Monitoring Expert, ARTF

Introducing Integrity

Integrity is an ethical consultancy and service provider working in challenging and complex environments around the globe.

We help our clients succeed in fragile and challenging environments while building trust and understanding as the basis for transformative change. We work across all phases of the programme and project cycle, delivering eleven complementary services: monitoring, evaluation and learning / data and knowledge management / research, evidence and analysis / advisory / project management / communications / risk management / technical assistance / capability and capacity development / stakeholder engagement / grant and fund management. Our services are underpinned by the principles on which we were founded, a commitment to providing reliable information and evidence, and expert and high-quality delivery.

Headquartered in London and Washington DC, Integrity also has offices in Jordan, Kenya, and Pakistan. Our multi-national team of over 80 deliver multi-year projects, programmes and consulting assignments to a wide range of government clients, international organisations, foundations and private sector clients.

VISION: To set the international standard for ethically delivered expert services in complex and challenging contexts.

MISSION: We use evidence and learning to provide trusted advice and enable change for a sustainable future.

VALUES:

• Courage: We work on many of the world’s most complex problems. We stand against violence in all its forms. We are unafraid to stand up to illegal or unethical practices.

• Objectivity: We challenge conventional thinking. Our recommendations are not based on assumptions or ideology but evidence and learning.

• Diligence: We incorporate our best individual and collective intellect through rigour, reflection, and collaboration.

• Accountability: We take responsibility for the quality of our work and performance. We hold ourselves to account through clear policy and process, sustained by long-term profitability.

• Sensitivity: We understand the impact of our presence and our work, empathise with people’s situations, and commit to do no harm.

ETHICS: Integrity upholds the highest ethical standards in our work, our employment of staff and our interaction with people. Through adherence to our core values, we ensure the best possible service, and benefit the communities amongst whom we work.

We commit to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where all feel safe and able to progress, contribute and be heard, regardless of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, marital or parental status.

Further information about Integrity can be found at www.integrityglobal.com.

Project Background

Between 2002-2021, the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank, supported immediate stabilization and reconstruction needs in Afghanistan. It helped to fill the large financing gap in both the operating and development budgets of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The Fund also provided a platform for pooled on-budget financing and coordinated implementation support to the government. As of February 2019, 34 donors had contributed a cumulative $11.4 billion through the ARTF to fund Afghanistan’s development priorities through policy-based budget support and investment projects that aim to reduce poverty, service delivery, citizens’ engagement and social inclusion, as well as support of governance and state effectiveness.

As part of the Fund’s administration, the World Bank contracted an independent Monitoring Agent to provide monitoring, financial management, and accountability support for disbursements. The Monitoring Agent was responsible for reviewing disbursements, payments, accounting, and reporting for the activities to be financed by the ARTF. In 2011, the World Bank expanded the third-party monitoring of ARTF-financed initiatives and contracted an independent Supervisory Agent (SA) to support the Bank’s task teams in monitoring implementation of investment initiatives in widely dispersed locations around the country. The Supervisory Agent helped the teams develop monitoring protocols specific to individual projects and applicable environmental and social safeguards considerations. It deployed monitoring teams that used mobile technology and software to compile and share detailed monitoring data with Afghan government implementing agencies and the Bank task teams. The Supervisory Agent also engaged in follow-up on reported deficiencies to track and verify remediation the agencies and Bank task teams. Both the Monitoring and Supervisory Agents reported monthly, quarterly, and annually on their findings and periodically provided briefings to ARTF stakeholders, at the request of the World Bank.

In 2020, the World Bank combined the roles of the Monitoring and Supervisory Agents under a new Third-Party Monitoring Agent (TPMA) contract phase, implemented by a consortium that included BDO (the previous Monitoring Agent), ATR, and Integrity Global. The overall goal was to maximize value for money of ARTF-financed programs and provide fiduciary assurance on the Afghan government’s use of grant proceeds and their likely development impact to the ARTF partners, the World Bank management, the Government, and the public.

