Overseas Volunteer Opportunity: Malawi

Marketing Advisor

Contribute. Discover. Grow. Volunteer with CDF Canada.

Eligibility criteria:   Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

Location:   Lilongwe

Start Date:   Exact timing will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Duration:   3-6 months, in-country and online support

Language Requirement:   English (Mandatory)

Reporting to:   Country Program Officer

The Project – VOICE for Women and Girls

The VOICE for Women and Girls project is a seven-year initiative (2020 – 2027) aimed at strengthening the performance of developing country partner (DCP) organizations to advance gender equality and economic empowerment of 50,000 women and men from marginalised communities, in particular young women (target: 60% women and girls), in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Malawi with a focus on action areas of the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), namely:

• Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls, and
• Growth that Works for Everyone.

The Project responds to the needs identified by women and men of cooperatives and the entire members in the countries of operation and is designed to increase the capacities of individual producers and primary co-operatives to support more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth. Supporting institutions, including apex co-operatives, co-operative colleges, and government/regulatory institutions will also be engaged to increase the capacity and prioritization of vulnerable groups.

The Partner you will work with

Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada is working with Malawi Federations of Cooperatives (MAFECO) the national apex body for co-operatives. MAFECO aims to be a vibrant and sustainable national cooperative organization capable of providing quality leadership and services to the cooperative movement in Malawi. The organization has a vision to facilitate and coordinate promotion, development, and growth of sustainable, independent, and autonomous cooperatives in a competitive environment.

What you will do – Activities and deliverables

Reporting to the coountry program officer, the MEAL volunteer will support in managing information and reporting processes and products to ensure professional, high-quality communication about VOICE project activities, outputs and its outcomes. The MEAL volunteer will also play an important role in improving information management and data quality, and in strengthening knowledge sharing and learning across the organization and with the local partner MAFECO. The MEAL volunteer will support the MEAL Specialist in developing appropriate methodologies and tools for collecting data in the country. On a regular basis, the MEAL volunteer will be required to travel to the project sites in the country to collect and validate data. In addition, the volunteer is expected to support MAFECO in setting up their MEAL framework. This mandate is open to Canadian volunteers only.

Objectives

The Volunteer is expected to support the project team in Malawi, to properly track, document and report project achievements in VOICE’s reporting processes. To ensure sustainability of cooperative development services in Malawi, the volunteer is expected to support the setting up and operationalisation of MAFECO’s MEAL framework. Furthermore, the role will capture and tell their volunteer journey during their mandate in Malawi to contribute towards increasing awareness of the volunteer program and international development among Canadian population.

Deliverables

• Ensure the alignment of MEAL activities with program goals.
• Contribute to the development of annual work plans to identify project targets and ensure inclusion of MEAL activities.
• Maintain existing indicator tracking tools; develop additional databases and tracking tools as needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of project interventions.
• Ensure adherence to specific monitoring and reporting requirements for the VOICE project.
• Analyze data for accuracy, flag validation or quality issues, and contribute to system fixes.
• Aggregate and analyze data from across VOICE project sites to contribute to management decision-making and reporting.
• Ensure quality and timely submission of country quarterly reports; manage preparation of additional reports and other donors as required.
• Generate quarterly indicator reports for tracking progress against key indicators as needed.
• Conduct field visits for data validation and to monitor the quality and completeness of data sets; coordinate data collection at project sites to monitor program development and ensure timely compilation and reporting of data; capture and document lessons learned; and champion the scaling up best practices.
• Provide technical leadership and support to partner organizations in planning and implementing M&E systems and activities, data-based program decision-making, and results reporting; provide training as needed.

Your qualifications

Education:

• Degree in statistics, demographics, or international development preferred.

Experience:

• Experience working in the field of monitoring and evaluation.
• Proven success in designing, implementing, and operating M&E systems from project initiation to close out.
• Experience in strategic planning and performance management, including indicator selection, target setting, reporting, database management, and developing M&E and performance monitoring plans.
• Knowledge of the major evaluation methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, mixed method, and impact) and data collection and analysis methodologies.
• Experience in planning and managing surveys, developing, and refining data collection tools, and with data quality assessments and oversight.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment, set priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to synthesize complex information and communicate it effectively to diverse audiences; ability to design and implement efficient workflows and procedures.
• Ability to manage critical relationships with diplomacy and tact and engage a wide range of stakeholders.
• Fluency in English; excellent written and oral communication skills, including facilitation and cross-cultural communication.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational. and time management skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically.
• Computer proficiency in Windows environment (Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) and proficiency in data collection platforms (e.g., Kobo).

Support package

This is a voluntary assignment. CDF Canada supports volunteers through the provision of a comprehensive package designed to cover a modest and healthy lifestyle, while allowing for effectiveness in the placement:

• Monthly allowance.
• Return-trip international and/or domestic airfare.
• Visa-related costs (if needed).
• International health insurance.
• Vaccination and health-related costs (if needed).
• Interpreter and/or translator (if needed and depending on the position and duration of the assignment).
• Pre-departure support and orientation.
• Support and orientation during the assignment.
• Debriefing upon completion of the assignment.

E-volunteering

Depending on the nature of the placement, volunteers are encouraged to provide e-volunteering support to our local partners before or after their placement.

Engaging Canadians

CDF Canada provides technical and logistical support to young and experienced professionals through volunteer assignments to apply and acquire new skills and knowledge in international co-operative development. We ask each volunteer, regardless of the duration of their mandate, to share their experience during and/or at the end of their assignment either in the country of assignment or in Canada. The experience can be shared by providing stories of human interest and photographs that can be used for social media outreach; Participate in events/conferences or other public engagement activities to share their experience to motivate others.

Application Process

Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume, by applying directly on our recruitment webpage. You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Successful candidates will be required to obtain a police-check from their local police or RCMP detachment. All applicants are thanked for their interest in CDF Canada; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.