Monitoring Consultant

BACKGROUND:   Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work today in more than 40 countries, the IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.   The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Inside Syria, 6.5 people are internally displaced and 10.9 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. Today’s 2.8 million refugees are expected to increase to 4.1 million by the end of 2014. This is no short- term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes and infrastructure will take years to repair. The IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. With an annual budget in excess of $100 million and a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by nearly 1000 staff, IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, education, women’s protection and empowerment, NFI and food  distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, and livelihood programming.   IRC’S monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems in the Syria Response Region (SRR) have mostly been set up on a program-by-program basis. Although all keep track of the number of people served (beneficiaries), the nature and quality of the systems vary across the region in terms of their robustness, complexities, efficiencies, and satisfaction of management needs, rising donor expectations and reporting requirements. The absence of standardized M&E approaches has resulted in difficulties for IRC to accurately estimate the number of people we serve, both in total (regionally and by country) and disaggregated in any number of ways (for example, by programme type, by type of beneficiary, or by program donor).   OBJECTIVES & SCOPE OF WORK:The objectives of this consultancy are:1.       To provide the most accurate as possible one-time “stock-take” of the number of people to-date and currently served by IRC and its partners in the SRR.2.       To define the ways by which IRC will consistently, uniformly and at regular intervals measure and report the numbers of people we serve in SRR in the future. The principles underlying the proposed system for counting the people we serve in the future must:·         Provide exhaustive lists and clear definitions of data sets and define the basic minimum criteria for disaggregated data inputs, such as but not limited to:o Beneficiary unit (individual, household)o Nationality (Syrian, Turkish, Lebanese, Jordanian, Iraqi, other)o Sex (female, male)o Age (child, youth, adult, older person)o Geographic location (country, administrative units, P-codes, UN hard-to-reach)o Beneficiary status (non-IDP Syrian, IDP, refugee, host)o Location type (original, camp, ITS, host community)o Type of beneficiary engagement (direct, indirect)o Delivery modality (direct implement, through partners)o Programme type (WPE, CP, CYPD, ERD, Health) & sub-type (cash, education, etc.)·         Dovetail to the extent possible with existing M&E systems (including key external beneficiary counting requirements, such as donor and UN ActivityInfo) and be workable without unreasonable extra/onerous efforts by country programs or the region·         Build on good program/project level monitoring practices that easily lend themselves to counting the people we serve in an aggregate manner·         Provide clear methodological bases for beneficiary count calculations and justifications for any assumptions made·         Cover IRC’s direct implementation both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries and work carried out through IRC’s partners (mostly inside Syria)·         Make maximal use of automated data management (avoiding manual manipulation of data as it moves upwards) and reporting tools·         Be user friendly and accompanied by guidance for those responsible to maintain the system (country programs and regional) ·         Identify gaps in the abilities of country programs’ current M&E systems to respond to the requirements to count the people we serve and concrete recommendations for addressing them As the approach taken is one of retrofitting existing systems at a more micro level (projects and programmes) to come up with a workable system at the more macro level (country and regional), it is recognized that the “best” system will not be a “perfect” system. The consultant, under the guidance of the Regional M&E Coordinator, must balance the needs, desired usage and scientific rigour of beneficiary count information with the practicalities of reasonable levels of effort and resources. The specific steps required of the consultant will emerge as the work gets underway, but is expected to include the following:·         Fine tune these terms of reference in collaboration with the Regional M&E Coordinator and develop a plan of action for the consultancy·         Take stock of and assess the current beneficiary tracking databases and spreadsheets of each program in each country (these will be provided to the consultant upon starting), and understand the data flows and how data is managed in practice·         Gain a holistic view of the current beneficiary count system through, for example, mapping/matricing the key characteristics of data at the project -> program -> country levels to identify the commonalities/points of intersection and gaps/points of departure·         Consult with senior managers to understand their needs and desired usage for beneficiary count information·         Use the existing data to arrive at the various sub-totals of beneficiaries served and totals of unique beneficiaries served·         Develop the system to count the people we serve moving forward, adhering to the above mentioned principles and additional agreements reached during the consultancy  It is believed that across the SRR region IRC currently tracks beneficiary numbers in more than 50 distinct ways (i.e. using that many different databases and spreadsheets formats that are tailored to each type of intervention), or more if considering NFI distributions and partners’ work inside Syria. This figure is indicative to give an idea of scope; a more nuaced picture will come at the beginning stages of the consultancy.   Deliverables of the consultancy will be: Agreed plan of action for the consultancy Beneficiary counts according to agreed criteria and disaggregation, with succinct descriptions of the basis for calculations and justifications for assumptions made A documented system for counting the people we serve in the future, including the processes, minimum standards, tools, reporting format(s), guidance, roll-out plan and recommendations   KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS: Consultancy manager: Regional M&E Coorindator, based in Amman Key points of contact: ·         M&E Managers of country programs x3 ·         Relevant program staff of country programs x13 (approx.) ·         Grant Coordinators of country programs x4 ·         ICT4P Coordinator ·         Country Directors x4 ·         Deputy Directors of Programs x4 ·         Regional Director   The consultant will visit each country program office (including field offices if necessary) once during the consultancy and elsewise communicate remotely with them (Jordan staff will be more accessible in-person).   REQUIRED PROFESSIONAL SKILLS: Undergraduate or graduate university degree in the relevant social sciences or sciences, e.g. development studies, geography, statistics, IT Minimum 5 years of experience in monitoring metrics and systems development, preferably in an NGO and/or humanitarian context Strong understanding of monitoring, measurement and beneficiary tracking principles, good practices, systems, methods and techniques Excellent data management and database skills using common software packages Experience with the use of technology and automation in monitoring and reporting Fluent in English, written and oral. The ability to communicate in Arabic is an added advantage.   REQUIRED PERSONAL SKILLS: Ability to listen and understand others’ needs and contextualize them Ability to get immersed in detail without getting lost in it Practical orientation Proactive and self-motivated approach to work   Note: List of responsibilities, professional and personal skills are considered indicative and not exhaustive; actual duties may differ or change depending on office and agency priorities at the time.   TO APPLY:   Based on the information contained in this TOR, applicants should send a maximum 1-page proposed plan for completing the consultancy, indicating the required number of days and daily consultancy fees (other costs such as travel will be covered by IRC).   IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.