Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist – Pan African PPR Secretariat (PAPS) Full Time NEW

Introduction and Context

The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), under the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (DARBE), coordinates livestock resource utilization across AU Member States. Through the Pan African PPR Secretariat (PAPS), AU-IBAR leads continental efforts to eradicate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a critical disease affecting small ruminants.

Small ruminants form an essential part of African livestock systems. Despite years of donor and partner support for PPR control across various countries and regions, efforts remain fragmented and poorly coordinated. This has resulted in limited short-term disease control, insufficient for achieving continental eradication.

A decade ago, Rinderpest, a viral disease similar to PPR but affecting cattle and buffalo, was successfully eradicated from Africa through robust continental coordination supported by the European Union. This success demonstrates that coordinated action can achieve disease eradication. PPR eradication is now a political priority for the African Union, reaffirmed on multiple occasions. The FAO/WOAH joint PPR Secretariat has developed a global strategy and action plan, coordinating the PPR Global Eradication Programme under the GF-TADs umbrella.

To support the eradication of Peste des Petits ruminants, the European Union (EU) has provided funding through the “EU support to the Eradication of PPR (Peste des petits ruminants) from Africa” of 8 million Euro through a Multi-partner Agreement with AU-IBAR, FAO and WOAH.

This Action represents the first phase of a comprehensive, long-term approach to eradicate PPR in Africa. It will inform a harmonized continental strategy supported by a theory of change and a comprehensive Business Plan. Subsequent phases will implement targeted, evidence-based interventions within a defined timeframe.

Objectives

The continental scope, technical complexity, and multi-stakeholder nature of the PPR eradication programme across Sub-Saharan Africa require enhanced monitoring and evaluation capacity within PAPS. The newly developed M&E Framework encompasses multiple tools that must be operationalized across continental, regional, and national levels, engaging all 47 AU Member States. These tools include the revised Logical Framework, compliance monitoring tool, result-resources framework, and indicator tracking tool.

In view of the above, the African Union Commission invites applications for a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer position at the Pan African PPR Secretariat (PAPS), housed within the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (IBAR) in Nairobi, Kenya. The M&E Officer will provide specialized technical support to the M&E Expert, focusing on operational implementation of M&E tools and frameworks, technical analysis of monitoring data, and capacity building at regional and national levels. This position complements existing M&E capacity without duplication, ensuring broader and more timely coverage of Member States while strengthening overall programme effectiveness.

Main Functions

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will provide essential technical and operational support to strengthen the M&E capacity of the PPR eradication programme. The Officer will work under the supervision of the M&E Expert to ensure systematic data collection across all programme levels, data analysis to generate actionable insights, and utilization of findings to enhance programme accountability, efficiency, and adaptive management at continental, regional, and national implementation levels.

The M&E Specialist will:

• Support the operationalization and implementation of the monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) framework for the PPR eradication programme at continental, regional, and national levels.
• Provide technical assistance to implementing partners and Member States on monitoring protocols, data collection methodologies, reporting standards, and compliance with the PPR programme guidelines.
• Support the preparation of comprehensive monthly, quarterly, and annual M&E reports that provide actionable insights and evidence-based recommendations for strategic programme management and decision-making.
• Contribute to the development and production of the Quarterly PPR Project Bulletin, ensuring accurate reflection of programme progress and achievements.
• Support the M&E Expert to ensure monitoring findings are systematically discussed in relevant forums and translated into adaptive management actions.
• Undertake additional duties as assigned by the M&E Expert to enhance overall PPR programme monitoring effectiveness and implementation success.

Key Responsibilities

The M&E Specialist will:

