Programme Background and Objectives
The overall objective of the EU funded Project is to support democratic institutions and promotion of human rights in Pakistan. Its purpose is to advance the functioning of Pakistan parliamentary institutions, in particular Pakistan provincial assemblies, through effective legislation, strengthened policy and budget oversight and enhanced representation.
The Project runs from November 1, 2016 through to October 2019 (3 years) and will comprise of three key Result areas;
§ Result 1: Better equipped and functioning Assemblies including Members, selected committees and other parliamentary bodies.
§ Result 2: Strengthened assemblies' secretariats at provincial level;
§ Result 3: Improved transparency and accessibility of provincial and legislative assemblies.
Assignment Background:
The primary objective of the Project contract is to, by adopting an evidence based assessment of the needs of the Provincial Assemblies, design and deliver a range of capacity development and technical assistance services to achieve the Project specific strategic objective leading to attainment of the results defined above.
The Project will be anchored at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) in view of its mandate towards the federal and provincial levels, and will work within the four Provincial
Assemblies in the areas of:
a) institutional development through Strategic planning;
b) Rules of procedure especially as regards effective committee functioning in law-making, oversight and representation;
c) capacity building for parliamentarians and committees;
d) strengthening the Secretariat structure and human resource policy;
e) work with Secretariat Branches;
f) work in the area of the transparency of the assemblies towards the public by keeping the public informed about the assembly’s work and promoting public input into policy-making.
Particular focus shall be ensured to support inter-assembly linkages, experience sharing and collaboration through specialised caucuses, fora and common initiatives on topics of common interest.
Parliamentarians and Secretariat staff of the Legislative Assemblies of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan will also be included as much as possible in capacity building interventions for the
Provincial Assemblies.
The main focus of the project is the Pakistan four Provincial Assemblies. Hence, the activities will be carried out in the four provincial capitals Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta. In addition as far as is reasonably practicable support should also be extended to the Legislative Assemblies of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
Target groups for the SUBAI to engage with include but are not limited to the following;
§ Members of Provincial and Legislative Assemblies.
§ Secretariats of Provincial and Legislative Assemblies.
§ Committees and other established Parliamentary bodies and their staff, as appropriate.
§ Media outlets/journalists.
§ Lawyers' fora, bar associations, researchers, civil society organisations, think-tanks,
academic institutions and others.
§ Pakistani Institute for Parliamentary Services
§ Federal assembly and in particular its specialised caucuses and fora relevant for fostering better inter-assembly linkages and experience sharing
§ The Senate of Pakistan as the House of Federation and in particular in reference to its work on
inter provincial collaboration and support to provincial assemblies.
§ International development partners working in the sector
Assignment responsibilities, duties and tasks
The primary purpose of this assignment is to devise and provide oversight for the SUBAI project’s planning, evaluation, knowledge management and monitoring. This will involve working with the Project Key Experts working out of Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar in order to identify performance indicators, development of quality assurance strategies, training of the Project team members and maintenance of regular contact and engagement within the Team to ensure that M&E is woven into the design of all programmatic activities set out in the x6 agreed 2-year Workplans. [A1]
Specific tasks will include updating the robust Theory of Change (ToC) which was devised and informed by a variety of data including the initial light-touch Political Economy Analysis, the actor network mapping analysis and Human Resource Capacity Development assessments which were carried out during the first year of the project. The ToC will be formally reviewed on a 6 monthly basis to ensure that it remains fit for purpose and reflects how the SUBAI project evolves over time during the implementation phase.
The Theory of Change provides the frame within which the Projects process towards the achievement of the high level results will guide the programmatic activities of the Project. The RME Adviser will be required to implement a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation logical framework which is to be used to measure and capture the impact of the Project interventions. The RME Adviser will be working in a dynamic progress where continuous monitoring will feed directly into the development pathways to achieve evidence based change. The secondary purpose of the post will to help to develop the capacity within the SUBAI Technical team to understand the importance of effective M&E and the relevance of considering M&E in the initial design stage for all technical activities. Beyond the SUBAI team the RME Adviser will also identify opportunities to work with Provincial Assemblies and PIPS to assist then to also see the added value and organisational advantages of putting robust RME systems in place. This support will assist in the Project theory of change process and will over time, feed into the high level Impact statement.
Indicative tasks include but are not limited to supporting the core SUBAI Technical team to undertake the following;
1. Lead the timely review of the project’s Theory of Change and Logical Framework in collaboration with the Palladium RME Team and SUBAI Technical Advisory Team (TAT).
