(RFP 301503) RESEARCH TEAM LEAD – IITA KENYA

RESEARCH TEAM LEADER- M&E IITA KENYA

THE ORGANIZATION

The Alliance of Bioversity International delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and with the public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Research Team Leader- M&E role is established to provide hands-on technical and coordination support for the monitoring, evaluation, learning, and performance management functions of the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Programme. The Research Team Leader will support the design, implementation, coordination, tracking, analysis, and reporting of TAAT results, ensuring that programme activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts are systematically measured and documented in line with the TAAT results framework and reporting requirements.

Given the breadth, complexity, and multi-country nature of the TAAT portfolio, the role combines strong expertise in monitoring and evaluation, data management and analysis, results measurement, and performance reporting with effective programme coordination and stakeholder engagement. The role will work closely with the TAAT Programme Management Unit, Compacts, country teams, implementing partners, and other stakeholders to strengthen the quality, timeliness, and use of programme data; track progress against targets and key performance indicators; identify implementation gaps and emerging risks; and facilitate evidence-based learning and adaptive management.

The role will contribute to ensuring that TAAT has credible, timely, and actionable evidence on programme performance, including the adoption and scaling of agricultural technologies, beneficiary reach, productivity and production outcomes, employment and livelihood effects, gender and youth results, and other programme-level indicators. The post holder will also support the preparation of high-quality M&E products, dashboards, analytical reports, performance updates, and donor reports, helping ensure coherence, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making across the TAAT portfolio.

 
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

 
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAMME COORDINATION

The position will work across a complex, multi-country and multi-partner portfolio, requiring close coordination with the TAAT Programme Management Unit, TAAT Compacts, implementing CGIAR Centers and non-CGIAR international agricultural institutions, the TAAT Clearinghouse, National Agricultural Research and Extension institutions, government agencies, private-sector partners, and other implementing partners. The Research Team Leader - M&E will help ensure that reliable and timely evidence on programme implementation, outputs, outcomes, and impacts is generated, quality-assured, analyzed, and effectively used for programme management and decision-making.

The role will:

• Lead the translation of TAAT results frameworks into actionable M&E plan and elaborate Performance Indicator Reference Sheets (PIRS) including indicator definitions, data sources, collection methods, reporting schedules, responsibilities, milestones, and verification requirements.
  
• Contribute to the implementation of TAAT's M&E system, applying appropriate M&E approaches, tools, methodologies, and digital data systems aligned with the TAAT Results Framework.
  
• Track programme performance across all TAAT Compacts and countries, monitoring progress against set baselines, targets, and milestones for the programme’s indicators.
  
• Coordinate the collection, compilation, validation, analysis, and reporting of data, ensuring that data submitted by Compacts and implementing partners are complete, accurate, consistent, timely, and adequately supported by evidence.
  
• Provide technical guidance on data quality assurance and verification processes, including consistency checks, field-level verification, and other appropriate data quality assessment mechanisms to strengthen the credibility and reliability of reported results.
  
• Maintain and continuously update TAAT performance tracking systems, databases, dashboards, and other M&E tools for real-time visibility of implementation progress.
  
• Prepare periodic performance reports on TAAT outputs and outcomes indicators and submit them within stipulated donor and programme timelines.
  
• Provide technical guidance to Compacts and implementing partners on M&E methodologies and tools, including indicator measurement, data collection, digital data management, sampling, surveys, outcome monitoring, technology adoption measurement, beneficiary tracking, and results reporting.
  
• Support the design and implementation of outcome case studies, impact assessments, and other M&E studies as required to generate credible evidence of TAAT's contribution to agricultural transformation.
  
• Contribute to programme reviews, learning events, supervision missions, and performance discussions, providing evidence and analytical insights to inform management decisions and adaptive implementation.
  
• Lead capacity strengthening of Compact and partner M&E teams, including development and use of M&E tools, indicator guidance, data collection protocols, reporting templates, data quality procedures, and results.
  
• Contribute to the coordinatiom of M&E activities of TAAT addendums and country engagement initiatives to ensure their alignment to TAAT’s Result Framework.
  

