Job advert: Manager, Impact Monitoring and Reporting

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Congo Basin is currently seeking a Manager for Impact Monitoring and Reporting (re-advertisement). If you are eager to contribute to a positive transformation for both humanity and our shared home, the Earth, this opportunity with WWF could be a life-changing experience.

Across the globe, people are becoming increasingly aware of the escalating crisis of nature loss. There is a growing recognition that nature is the foundation of our existence and that the consequences of its depletion will affect everyone. At WWF, we are dedicated to addressing this immense global challenge. Our team comprises individuals from diverse backgrounds and a wide range of expertise, including HR, finance, advocacy, and conservation science. We encourage applications from individuals who believe they can contribute to creating a better future for both people and wildlife.

Our Mission:

As an independent conservation organization, our mission is to ensure the preservation of the natural world for the benefit of both people and wildlife. We collaborate with individuals, communities, businesses, and governments, forming a united front to urge global leaders to take action and restore nature by 2030. Together, we strive to safeguard and revive natural habitats, halt the mass extinction of wildlife, and promote sustainable production and consumption practices.

For our Congo Basin region, we are seeking a dynamic and dedicated Manager for Impact Monitoring and Reporting.

Position Details:

Title: Manager, Impact Monitoring and Reporting – Congo Basin
Reports to: Regional Head, Impact Monitoring and Reporting – Africa
Supervises: Interns and consultants as required
Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon
Duration: One (01) year, with the possibility of renewal

Department Mission:

The mission of the WWF International Regional teams is to support and oversee WWF International Managed Country Offices. Their goal is to ensure these offices possess the necessary capabilities and resources to achieve significant conservation impacts and outcomes. This includes adhering to high standards in operations, project delivery, monitoring, and evaluation.

Major Functions:

The Manager of Impact Monitoring and Reporting for the Congo Basin region plays a crucial role in enabling the Country Offices (COs) to monitor and report on their progress and accomplishments in line with strategic plans and project objectives. This aligns with the commitments of the Country Office Management (COM) impact team to enhance approaches to conservation design, performance, and impact monitoring.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Technical Leadership: Provide expert guidance to strengthen Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (PMEL) processes within the Congo Basin Country Offices.
• Impact Monitoring: Ensure robust systems are in place for tracking and reporting the progress and achievements of conservation projects.
• Strategic Support: Aid Country Offices in aligning their operations with strategic conservation goals, enhancing their capacity to deliver impactful outcomes.

This position is pivotal in driving the effectiveness of conservation efforts within the Congo Basin, ensuring that WWF’s regional initiatives are both impactful and sustainable.

The primary responsibility of this position is to provide support to the Country Offices in monitoring the entire life cycle of the Strategic Plans, including strategic planning, implementation, monitoring, and adaptive management. Additionally, the role will focus on assisting the Country Offices in developing well-designed PMEL (Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning) frameworks for strategic plans, programs/projects, and grants, ensuring their alignment with the office’s strategic plan and compliance with WWF’s Network’s Standards of Conservation Project and Programme Management (PPMS), as well as the WWF International Country Office Strategy and Impact Monitoring policy.

The role will play a crucial part in leveraging data insights derived from monitoring and evaluation activities to advise Regional and Country Office Senior Management. This advice will cover areas such as evidence-based management, adaptive management, cost-effective design and management, accountability, knowledge management, and learning initiatives.

Furthermore, the role will act as a champion for professional excellence and provide thought leadership. It will ensure the proficiency of the PMEL team and conduct regular monitoring of PMEL capacity development in Country Offices. This monitoring will ensure that staff members possess high-level skills and can uphold network-level or WWF International COM-level PMEL standards and systems.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Planning:

1. Lead the development and oversight of strategic plans for WWF Country Offices in the Congo Basin region and ensure timely and rigorous collection of monitoring data.

• Take charge of developing and supervising strategic plans for WWF Country Offices in the Congo Basin region. Ensure that monitoring data is collected in a timely and rigorous manner.

1. Support the overall process of developing and updating Office Strategic Plans, PMEL frameworks, and annual work plans in line with WWF’s Network Standards.

• Provide support to the comprehensive process of developing and updating Office Strategic Plans, PMEL frameworks, and annual work plans in accordance with WWF’s Network Standards of Conservation Project and Programme Management (PPMS).

1. Assist in costing the strategy monitoring and evaluation plan, including budgeting for all monitoring activities in the office.

