Senior Project Officer - Market and context monitoring

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

Job Summary: 

Joint Emergency Operation (JEOP) is a food assistance consortium operating in Ethiopia since 2012. JEOP works closely with the National Disaster Risk Management Commission and other stakeholders to provide food assistance to disaster-affected people in Ethiopia. JEOP also supports and engages in the food security assessment in the affected areas and targeting process of the needy. Strengthening the Government early warning system is one of the JEOP’s strategic investment areas to enhance the Government’s capacity to collect timely and quality data to inform needs. 

JEOP has been collecting market and context monitoring data from its operation woredas across five regions (such as Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, Sidama, and SNNP) and Dire Dawa City administrations. JEOP conducts regular data cleaning, data reviewing and analysis activities at CRS level. JEOP has also been recently enhancing its baseline data by drawing relevant information from livelihood profiles, risk profiles and other secondary source documents from CSA. 

In this position, you will be responsible to ensure partners send quality market and context monitoring data. This includes IVR reporting from Kebeles, monthly and weekly context monitoring report, and leading upcoming MIRA initiatives. You will be engaged in regular data cleaning, reviewing, analysis and reporting activities. You will provide feedback to partners by summarizing key findings from the review and analysis process. CRS in collaboration with its JEOP partners usually review context monitoring and market indicators with thresholds. You will continuously engage in updating the indicators and thresholds, JEOP baseline data and avail woreda baseline information for analysis. You will also continuously monitor risk factors in the baseline and prepare a risk communication message for partners which should be addressed in community risk education and action activities. 

When providing your technical support in these specific areas, you are expected to comply with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to CRS country program team and JEOP team to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. Your advice, knowledge, and support will contribute to determining how effective, adaptive, and innovative CRS’ programming is across the globe.

Job Responsibilities:

• Review weekly and monthly context monitoring data/reports received from partners and consistently provide feedback to reporting partners and woreda to improve the quality of reporting.

• Ensure partners consistently use standard reporting formats for weekly and monthly context monitoring, and biweekly market monitoring; and collect feedback from partners regarding improvement needed in the formats.

• Follow up whether new staff are trained on the reporting formats and understand each question of the format; this may include organizing trainings to partners new staff, and a refreshment training to existing staff to understand formats.

• Ensure that partners are conducting the market monitoring system as per the MARKit guideline, timely review market reports, conduct occasional visit to markets, and provide constructive feedbacks.

• Follow up with partners implementing the market and supply chain survey and ensure quality data is collected and submitted to CRS by making spot checks and conducting review meetings with enumerators and partner early warning staff.

• Provide program quality monitoring feedback reports and share findings in regional and national JEOP EW technical working group meetings.

• Provide training to enumerators on MARKit and market and supply chain survey (MSC) 

• Ensure that varieties monitored are consistent across markets; closely work with partners to update the local measurement units (if there are changes); and conduct occasional visits to markets to monitor the actual data collection process.

• Conduct occasional monitoring to partners operation areas to observe the market and context data management process at woreda and partners offices.

• Participate in a market and supply chain surveys in regions affected by significant hazard and represent CRS/JEOP in multi-agency market assessment initiatives.

• Follow up with partners to ensure reports are submitted in timely fashion; maintain and regularly update the database; and ensure the dashboard is updated accordingly. 

• Ensure that partners picked a market monitoring just before and after a cash/commodity distribution; prepare a market analysis report for selected areas to understand post distribution impacts.

• Support partners conduct a woreda level food security analysis by providing training to partners on woreda food security analysis tool.

• Support partners populate baseline data to woreda food security analysis sheets from VBT data.

• Ensure that partners maintain database of woreda food security analysis and appropriately apply the data for setting overarching cutoff points for geographic and household targeting.

• Ensure that woreda food security analysis database is maintained at CRS level.

• Produce and disseminate a monthly context report.

• Produce and disseminate a monthly market monitoring report.

• Closely work with JEOP cash, nutrition operation team and Ethiopian Cash working group in helping modality decision making, and transfer value setting.

• Ensure partners conduct a quality market assessment that feeds into vulnerability-based targeting exercise.

• Closely work with project balance and ICT4D to update the JEOP EWS dashboard. 

• Lead monthly JEOP market and context monitoring data dissemination and discussion session.

• Coordinate MIRA design and implementation across JEOP areas which includes designing data collection methods, data review and analysis, and data presentation to different stakeholders; link MIRA data with the ongoing JEOP food security analysis tools and VBT. 

• Closely work with ICT4D/innovation personnel for establishment of online available JEOP baseline data; and update the baseline with the new information when required.

• Regularly review risk profile and prepare a risk communication message in a monthly manner to be shared for partners.

• Collect and analyze program data, capture, and share lessons learned and best practices for the project to facilitate improvements in decision-making and contribute to the JEOP and CP learning agenda.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• University degree (MSc degree for three years’ experience and five years’ experience for BSc/BA degree) in project management, business management, development, Agriculture, Early Warning, Disaster Risk Reduction, or resilience and other related field of studies.

• Minimum of three years experiences for MSc degree and five years experiences for BSc degree. Relevant work experience in data management, market assessment, food security, resilience or early warning systems or Disaster Risk Reduction with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO is required. 

• Minimum of 1 years of experience with partnership activities and institutional strengthening, preferably with a religious partner.

• Knowledge of technical principles and concepts in market monitoring, early warning, and food security, humanitarian assistance. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach.

• Knowledge of and experience with capacity strengthening best practices; experience with capacity building, including training mentoring as well as developing training materials.

• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation and analysis.

• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.

• Strong English writing skills.

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks, data collection platforms 

Personal Skills 

• Strong relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision, work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings, and with local partners in a collaborative way, prioritizing subsidiarity.

• Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment.

• Strong technical writing skills

• Strong data collection and research skills and ability to interpret and analyze data.

• Presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills

• Proactive, resourceful, and results-oriented

• Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.

• Women are highly encouraged to apply. 

Required/Desired Foreign Language: English, and Amharic. 

Travel Required : up to 30%

Key Working Relationships: 

Supervisory: none

Internal: JEOP team, HoP, other CP early warning/resilience staff (ICT, DFSA, LRO, other program departments), CRS Technical Advisors (EARO, HRD and others)

External:  JEOP consortium members and church partners, donor representatives, UN stakeholders (OCHA, WFP), NDRMC, other humanitarian stakeholders and Government sector office at different level.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff): 

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results. 

• Serves with Integrity 

• Models Stewardship 

• Cultivates Constructive Relationships 

• Promotes Learning 

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. 

How To Apply

If you are ready to take on this rewarding opportunity and make a difference in the lives of others, you may fill out the application form through this link: https://form.jotform.com/241932678964573

and attach your up-to-date CV on/before the application deadline of July 22, 2024. You will be contacted only if selected for a written exam/interview. Phone solicitations will not be accepted. These job opportunities are open to Ethiopian nationals only.