 
M&E LEADERSHIP AND PROGRAMME COORDINATION

The M&E Lead will serve as a key coordination and technical focal point for monitoring, evaluation, learning, and results measurement across the TAAT programme. The role will facilitate effective engagement and information flow between the TAAT Programme Management Unit, Compacts, country teams, implementing partners, technical institutions, the TAAT Clearinghouse, national stakeholders, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure timely generation, validation, use, and reporting of programme results.

The role will:

• Coordinate routine M&E engagement across TAAT Compacts and participating countries, ensuring that M&E requirements, reporting schedules, indicators, targets, and evidence requirements are clearly understood and consistently applied.
  
• Lead the flow of M&E information between implementing partners, Compacts, the TAAT PMU, the TAAT Clearinghouse, and other relevant stakeholders.
  
• Provide technical guidance and constructive feedback to implementing teams and partners on indicator measurement, data collection, reporting formats, evidence requirements, and compliance with the TAAT Results Framework.
  
• Support coordination with the TAAT Clearinghouse and relevant technical partners on the tracking and verification of technology dissemination, adoption, scaling, beneficiary reach, and other key TAAT results.
  
• Contribute to cross-Compact learning and knowledge exchange, facilitating sharing of M&E approaches, lessons, good practices, and innovative tools across compact teams and countries.
  

 
PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION AND PERFORMANCE MONITORING

The M&E Lead will deliver timely, credible, and actionable monitoring, evaluation, and performance information to support effective implementation, accountability, learning, and evidence-based decision-making across the TAAT programme.

The role will:

• Lead the consolidation and synthesis of routine M&E updates from TAAT Compacts, countries, and implementing partners, ensuring that progress against indicators, targets, milestones, and deliverables is accurately captured.
  
• Prepare and maintain programme performance dashboards, trackers, databases, and analytical tools that provide up-to-date information on TAAT implementation and results.
  
• Ensure the completeness, accuracy, consistency, and quality of reported results through systematic data validation, quality assurance, verification, and follow-up with Compacts and implementing partners.
  
• Lead the preparation of annual, quarterly, and other periodic reports, ensuring that results across all Compacts and countries are accurately consolidated.
  
• Document and synthesize lessons, good practices, innovations, and emerging evidence from programme implementation to support learning, knowledge management, and adaptive management.
  
• Provide timely M&E inputs for programme reviews, supervision missions, management meetings, donor engagements, and strategic planning processes.
  
• Maintain an organized and auditable repository of M&E data, reports, tools, supporting documentation, and evidence, ensuring that programme results can be readily verified and traced to their sources.
  

• A Master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Statistics, Data Science, Agricultural Sciences, Social Sciences, or a related field from a recognized university.At least eight years of progressively responsible experience coordinating agricultural research for development, extension, agribusiness, digital agriculture, innovation scaling, or related programs.
  
• At least 10 years of professional experience in monitoring, evaluation, learning, results measurement, performance management, data analysis, or related fields, preferably within agricultural development or international development programmes.
  
• Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, and strengthening M&E systems and Results Measurement Frameworks.
  
• Proven experience in coordinating M&E functions for complex, multi-country and multi-partner projects or portfolios, involving multiple implementing institutions and diverse stakeholders.
  
• Strong experience in data collection, management, analysis, validation, quality assurance, and verification, including ensuring completeness, accuracy, consistency, and reliability of programme data and reported results.
  
• Experience in the design and implementation of baseline, midline, endline, outcome monitoring, evaluation, and other programme studies.
  
• Proven experience in technical writing, performance reporting, and synthesis of complex quantitative and qualitative information for programme management, development partners, donors, and other stakeholders.
  
• Demonstrated experience in developing and managing M&E databases, performance dashboards, digital data collection systems, trackers, and data visualization tools.
  
• Demonstrated experience in capacity strengthening and technical support to programme teams, implementing partners, and other stakeholders in M&E methodologies, data collection, indicator measurement, reporting, and use of data.
  
• Experience working with CGIAR Centers, international agricultural research institutions, national agricultural research and extension systems, development partners, or large-scale donor-funded programmes.
  