1. Conduct periodic reviews and updates of the programme’s theory of change and logical framework, ensuring relevance and alignment with evolving programme objectives, with particular emphasis on indicator refinement and measurement methodologies.
2. Participate actively in PPR Work Plan development and revision processes, ensuring coherence between planning documents, M&E frameworks, and implementation timelines.
3. Support the development, refinement, and updating of the comprehensive M&E Plan, including the design and improvement of associated data collection instruments and systems.
4. Assess existing data quality within project domains, evaluate collection methodologies, and determine data utility for impact evaluation purposes.
5. Establish and maintain comprehensive baseline data for all project components and performance indicators.
6. Support the review and enhance existing management information systems, identifying required modifications and resource needs.
7. Support the implementation of the M&E capacity-building initiatives.
8. Identify technical support requirements for project partners and organize targeted capacity development interventions.
9. Implement systematic data collection protocols to measure progress against established performance indicators.
10. Frequently undertake field monitoring at regional and Member States level.
11. Participate in the development of Terms of Reference for Baseline,
    Mid-term, and End-of-Programme Evaluations for PPR and related Animal Health initiatives.
12. Contribute to the preparation of timely, accurate, and comprehensive monthly, quarterly, and annual PPR programme performance and progress reports for submission to management, donors, and stakeholders.
13. Participate in the operationalisation of the PPR Project internal Mid-Term review, external Mid-Term Review and End of Project Evaluations.
14. Document best practices and lessons learned, developing illustrative case studies to capture qualitative project outcomes.
15. Support the M&E Expert to produce analytical reports and technical briefs on M&E findings, trends, and emerging issues, and support the preparation of data-driven presentations for diverse stakeholder audiences including technical coordination meetings, steering committees, and policy forums.
16. Contribute to programme risk identification, assessment, and monitoring processes, providing M&E evidence to inform risk mitigation strategies and enhance project efficiency and effectiveness.
17. Represent the M&E function in relevant technical meetings, working groups, and coordination forums as delegated by the M&E Expert.

Duration and Location

The duration of this consultancy is six (6) months, which may be renewed subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds. The successful consultant will be based in AU-IBAR offices in Nairobi, Kenya and will be required to maintain the AU office hours.

Remuneration

The remuneration for this Consultancy shall be an all-inclusive monthly fee equivalent to P2 Step 5 on the AU Salary Scale.

The consultant will be responsible for his/her medical and travel insurance cover for the duration of the consultancy. Expenses for travel and on official missions will be covered separately by AU-IBAR in accordance with the applicable African Union rules and regulations.

Supervision

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will work under the direct technical supervision of the Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, with guidance from the Senior Animal Health Officer, and overall oversight of the Director of AU-IBAR.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor university degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Agriculture/rural development/ Veterinary Medicine, Economics, Business Administration, Political or Social sciences, Quantitative analysis or statistics or any other relevant or equivalent degree; or
• A Postgraduate University degree master’s degree) in Monitoring and Evaluation, Agriculture/rural development/ Veterinary Medicine, Economics, Business Administration, Political or Social sciences, Quantitative analysis or statistics or any other relevant or equivalent degree will be considered an added advantage.
• A master’s degree in project management will be an added advantage.
• Applicants holding a specific Monitoring and Evaluation training certification in Monitoring and Evaluation in addition to the above general areas of training will be considered favourably.

Experience

1. Minimum of five (5) years of relevant progressive work experience in areas of monitoring and evaluation, preferably within a regional, continental and/or International organization of which at least 3 years should be at managerial level.
2. Experience in M&E of animal resource development programs/project including project management
3. Familiarity with animal health program/projects development, implementation and evaluations
4. Proven experience in M&E of similar assignments with RECS, continental and international organizations such WOAH, FAO among others).
5. Proven knowledge and experience on Monitoring and Evaluation methods and Monitoring and Evaluation data and information management is required.
6. Knowledge of human/animal health and/or conducting data collection in the field.
7. Experience in development and operationalisation of M&E Frameworks and data collection tools.
8. Knowledge of project cycle management, administration and evaluation concepts and procedures.
9. Proven knowledge, skills, and experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis

Other Essential Skills and Experience

1. Excellent analytical capacity
2. Possess at least some basic knowledge and experience in research Methodology.
3. An ability and desire to work collaboratively in a team of largely non-M&E specialists, so an ability to explain concepts in layman’s terms is key.
4. Detail-oriented, demonstrated ability to multi-task and meet internal and external deadlines.
5. Organisational awareness, ability to establish priorities, work within tight timelines.
6. Capability for working in a multicultural environment with colleagues from different departments and office.
7. Proficiency in at least one AU language required. Knowledge of another language will be an added advantage.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with the requirements and the evaluation grid below:

Criteria Max Score

Qualification 30

Relevant Experience 45

Other Skills 25

Total 100

Applicants who meet the technical requirements may be invited for an interview (virtual or in person as is appropriate).

Gender Mainstreaming:
The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Tagged as: African Union - InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources, Kenya