For the period 1 January 2022 to 31 July 2022:

During the first extension period, the TPMA contract focused on supporting the effective transition of the World Bank portfolio from on-budget delivery of financing to financing a core program of basic service delivery via direct recipient-executed grants to United Nations entities and, potentially, international non-governmental organizations, while sustaining ARTF donors’ access to quality information about the monitoring program. In support of this objective, the contractor conducted a program of work aimed at supporting the orderly suspension and closure of World Bank financing commitments, including support for project implementation completion and results report preparation, designing a program of work to support the implementation of projects envisioned by the 1 March 2022 World Bank Board of Executive Directors and the 10 March 2022 ARTF Steering Committee decisions, and sustaining field-based data gathering, including as required for key sectoral monitoring initiatives. We reported our activities at regular quarterly intervals and followed other relevant reporting protocols.

For the period 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2024:

The primary objective of the Monitoring Agent’s assignment during this contract period is to assure value for money of ARTF- and IDA-funded investment projects through:

1. Monitoring of Projects Implemented by UN Agencies: Integrated oversight of project implementation performance, and compliance with fiduciary, environmental and social standards. Monitoring project specific Entry Criteria to assess where the conditions for continuing the project are in place, as approved by the management of the Bank and ARTF.

2. Sector Monitoring: A range of activities that addresses information gaps and provides findings in key sectors to enhance the World Bank’s understanding of the regulatory environment and support decision making. This activity includes, but is not limited to:

   a. Economic Sector Monitoring: In-person collection of relevant economic data points in agreed market locations on a monthly basis. Survey more than two thousand respondents each month, covering at least 50 districts in 22 regionally representative provinces, to collect data about commodity prices and availability, banking sector, trade market activities, labour market conditions and activities, real estate activities, and taxation.

   b. Governance Sector Monitoring: Periodic reporting on a range of governance indicators covering changes introduced by the Taliban administration, including those affecting public financial management, public service delivery, and justice and the rule of law.

   c. Education Sector Monitoring: Baseline, mid-, and end line surveys of education sector stakeholders, including heads of schools, teachers, and parents to provide information on the status and quality of education delivery.

3. Maintenance and Enhancement of Digital Platform: Develop a mobile application to access monitoring data and reports, functionality for WB to access reports, new dashboards for senior management, maintaining digital platform ensuring information security.

4. Ad Hoc Activities: One-time review of the public health care infrastructure in Afghanistan, monitoring of any new projects prepared, and any other ad hoc requirements.

Scope of Work

The Monitoring Expert STE will work with our Analysis and Reporting Team and Data Unit to lead the analysis and reporting process for third-party monitoring activities for the World Bank in Afghanistan. Working closely with relevant project and sector Focal Points from the World Bank, Physical Monitoring Team and Financial Monitoring Team, s/he will lead analysis and produce a variety of project monitoring and ad hoc reports. This will require experience in project management, technical expertise, confidence in managing remote teams and working effectively with clients, stakeholders, and consortium members.

The Monitoring Expert STE will serve as a Primary or Secondary Focal Point for project monitoring activities, leading or contributing to the drafting and finalisation of monitoring protocols, analysis plans, monitoring reports and other deliverables. Reporting to the Deputy Analysis and Reporting Lead and in coordination with the Data Unit Manager, they will be responsible for the development of reporting approaches and workplans, the quality assurance and analysis of third-party monitoring data, and the drafting and finalisation of monitoring reports, and coordinate the development of dashboards. The Monitoring Expert will be responsible for overseeing and/or supporting monitoring of projects in the areas of WASH and health.

Terms of Reference

Design and Planning

The Monitoring Expert STE will play a key role in designing analysis and reporting approaches, assuring the quality of ARTF MA monitoring proposals/protocols and representing the Analysis and Reporting Team externally as a Primary or Secondary Focal Point for engagement.

• Contribute to the identification, capture, articulation and review of new client project and sector monitoring requirements.
• Contribute to the technical design, development, roll-out and quality assurance of new monitoring approaches and methodologies, as proposed in monitoring proposals/protocols for new projects, sectors, and ad hoc deliverables.
• Contribute to the design and any revision of data collection tools, monitoring proposals/protocols and indicator/analysis plans, as assigned.
• Develop and set up data analysis processes with the Deputy Analysis and Reporting Lead and Data Unit Manager engaging representatives from the Physical and Financial Monitoring Teams and the Data Unit.
• Develop, manage, update and revise (as necessary) a workplan for the assigned project and/or sector, in collaboration with the relevant Analysis and Reporting team members.
• Support the growth and/or improvement of the Analysis and Reporting offering, under the leadership of the Deputy Analysis and Reporting Lead.
• Develop and sustain strong working relationships with key client and consortium stakeholders in the design and planning phase.