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in multicultural, multidisciplinary, and geographically dispersed teams, while managing multiple priorities and delivering high-quality outputs within tight deadlines.
  

Technical Competencies

• Strong technical expertise in monitoring, evaluation, results measurement, and performance management.
  
• Strong knowledge of Results-Based Management (RBM), Results Measurement Frameworks, Theory of Change, indicator development, and performance monitoring methodologies.
  
• Demonstrated ability to design, implement, and continuously improve M&E systems for complex, multi-country and multi-partner programmes.
  
• Strong data management and analytical skills.
  
• Proficiency in digital data collection, data management, visualization, and reporting tools, including platforms such as KoboToolbox/ODK, Excel, Power BI, Tableau, Stata, SPSS, R, GIS, or equivalent systems.
  
• Strong data quality assurance and verification skills
  
• Excellent programme coordination and organizational skills
  
• Excellent technical writing, synthesis, visualization, and presentation skills,
  
• Strong stakeholder engagement and interpersonal skills,
  
• Ability to work independently and take initiative while contributing effectively to a complex, multidisciplinary, multicultural, and geographically dispersed team.
  
• Excellent written and spoken English is required.
  
• Working knowledge of French is an added advantage
  

Expected Deliverables

• Consolidated TAAT M&E performance tracker covering all Compacts, countries, indicators, targets, milestones, and reporting requirements.
  
• A functional Mpro results-tracking system aligned with the TAAT III Results Framework.
  
• Timely quarterly progress reports.
  
• Presentations, Analytical briefs and summaries translating M&E findings into actionable insights.
  
• M&E support to field missions, Outcome Case Studies, Impact Assessments, and Project Completion Reports, including documentation of findings and actions.
  
• M&E tools, templates, guidelines, and reporting protocols to strengthen consistency and efficiency.
  
• Documented lessons, good practices, and evidence of programme result across Compacts. Country level documentation of results, lessons, adaptations, implementation risks, and success stories.
  

Key Performance Milestones

• Demonstrate effective coordination of routine M&E data collection, validation, consolidation, analysis, and reporting across Compacts and implementing partners, with clear evidence of improved timeliness and completeness of submissions.
  
• Continuously manage the TAAT MPRO performance dashboards to provide management with timely visibility of progress against TAAT indicators, targets, milestones, and results.
  
• Demonstrate measurable improvements in data quality, results tracking, reporting consistency, and evidence availability, supported by documented data-quality assessments, verification exercises, and corrective actions.
  
• By the end of the implementation period, coordinate the drafting of project completion reports by al compacts using the OECD-DAC criteria documenting results achieved against targets, key performance trends, lessons learned, good practices, implementation challenges, and recommendations for future programming.
  
• Provide timely technical support to Compacts and implementing partners, strengthen their M&E capacity, facilitate evidence-based learning, and ensure prompt follow-up and resolution of identified data, reporting, and performance issues.
  

Evaluation Criteria

• Relevance and depth of academic and professional qualifications
  
• Strength and relevance of technical M&E experience
  
• Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, and strengthening M&E systems
  
• Demonstrated project and portfolio coordination experience
  
• Quality of technical analysis, writing, synthesis, and reporting,
  
• Experience in data quality assurance and verification
  
• Experience working across multiple countries, institutions, and stakeholder groups
  
• Demonstrated ability to manage complexity and competing priorities
  
• Proficiency in relevant M&E and data management tools
  
• Interpersonal and stakeholder management skills
  
• Demonstrated orientation towards results, learning, and continuous improvement
  
  

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

This position is a National recruited position based in Nairobi, Kenya. The initial contract will be for 1 (One) year subject to a probation period of 3 (three) months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources.

This position is graded at BG09 level, in a scale of BG01 to BG14 (BG14 being the highest level according to the Alliance job classification framework policy). We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits.

The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

APPLICATIONS

Applicants are invited to visit https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference number (RFP 301503) RESEARCH TEAM LEAD – IITA KENYA as the position applied for. Cover letter and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting. The Alliance collects and process personal data i