work with wide range of stakeholders 
• Written and spoken fluency in Nepali and English 
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following statistical analysis software and databases, such as STATA, SPSS, SAS, CSPRO, Access, Excel and strong proficiency with MS Word and PowerPoint 
• Excellent organizational skills related to data and document management 
• Experience working in Energy and/or Roads sectors preferred 

This Position Description is subject to revisions/updates as necessary to ensure alignment to the organization’s strategic direction and structure. Revisions to the description are subject to applicable Human Resources policies and procedures, and official versions of each Position Description are maintained by Human Resources. 

To Apply:  

The application should be completed & submitted through the Electronic Recruitment Application (ERA) www.rollingplans.com.np/MCA-N and should include a cover letter along with a targeted resume which demonstrates the requirements of the job position. The application needs to be received latest by September 18, 2018 (Monday) before NPT 17:00 hrs. (GMT +5.45). 

This position is open to all the interested applicants; competitive local compensation package will be offered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further selection process(es).