Monitoring Specialist

The Monitoring Specialist is responsible for providing monitoring, development results, and socio-economic analysis support to the Bank by designing, implementing, and managing monitoring frameworks, systems, tools, and methodologies that measure and report on the developmental results of DBSA investments, programmes, and projects. The role is responsible for implementing the Development Results Reporting Framework, supporting project appraisals through economic analysis, monitoring development results, ensuring compliance with development reporting standards, and providing strategic insights to support evidence-based decision-making and sustainable development outcomes.

Job Profile (Downloadable)

Expertise & Technical Competencies

Minimum Qualification

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Econometrics, Development/Social Sciences or a related qualification.

Minimum Experience

• A minimum of 8 years’ experience in monitoring within development or public sectors and the application of monitoring concepts, tools and methodologies.
• Demonstrable experience in economic analysis, and generating monitoring reports on development results
• Understanding the global, regional and local economic development.
• Proven experience in stakeholder management/networking/relationship building in terms of monitoring of projects and programmes.
• Solid knowledge and understanding of sustainable development, relevant legislation, regulations, policies, systems and procedures governing infrastructure planning and development finance environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of the corporate lending process.
• High level of competency required in MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint and MS Projects
• Proven experience in implementing economic and monitoring systems and tools for an organisation
• Experience in preparing comprehensive monitoring and management reports.
• Demonstrated experience in independently leading evaluations, while also collaborating effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

Desirable Requirements

• Certification in Monitoring and Evaluation,
• Experience and training in indicator development and understanding.
• Experience working in development finance institutions, municipal environment or multilateral development banks.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Written Communication

• Understands that different writing styles are required for different documents or audiences.
• Write effective correspondence, prepare questions and reports, statements of circumstance and briefing notes.
• Has a solid mastery of writing principles such as grammar, sentence construction, etc.

Presentation Skills

• Can reinforce key presentation points with examples.
• Is able to translate technical terminology into language understandable to the audience.
• Has insight into the audience’s behaviour and motivation and responds appropriately and professionally, adapting communication style as appropriate.

Reporting

• Designs / customises reports to meet user needs.
• Prepares complex or tailored reports, gathers information from a variety of sources, analyses and includes in a report.
• Keeps standard reports under review and proposes improvements to meet user needs.

Problem Solving

• Identifies complex problems based on a broad range of factors, many of which are ambiguous or difficult to define.
• While remaining guided by organisational values, identifies optimal solutions, thinking first in terms of possible approaches and flexibilities in the system vs. blind adherence to rules or procedures.
• Implements solutions to complex problems, then evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of solutions and identifies needed changes.

Planning and Organising

• Plans and manages multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Uses effectively advance time management processes to deal with high workload and tight deadlines.
• Organises, prioritises, and schedules tasks so they can be performed within budget and with the efficient use of time and resources.
• Achieves goals in a timely manner, despite obstacles encountered, by organising, reprioritising, and re-planning

Data Collection and Analysis

• Skilled in the use of advanced/complex analytical techniques.
• Is able to use judgement to decide upon the most appropriate analytical techniques according to the situation.
• Recognises underlying principles, patterns, or themes in an array of related information, and determines whether additional information would be useful or necessary.
• Through an in-depth understanding of the business environment, reviews outputs of analysis to identify anomalies and draws conclusions, relating these to operational circumstances.
• Can model a range of scenarios covering all potential business circumstances and highlight potential risks/opportunities.

Research

• Has a thorough understanding of research methods and can utilise these for a range of research projects.
• Analyses reports and data produced by other individuals or organisations and extracts relevant details to support the project at hand.
• Produces a range of options for consideration and understands the implications of the various options.
• Able to use computerised research methods and mathematical techniques to support research requirements.
• Recognises and highlights the risks to the organisation, based on his/her analysis of research results.

*The KPA’s, competencies and relationships listed in this document are not exhaustive, and the incumbent will be expected to undertake additional duties within their capacity to meet the needs of business and/or the business unit.

Required Personal Attributes

LEADERSHIP/BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

Achievement Orientation

• Ability to act on feedback and take/ use constructive criticism to revise the course of a deliverable or action, should this be required.
• Flexibility and the ability to identify and work with different views and perspectives
• Undertakes challenging assignments and strives to complete them.
• Sets priorities and chooses goals on the basis of calculated costs, anticipated benefits and improvement of performance.
• Aims at exceptional performance; setting out to achieve a unique standard.
• Constantly analyses outcomes to ensure the achievement of business goals.
• Identifies short-term opportunities or potential problems, aiming to achieve better outcomes.

Customer Service Orientation

• Tries to understand the underlying needs of customers and matches these needs to available or customised products and services.
• Adapts processes and procedures to meet ongoing customer needs.
• Utilises the feedback received by customers to develop new and/or improve existing services/products that relate to their ongoing needs.
• Thinks of new ways to align DBSA’s offerings with future customer needs.