• Assist in determining the costs associated with the strategy monitoring and evaluation plan, ensuring that the budget covers all monitoring activities in the office, including Conservation activities, ESSF, Risk, QA, and others.

1. Provide technical guidance to Country Offices in developing Theory of Change, logical frameworks, and PMEL frameworks according to PPMS standards.

• Offer technical guidance to Country Offices in the development of Theory of Change, logical frameworks, and PMEL frameworks at strategic and program/project levels, ensuring adherence to PPMS standards. Document these frameworks thoroughly.

1. Offer technical advice and facilitate the process of establishing clear and measurable goals, outcomes, and indicators for the Office strategy, projects, and grants.

• Provide technical advice and facilitate the process of defining precise and measurable goals, outcomes, and indicators for the Office strategy, projects, and grants. Ensure alignment with the Country, regional, and secretariat strategy.

1. Support the development of a structured PMEL framework for all Country Office Strategic Plans and associated projects, utilizing the WWF International PMEL solution.

• Support the development of a well-structured PMEL framework for all Country Office Strategic Plans and projects associated with them, leveraging the WWF International PMEL solution.

1. Promote the use of the WWF International PMEL solution for program/project design, adhering to WWF International standards and policies.

• Encourage the utilization of the WWF International PMEL solution for the design of programs/projects, ensuring compliance with WWF International standards and policies.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

1. Assist Country Offices in designing data collection methodologies, tools, and systems to monitor programs/projects, grants, and Office Strategy progress in a timely manner.

• Provide support to Country Offices in designing effective data collection methodologies, tools, and systems to monitor the progress of programs/projects, grants, and the Office Strategy within the specified timeframe.

1. Facilitate the utilization of the WWF International PMEL solution for data management and reporting, ensuring compliance with WWF International standards.

• Facilitate the use of the WWF International PMEL solution for data management and reporting, ensuring that it aligns with the established WWF International standards.

1. Support Country Offices in collecting, collating, and analyzing high-quality data to inform progress and enable adaptive management.

• Assist Country Offices in the collection, collation, and analysis of reliable data to accurately assess progress and support adaptive management practices.

1. Review collected information and data to ensure its quality, accuracy, and timeliness for informed decision-making.

• Conduct reviews of the gathered information and data to ensure its quality, accuracy, and timely availability for making well-informed decisions.

1. Provide support and guidance to Country Offices during evaluations and reviews, assessing the appropriateness of approaches and methodologies.

• Offer support and guidance to Country Offices during evaluations and reviews, including assessing the suitability of approaches and methodologies being used.

1. Ensure compliance with Network-wide and secretariat-specific policies, standards, and protocols.

• Ensure adherence to the policies, standards, and protocols established at the Network-wide and secretariat-specific levels.

1. Lead the consolidation and synthesis of internal and external reports for the Congo Basin Region, including technical reports, impact reports, and donor reports from projects and programs.

• Take the lead in consolidating and synthesizing internal and external reports for the Congo Basin Region, such as technical reports, impact reports, donor reports, and other relevant information originating from projects and programs.

1. Work closely with the ESSF Manager and CO PMEL leads to integrate the ESSF framework and monitoring needs into the offices’ annual monitoring plan.

• Collaborate closely with the ESSF Manager and CO PMEL leads to seamlessly incorporate the ESSF framework and monitoring requirements into the annual monitoring plan of the Country Offices.

Learning and Adaptive Management

1. Promote a culture of results-based adaptive management in Country Offices, including the development of a learning agenda.

• Foster a culture of adaptive management based on results within Country Offices, which includes developing a learning agenda.

1. Actively participate in regional, International, and network-level PMEL Community of Practices (CoP) for sharing and learning.

• Actively engage in regional, International, and network-level PMEL Community of Practices (CoP) to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and continuous learning.

Facilitate Review and Business Intelligence

1. Facilitate the quarterly review of progress against the annual work plan milestones for Country Offices.

• Take charge of facilitating the quarterly review process to assess progress made against the milestones outlined in the annual work plan for Country Offices.

1. Guide the development of dashboards and other business intelligence products to support learning and track progress towards Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Regional and Country Office Senior Management teams.

• Provide guidance in developing dashboards and other business intelligence tools to facilitate learning and monitor progress towards Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Regional and Country Office Senior Management teams. This will aid in informed decision-making.

PMEL Community of Practice and Collaboration

1. Support the coordination of the PMEL Community of Practice to promote the dissemination of results, knowledge sharing, and collaboration for continuous learning in the Country Office.