Analysis and Reporting

The Monitoring Expert STE will play a key role in delivering the Analysis and Reporting Team’s monitoring deliverables. As the Primary Focal Point for assigned project and sector monitoring, they will be responsible for the day-to-day delivery of their assigned project or sector, from design (where relevant) to the end of implementation. This includes leadership and advisory roles, working with the wider Analysis and Reporting Team based in locations around the world, as well as overseeing the work of relevant STEs.

• Work with the Physical Monitoring Team and Data Unit counterparts to transfer raw monitoring data onto analysis system for cleaning and quality assurance checks.
• Oversee and contribute to the review and quality assurance of monitoring data.
• Coordinate with the Data Unit on the development of project-specific dashboards in PowerBI
• Contribute to the quantitative data analysis and quality assurance in Power BI and develop frequency and percentage tables as needed.
• Working with the Qualitative Data Analyst, lead the qualitative data coding and analysis in NVivo for the assigned projects and sectors.
• Plan, prepare and manage internal and external data analysis workshops.
• Lead the drafting and finalisation of assigned monitoring reports and other deliverables, including work planning for related graphic design, copyediting and formatting requests, in coordination with the Copy Editor, Formatting and Graphic Design STEs.
• Participate in the presentation of findings to stakeholders, as needed.
• Liaise regularly with other members of the Analysis and Reporting Team. This includes holding regular coordination calls with all team members working on the assigned deliverable, project or sector, providing regular activity updates to the Deputy Analysis and Reporting Lead and coordinating on addressing problems with delivery in a timely and solution-oriented manner.
• Regular coordination with ARTF MA consortium, UN project implementing agencies, and the World Bank Afghanistan, including through attendance and participation in consortium and stakeholder meetings.
• Build and maintain constructive working relationships with key stakeholders at the relevant implementing agencies and World Bank Task Teams, and lead engagement with the implementing agencies.
• Contribute to internal and external communications on contextual analysis, sectoral areas of expertise, and Integrity’s ARTF MA delivery.

Personnel and Team Management

• Functionally manage the activities of other Analysis & Reporting and Data Unit team members involved in the delivery of assigned projects and sectors, including assigning tasks and deadlines, following up on an agreed frequency to determine progress, and identifying and responding to bottlenecks.
• Supervise relevant technical STEs and oversee their work on the assigned deliverable, project or sector.

Your Experience and Expertise

The Monitoring Expert STE will have:

• 6 years+ experience working on monitoring, evaluation and learning within international development and/or the consultancy sector.
• Bachelor’s degree in public health, economics, political economy, international development or a related subject.
• Excellent understanding of monitoring and evaluation framework design, instrument design, contextual analysis, data collection supervision, and analysis plan development.
• Experience designing and delivering monitoring and evaluation projects, using qualitative and quantitative data collection methodologies including direct observation, survey forms, call centre data collection, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and MIS review.
• Demonstrated experience of quality control, quality assurance, and analysis of M&E data; leading the writing of monitoring and learning reports in a variety of different reporting formats.
• Strong proficiency with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; proficiency working with Power BI is an advantage, and competency working with and quality assuring qualitative and quantitative analysis software outputs (e.g., NVivo, R).
• Demonstrated experience in WASH is strongly desired. Experience in cash and social safety nets is an advantage.
• Previous work experience in Afghanistan strongly desired.
• Excellent ability to communicate, work in a team, and collaborate with individuals with diverse technical backgrounds and with external stakeholders including government entities and international agencies.

Languages

• Written and oral fluency in English, with the ability to write clear and compelling narrative.
• Working fluency in Farsi/Dari and/or Pashto is an advantage.

Required Competencies

User-focused

To be able to ensure that stakeholders gain from the relationship so they can be sufficiently motivated to engage and cooperate.