2. Lead the development of an effective M&E plan and tools that will include M&E requirements for each indicator and the associated assumptions.
3. Support the TAT in the finalization and periodic refinement of the systems for capturing data (i.e. data collection tools and data flow/feedback mechanisms) and tracking the Project’s progress against the agreed indicators
4. Develop/adapt mechanisms for undertaking periodic data verification and spot checks for identifying gaps and enabling the SUBAI Technical team specifically the Provincial level team members to improve the quality and accuracy of the data
5. Lead the review and implementation of a standardised Management Information System (MIS) including a review of the Project’s information management plan, that enables a systematic and efficient data collection, compilation, storage, retrieval and analysis
6. In consultation with the Technical team develop/agree and establish baselines.
7. Lead the analysis and consolidation of data coming from the Provincial level into a national level picture of progress in close coordination with the SUBAI Deputy Team Leader to produce overall learning that will inform on-going project design/course corrections and strengthening integration/cross-learning in the various strands of the project
8. Provide inputs into the design, implementation and dissemination (both internal and external) of quantitative/qualitative assessments, evaluations and special studies in collaboration with the Technical Team.
9. Take the lead in development of progress reports to the Client.
10. Provide support and take the lead where necessary in conducting project evaluations (internal and external).
11. Champion the importance and relevance of M&E at the Provincial Assembly level by supporting the transfer of knowledge to the Beneficiaries.
12. Assist in coordinating across all the Project Outcomes to ensure effective implementation of M&E/MIS.
13. Provide feedback to the SUBAI Deputy Team Leader and TAT on the M&E goals and outputs and aligning the planned activities to the approved logframe indicators and targets.
14. Assist the TAT in planning/designing activities that will lead to the achievement of agreed outcomes.
15. Oversee the implementation of staff capacity building on the RME plan and data collection tools/processes
16. Represent the SUBAI project in meetings with external stakeholders including the Client and Provincial Assembly groups and other SUBAI Consortium Partners.
17. Overall management and supervision of the SUBAI RME & Technical Team Associate to ensure effectiveness of established M&E systems.
18. Supervision of the SUBAI RME & Technical Team Associate who is responsible for the ongoing work to update the SUBAI project website/ social media accounts and supporting the regular uploads of information on the Palladium SharePoint Subai folders on a regular basis
19. Any other work or tasks as assigned by the SUBAI Deputy Team Leader.
Transferred Deliverables:
- A well-structured M&E plan that includes the indicators, clear identification of who is responsible for collection data against the indicators, what forms and other data collection tools will be used, and how data will flow through the Project team and be captured in external reports to the Client or for wider circulation.
- Any research conducted for the Project as part of the RME function within the Project.
- Tailored/bespoke data collection tools and templates including but not limited to evaluation forms, pre and post intervention assessments, focus group discussions, interviews etc.
Start Date: December 2017
End Date: November 2018
Competencies
§ Excellent knowledge of quantitative and qualitative techniques that enable analytically and empirically rigorous analyses of programme and policy effectiveness in developing countries,
§ Experience developing and Monitoring Evaluation Frameworks.
§ Experience developing Reporting Systems and research instruments
§ Experience working with international donors
Qualifications & Experience:
1. University degree in public policy, business administration or development related studies
2. Strong facilitation and training skills
3. At least 5 years of experience in the design and implementation of M&E/MIS in development projects implemented by national/international NGOs and donor organisations
4. Experience in designing tools and strategies associated with the Theory of Change, data collection, analysis and production of reports;
5. Proven ICT skills, especially in the development of MIS software using database software;
6. Good understanding of capacity assessment methodologies; excellent ability to identify significant capacity building opportunities;
7. Ability to lead implementation of new systems and affect staff behavioural/ attitudinal change
8. Demonstrated experience of consistently approaching work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
9. Excellent communication skills (written and oral): Sensitivity to and responsiveness to all partners, Respectful and helpful relations with donors and project staff.
10. Sound knowledge of parliamentary processes and the Pakistani polity preferably at both Provincial and Federal level.
11. Strong analytic skills and excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
12. Excellent verbal communication skills in Urdu
13. Excellent interpersonal and presentational skills
14. Demonstrable adaptability, social awareness and cultural sensitivity
Reporting Arrangements:
The Expert will be line managed by and report directly to the Project Deputy Team Leader and will provide a valuable resource to all the technical team members