Job Description

The Associate Technical Advisor (ATA), Africa programs will lead Women Empowered (WE) Initiative technical assistance and program quality activities; provide strategic direction and program management support; and support monitoring, evaluation, research and learning for the Africa region’s Women Empowered (WE) Initiative programs.

The WE ATA will serve the Africa region, based in Musoma, Tanzania. This position will report to the WE Initiative Acting Director, working closely with members of the PCI Tanzania and regional program teams as well as PCI Headquarters WE and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) associates on regional activities.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

• Provide remote and in-person technical assistance to implementing field teams in the region (including Botswana, Burundi, Malawi, and Zambia) through regular check-ins; delivery of training; review of project plans; and review and analysis of program reports and data
• Support management, planning, implementation, assessments and reporting on a portfolio of WE programming in Tanzania, including rollout and pilot testing of new mobile app.
• Provide strategic direction to programs in the region, contributing to the development and implementation of specific strategies and methodologies in the following technical areas:
  • Program Expansion
  • Wealth Generation Pathways (Business skills training, entrepreneurship and workforce development)
  • Gender Equity Mainstreaming and Male Engagement
  • Youth engagement (urban and rural)
  • Urban WE implementation
• Facilitate Africa regional working groups as needed, track working group objectives and deliverables, and lead the development and monitoring of the groups’ work plan
• Contribute to the expansion of the WE initiative in the region through partnership identification, networking, presenting WE at relevant conferences or meetings with stakeholders, and other expansion planning activities.
• Participate in resource development at all phases, including proposal development.
• Participate in regular program quality calls with PCI headquarters technical staff.
• Supervises interns/fellows.
• In partnership with Program Team managers and coordinators, identify opportunities to strengthen PCI WE staff, and design and evaluate WE staff capacity building programs.

Program Quality Management

• Support program teams and management in the development, use and documentation of project management plans
• Ensure maintenance of established WE programs, supporting the development and monitoring of program work plans.
• Ensure program quality, pursue technical innovations and promote synergies between WE and PCI’s other social and economic development projects.
• Provide technical assistance to regional field staff to identify and optimize the use of internal WE program data, technical strategies and existing best practices, lessons learned and research across key sectors.
• Lead the review of all WE reports and ensure the highest quality in regional country programs.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of assessments and studies to inform WE programmatic decision-making, project designs and institutional learning.
• Facilitate the process of documenting lessons learned, challenges, and opportunities to improve field practice of WE in the region.
• Continually improve the WE methodology, manuals and training materials based on best practices and lessons learned in the field.

Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation

• In coordination with M&E leads, provide ongoing support to in-country WE-related M&E activities, including in the review of the WE M&E plans, studies, surveys, assessments, and evaluations.
• Work with program and M&E teams to carry out regular data quality assessments (DQA) of WE program data; develop strategies and refresher training to address deficiencies found during DQA.
• Produce and disseminate high quality WE case studies, success stories, best practices and lessons learned that are supported with an evidence-based, beneficiary testimonials, impact/comparative data and other relevant information.
• Assist M&E teams in maintaining effective management information systems (MIS) for WE Program activities, including the VSLA industry standard online MIS (SAVIX).
• Support in the development, validation and field testing of PCI’s evaluation and impact measurement tools.

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced Degree in International Development, Social Studies, Development Economics, Public Health, or related field, or BA and commensurate relevant work experience at international or national levels.
• Four years of professional experience including 2 years in international development.
• Experience providing direct project support and training related to economic capacity building, savings groups, income-generating work, as well as business skills training and partnership building preferred.
• Knowledge and experience in research design, data collection, and analysis.    
• Written and spoken Fluency in English.
• Strong research and writing skills in English.
• Ability to take initiative, solve problems, anticipate actions, and to use creative means to complete tasks.
• Ability to work as an integral part of a team, taking guidance and input from supervisors and peers.
• Strong time-management skills and ability to work to deadlines.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and commitment to PCI’s core values.