Integrity

• Is willing to end a business relationship because it was associated with unethical business practices.
• Is capable of challenging senior management (in an appropriate and respectable manner) in order to act on espoused values.

Leading and Empowering Others

• Creates the conditions that enable the team to perform at its best (e.g., setting clear direction, providing appropriate structure, getting the right people, obtain needed resources).
• Monitors performance against clear standards, addresses performance issues promptly and takes action to get performance back to desired levels.
• Proactively asks for feedback on own performance from team members, aiming to become more effective.
• Ensures tasks are delegated so that team members are empowered to deliver results and develop their capabilities.

Strategic and Innovative Thinking

• Recognises opportunities or potential problems, before they become obvious, by seeing the connections in a range of sources of information, including insights from outside DBSA.
• Restates complex knowledge in a way that makes it easier for others to understand.
• Experiments with new approaches, tests scenarios, questions assumptions and challenges conventional thinking.
• Creates new concepts that are not obvious to others, leveraging internal and external sources of information, to build incremental revenue and growth opportunities.

Teamwork & Cooperation

• Acts to promote a friendly climate and good morale and resolves conflicts.
• Creates opportunities for cross-functional working.
• Encourages others to network outside of their own team/department and learn from their experience.

Development Results Monitoring and Coordination

• Coordinate the monitoring and reporting of development results across the Bank's investments, programmes, and initiatives.
• Support the design, implementation, and continuous enhancement of the Development Results Framework (DRF) and associated monitoring systems.
• Develop and maintain development indicators, methodologies, and measurement frameworks to assess project outputs, outcomes, and impacts.
• Define indicators and targets for all projects and programmes within the approved Development Results Templates (DRTs).
• Facilitate the integration of development indicators into project appraisal, approval, implementation, and reporting processes.
• Monitor achievement of development outcomes and recommend corrective interventions where required.
• Maintain and improve databases, monitoring tools, and information management systems used for development results tracking.

Economic Analysis and Research

• Conduct socio-economic analysis to support project appraisals, country risk assessments, and investment decision-making.
• Develop and maintain country risk profiles and economic reports that inform infrastructure investment decisions.
• Undertake economic impact assessments of DBSA investments in relation to approvals, commitments, and disbursements.
• Apply and maintain economic modelling methodologies and databases, including Quantec and Conningarth economic models.
• Produce economic reports and analytical insights that support strategic planning, investment evaluation, and development reporting.

Monitoring Systems and Performance Management

• Design and implement monitoring tools, data collection methodologies, reporting frameworks, and performance measurement systems.
• Establish mechanisms to track project adherence to governance, compliance, environmental, social, and developmental standards.
• Conduct periodic reviews of monitoring systems to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and data quality.
• Validate that the monitoring processes support accurate measurement of developmental outcomes and institutional objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement of monitoring practices in line with industry standards and best practices.
• Development Results Working Group Coordination
• Coordinate Development Results Working Group (DRWG) meetings and activities.
• Review project documentation to ensure compliance with development results requirements.
• Verify completeness and quality of DRTs, specialist reports, and appraisal documentation.
• Perform secretariat responsibilities, including agenda management, minutes, Record of Decisions (RoDs), and action tracking.
• Monitor implementation of DRWG decisions and recommendations.

Stakeholder Support and Capacity Building

• Train project teams and stakeholders on development results frameworks, indicators, monitoring methodologies, and reporting requirements.
• Build internal capacity to strengthen development results management and reporting practices.
• Provide technical support to project teams during project design, implementation, and monitoring phases.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on initiatives such as Green Climate Mapping, Catalysation, and other development impact initiatives.
• Support development partners and evaluation teams by providing specialist monitoring and development results inputs.

Reporting and Performance Information

• Prepare technical reports on project appraisals, economic assessments, development results, and country risk profiles.
• Produce periodic monitoring and development results reports for management, EXCO, Board Committees, and external stakeholders.
• Contribute to the DBSA Annual Report, Integrated Report, and other corporate publications relating to development impact and poverty reduction.
• Provide timely ad-hoc reports, analysis, and information requested by management.
• Present findings and recommendations to senior management and governance structures.

Key Measurements of Outputs:

• Quality of socio-economic information provided to the Bank.
• Quality of the development activities/projects/programmes coordinated and monitored.
• Effective utilisation of indicators that are Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic (SMART) and Time-bound
• Effectiveness of the Data collection, Monitoring systems, tools and frameworks put in place.
• Quality contribution to investment deals/programmes/projects/assignments in respect of DRT’s.
• Regular attendance and active participation at the DRWG.
• Produce development results reports for approval within the agreed timeframes
• Implementation, and management of standards/ guidelines / toolkits developed to support development results reporting, monitoring and evaluation.
• Capacity development of key stakeholders on all processes related to the DRT.