• Assist in coordinating the PMEL Community of Practice to foster the sharing of results, knowledge, and collaboration among stakeholders in the Country Office. This will facilitate continuous learning.

1. Support coordination and collaboration with research, academic, and other institutions in the Congo Basin for publication development and contribution to conservation knowledge.

• Provide support in coordinating and collaborating with research, academic, and other institutions in the Congo Basin to develop publications and contribute to the body of conservation knowledge.

Capacity Development and Qualifications

1. Lead and coordinate the capacity development of Country Offices on PMEL.

• Take the lead in coordinating and facilitating the capacity development of Country Offices in the areas of PMEL to enhance their skills and knowledge in this field.

Additional Information

This job description outlines the primary responsibilities and captures the essence of the tasks expected from the staff. Other duties may be assigned based on organizational needs. This role may require occasional travel (approximately 20% of the time).

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Competencies:

Required Qualifications:

1. Master’s degree in natural resource management, environment, conservation management, bioregional planning, social sciences, development studies, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, or a related field.
2. 5-7 years of practical experience in PMEL methodologies, project cycle management, quality assurance, financial management, data analysis, and report writing.
3. Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate PMEL staff, foster cross-country collaboration, and manage consultants.
4. Additional qualifications in Monitoring and Evaluation and experience with Result-based management. Familiarity with PPMS or Open Standards would be an advantage.

Required Skills and Competencies:

1. Demonstrated expertise in data analytics and utilization of monitoring and evaluation data for impact reporting.

• Possess advanced and proven experience in data analytics and effectively utilizing monitoring and evaluation data for the purpose of impact reporting.

1. Ability to work with individuals at various levels and diverse backgrounds, and demonstrated skill in translating concepts into tangible and actionable plans.

• Exhibit experience in collaborating with individuals from different backgrounds and hierarchical levels, while effectively transforming abstract concepts into practical and actionable plans.

1. Proficiency in Microsoft suite tools (Word, Excel, etc.) is essential. Familiarity with advanced tools such as PowerBI, Tableau, R, Python, etc., is advantageous.

• Possess a strong command of Microsoft suite tools, including Word and Excel. Additionally, familiarity with advanced tools such as PowerBI, Tableau, R, Python, etc., is considered a valuable asset.

1. Experience in applying Knowledge Management and learning principles.

• Possess practical experience in applying Knowledge Management and learning principles within professional settings.

1. Proficient written and verbal communication skills in both English and French are necessary for this position.

• Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in both written and spoken English and French, as it is essential for effective communication in this role.

1. Flexibility to travel within Africa as required.

• Display flexibility and willingness to travel within Africa as necessary to fulfill job requirements.

Values & Behaviors:

1. Embrace the mission and values of the organization: Courage, Integrity, Respect & Collaboration.

• Embody and embrace the mission and values of WWF, which include exhibiting qualities of courage, integrity, respect, and collaboration.

1. Demonstrate behaviors aligned with the organization’s principles: Strive for impact, listen deeply, collaborate openly, and innovate fearlessly.

• Exhibit behaviors that align with the organization’s core principles, such as striving for impact, actively listening, fostering open collaboration, and fearlessly embracing innovation.

1. Act with the utmost integrity, accountability, and transparency.

Conduct oneself with the highest level of integrity, taking full accountability for actions and decisions, and maintaining transparency in all professional endeavors.

Working Relationships:

Internal – Reporting to the Regional Head of Impact Monitoring and Reporting within the Country Office Management Unit, this role will collaborate with various stakeholders, including WWF Congo Basin leadership team, Country Directors, Conservation Directors, Landscape Managers, Science Team, Resource Mobilization Team, Project Managers, and M&E focal points.

External – Engages with stakeholders and partners, particularly at the regional level, including national governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, multilateral and development banks, the media, donors, specialists/consultants, and other stakeholders. This collaboration takes place in conjunction with the Country offices and Regional Director, Congo Basin.

This job description encompasses the primary responsibilities and reflects the proactive approach expected from staff. Additional duties may be assigned as required based on organizational needs.

Application Process:

To apply, please follow the link provided (CV and cover letter required):

i. https://cameroon.panda.org/apply_to_a_job/apply_for_a_job/ (Please utilize a computer; mobile phone applications will not be accepted)

Application deadline: 2nd June 2024.

We appreciate your interest in this position. Kindly note that only candidates who are being seriously considered will be contacted for further communication.

WWF is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a diverse workforce.