• Talks to stakeholders to understand issues, what they want and how satisfied they are with our support and/or products.
• Lets stakeholders know they are working to meet their needs.
• Finds ways to measure and track stakeholder satisfaction.
• Anticipates, meets and exceeds the needs and expectations of stakeholders (internally and externally).
• Works together to build long-term relationships and focuses efforts on delivering increased value.

Adaptable and flexible

The ability to adjust or change to best meet the needs of the situation or environment.

• Independently engages in tasks requiring interpretation of complex and often vague sets of information.
• Identifies gaps in information and makes assumptions in order to continue analysis and/or take action.
• Seeks a wide range of sources of information.
• Seeks best practices inside and outside Integrity to anticipate change.
• Stays open-minded and encourages others to bring new perspectives.
• Engages in continuous learning, adjusting the application of knowledge, skills and abilities while addressing new challenges.

Collaborative

The ability to work co-operatively with a range of stakeholders, to be part of a team, to work together as opposed to working separately or competitively.

• Acts to promote a friendly climate, good morale and co-operation.
• Works to address and resolve conflicts within the team.
• Creates and supports opportunities for cross functional team working.

Organised

The ability to plan and monitor one’s own work and the work of others to ensure achievement of desired results.

• Coordinates ideas and resources to achieve goals.
• Identifies the sequence of tasks and the resources needed to achieve a goal and prioritises key action steps. Anticipates the impacts and risks of decisions and actions.
• Creates realistic schedules and follows them.
• Evaluates progress against schedule and goal.

Managing Resources

• Allocates and controls resources within own area of responsibility/ scope of assignment.
• Identifies needs for resources to effectively support current initiatives, services and offerings.
• Manages assignments’ delivery process and deadlines.
• Advises and/or develops practical solutions to address resource issues that impact the effectiveness of a team or project and the work to be delivered.
• Organises people and activities, separates and combines tasks into an efficient workflow to deliver project outputs according to a clear timeframe.

Achievement Focus

• Identifies needed adjustments in own area of responsibility and sets priorities accordingly.
• Considers the implications of proposed courses of action.
• Takes new initiatives aimed at improving team performance.

Stakeholder Orientation

• Identifies needed adjustments in own area of responsibility and sets priorities accordingly.
• Considers the implications of proposed courses of actions.
• Takes new initiatives aimed at improving team performance.
• Acts as a seasoned adviser, providing independent opinions on complex customer problems and assists with handling priority issues.
• Uses compelling argument to convey conclusions and ideas.
• Understands others’ complex or underlying needs, motivation, emotions or concerns and adjusts communication effectively.

Accountability

• Applies the competency in difficult situations.
• Requires occasional guidance.
• Implements new guidelines and procedures.
• Accepts responsibility when missed own or team deadlines affect major project outcome.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

1. Analysis and reporting workplans for assigned projects.
2. Analysis plans.
3. New Monitoring Proposals/Protocols and revision of existing Monitoring Protocols.
4. Monitoring reports and other client deliverables.
5. Ongoing contextual and thematic updates and analysis on developments in Afghanistan.
6. Presentations and handouts, as needed.

Conditions

The Monitoring Expert (STE) may be required to remotely attend calls/meetings hosted by team members and/or project stakeholders based worldwide, located in time zones such as Afghanistan and the East Coast of the United States. The Monitoring Expert should review their attendance of these calls/meetings and coordinate with their line manager and colleagues to ensure any time considerations are shared and their attendance is confirmed in good time for the meeting. The Monitoring Expert is expected to retain flexibility in working hours to adjust to meeting and deliverable requirements, in coordination with their manager.

Reporting

The Monitoring Expert (STE) will report directly to the Deputy Analysis and Reporting Lead.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for this position, please complete the application form at www.integrityglobal.com/apply and attach a CV and Cover Letter, explaining why you are suitable for and want the role. Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.

The closing date for applications is 27th November 2023.However, we will review candidates on a rolling basis and the vacancy may be filled before this deadline. We encourage early applications. Please be advised that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Integrity is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, marital or parental status. We will respect your confidentiality and abide by data protection laws.