Monitoring Analyst, 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 program 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 60 delivers multi-year projects, programs and consulting assignments to a wide range of government clients, international organizations, foundations and private sector clients.

Vision: Integrity sets the international standard for ethically delivered, expert services in complex and challenging contexts. Our work helps create stability, accountability and prosperity.

Mission: Based on evidence and learning, we help clients and communities to build trust and understanding as the basis for transformative change. We do not advocate: we listen, comprehend and recommend.

Commitment: Integrity upholds the highest ethical standards in our service delivery, our employment of staff and our interaction with people. Through adherence to our core values, we ensure not only that our clients receive the best possible service but that we benefit the individuals and communities amongst whom we work.

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 helps 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 WB 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 WB.

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 WB management, the Government, and the public.

For the period 1 January 2022 to 31 July 2022:

During the first extension period, the TPMA contract will focus 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 will conduct a program of work aimed at supporting the orderly suspension and closure of World Bank financing commitments, including if needed support for project implementation completion and results report preparation, designing a program of work to support the implementation of projects envisioned by the March 1 World Bank Board of Executive Directors and the March 10 ARTF Steering Committee decisions, and sustaining field-based data gathering, including as required for key sectoral monitoring initiatives. Regular quarterly and other reporting protocols will be sustained.

For the period 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2024:

The primary objective of this assignment 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. Economic Monitoring and Governance Assessment: Field-based gathering of relevant economic data points 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. 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.
3. Maintenance and Enhancement of Digital Platform: Develop a mobile application to access monitoring data and reports, functionality for UN agencies to upload sites data and access reports, new dashboards for senior management, maintaining digital platform ensuring information security.
4. Ad hoc Activities: One-time review of the hospital infrastructure in Afghanistan, monitoring of any new projects prepared, and any other ad hoc requirements.

Scope of Work

The Monitoring Analyst works in our Data Unit, alongside the Analysis and Reporting Team (A&RTeam), to support the ongoing delivery of analysis and reporting services to the ARTF Monitoring Agent (MA) project. Under the supervision of the Data Unit Manager and relevant deliverable, project and sector Focal Points, s/he will quality assure, code, and analyze third-party monitoring data; develop, update and enhance PowerBI dashboards and other analysis products. The Monitoring Analyst will serve as a Primary or Secondary Focal Point for deliverable, project or sector monitoring activities, leading or contributing to the drafting and finalization of monitoring protocols, analysis plans, monitoring reports and other deliverables.

Terms of Reference

Planning and Design

• Contribute to scoping and design meetings and correspondence by sharing technical feedback, requirements, and recommendations with internal and external stakeholders.
• Participate in the design, development, revision and finalization of the monitoring proposals/protocols, data collection tools, sampling and indicator list/analysis plans.
• Coordinate with Analysis and Reporting Focal Points and other Data Unit team members on the design and development of data finalization, analysis and reporting processes. Also, mapping the process of delivery from the point of ‘Original Data Received’ to ‘Report Start Date’ and advising on work plan implications.
• Plan for the quality assurance and quality control of physical monitoring data at QA checkpoints, working with Data Engineers and Monitoring Officers to prepare monitoring tool XLS forms. Also, change logs and pilot data to enable the use of automated data QA scripts, client data scripts and analysis/reporting scripts.

Data Processing

• Coordinate with the Physical Monitoring Team (PMT) and Primary/Secondary Focal Points on the delivery, review and finalization of monitoring datasets. Also, managing delivery work plans in line with client and Data Unit requirements, and communicating the status and timeline of delivery to internal and external stakeholders when required.
• Oversee the day-to-day work of Monitoring Officers, functionally managing their inputs into data cleaning and quality assurance of monitoring data. Review and quality control their work, providing feedback and guidance on improvements or enhancements that can be made to their work and the process.
• Support the Data Engineers with the preparation of quantitative and qualitative datasets for automated data cleaning, analysis, and reporting scripts.
• In coordination with Data Engineers, work with Monitoring Officers to prepare cleaned quantitative data for analysis in Excel and PowerBI, packaging finalized monitoring data in line with standard guidelines, Data Engineer and Analysis and Reporting Team requirements, and client specifications.

Analysis and Reporting

• Conduct quantitative data analysis through Excel and PowerBI (and NVivo, as needed) in coordination with the deliverable, project or sector Primary Focal Point and consulting the Senior Monitoring Analyst.
• Design, develop and maintain PowerBI dashboards, coordinating with the Data Unit Manager, deliverable, project or sector focal points on their upload and dissemination on the digital platform.
• Lead or contribute to PowerBI dashboard familiarization sessions with client and consortium partners.
• Produce descriptive summary tables in Excel, creating formulas and formatting outputs as required.
• Lead or support the coding and analysis of qualitative data in NVivo.
• Contribute to the planning and delivery of the data analysis workshops, as required.
• Draft and finalize monitoring reports and other deliverables, coordinating inputs with the Primary or Secondary Focal Point and other contributing team members.
• In coordination with the Primary or Secondary Focal Point, review and respond to the quality assurance of Physical Monitoring Team, Financial Monitoring Team, BDO Leadership, and feedback of the World Bank or stakeholders.
• Participate in presentations of sector/project activities and findings to external stakeholders as needed.

Capacity development

• Participate in monitoring and analysis skills and systems training.

Your Experience and Expertise

The Monitoring Analyst must have:

• A University degree (e.g., BA or BSc).
• At least four years of experience in monitoring, evaluation, or learning in humanitarian or development sectors of Afghanistan.
• A proven track record working in Data Management and/or Data Analysis.
• Practical knowledge of remote third-party management methodologies.
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail and follow through.
• High levels of proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Power Query and PowerBI.
• Experience working in Python and/or R Project is desirable.
• Experience working with data collection software such as Kobo Toolbox or SurveyCTO preferred.
• Experience working on World Bank programs preferred.

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.

Organized

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 prioritizes key action steps. Anticipates the impacts and risks of decisions and actions.
• Creates realistic schedules and follows them. Evaluates progress against schedule and goal. Evaluates proposed actions and timelines against the project’s theory of change.

Managing Resources

• Allocates and controls resources within own area of responsibility/ scope of assignment.
• Identifies resourcing needs 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.
• Organizes 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 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 Contribution to Outputs and Deliverables

As the Primary or Secondary Focal Point, the Monitoring Analyst will be expected to produce or contribute to the following deliverables to a high-quality and in a timely manner:

• Data Unit inputs into Monitoring Proposals/Protocols.
• Cleaned and quality assured and finalized datasets.
• Power BI dashboards and other analysis products requested by the client.
• Monitoring reports and other written outputs.
• Presentations of analysis and reporting findings.

Conditions

The Monitoring Analyst may be required to remotely attend calls/meetings hosted by team members and/or project stakeholders based worldwide, located in time zones such as Australia and the West Coast of the United States. The Monitoring Analyst 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 Analyst is expected to retain flexibility in working hours to adjust to meeting and deliverable requirements, in coordination with their line manager.

Reporting

The Monitoring Analyst will be line-managed by the Data Unit Manager, with additional functional reporting lines for project/sector activities identified at the start of each activity.

Languages

• Strong working knowledge of written and spoken English (must submit examples of written work).
• Excellent written and spoken Dari and Pashto.

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.

We will review candidates on a rolling basis and the vacancy may be filled. We encourage early applications. Please be advised that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Integrity is an equal opportunities employer. And positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. We will respect your confidentiality and abide by data protection laws.