Role overview
What you'll be stepping into
Who is SHONA?
We Identify, Guide, Back and Connect entrepreneurs, helping them build Good Businesses.
We identify high-potential ambitious entrepreneurs and give them the knowledge, tools, capital and
networks they need to build skills and the capacity to grow well-run businesses that are good for customers,
employees, owners, value chain partners, the environment and the local communities where they are based.
These are Good Businesses.
We believe Good Businesses create good jobs, and high-quality products & services that improve quality of
life, generate wealth, build industries, protect and regenerate the environment and invest in their local
communities, building prosperity.
By growing a diverse range of Good Businesses spread across East Africa and all sectors, we are contributing
to an East Africa in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive by fulfilling their unique potential and
playing their part in strengthening East Africa.
Our goal is to have 35 million people positively benefiting from 1,000 Good Businesses by 2030.
Background
With the support of Partnerships for Forests, SHONA is embedding tree-based enterprise development into
two of our initiatives - The Neycha Accelerator & Fund and Rootical Business Builder, by supporting the
growth of 14 tree-based and forest-friendly Agroecological Enterprises (AEEs), operating in the coffee,
cocoa, avocado, macadamia, bamboo, and apiary commodity value chains in Uganda and Kenya.
The Neycha Accelerator and Fund supports growth-oriented AEEs to achieve economic success through
increased availability of suitable capacity-building, investment, and networks. Rootical Business Builder is a
startup studio that equips talented entrepreneurs with the tools, skills, networks, and capital to build food
system-shaping regenerative agriculture businesses in Uganda.
We plan to support the growth of 10 existing growth-oriented tree-based AEEs in Uganda and Kenya through
The Neycha Accelerator & Fund and develop 4 new tree-based Agroecological Enterprises in Uganda through
Rootical Business Builder. By supporting the growth of these enterprises, we expect them to deliver
outcomes across environmental, financial, and socio-economic dimensions, including:
● Approximately 54,000 hectares of land under sustainable, tree-based production and restoration,
contributing to improved land use practices and reduced deforestation pressure
● An estimated 160,000 tCO2e sequestered or avoided over a five-year period, based on established
methodologies
● Engagement of approximately 54,000 smallholder households through sourcing arrangements,
agroforestry adoption, and restoration-linked activities, resulting in improved livelihood outcomes;
● Creation of approximately 300 direct jobs across supported enterprises, with a commitment that at
least 30% of the portfolio will comprise women-led businesses, supported by targeted gender
inclusion strategies.
Purpose of the Assignment
We are looking for an Impact Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Expert to strengthen our monitoring and
evaluation capacity by supporting us to: 1) Develop and implement the right methodology and tools to
measure the environmental, financial, and socio-economic outcomes we plan to achieve; and 2) Generate
long-term learning and evidence to replicate and scale tree-based enterprise development in our work.
We expect the methodology and tools developed to:
● Enable us to track, measure, and report on performance and impact across all result areas (land,
carbon, finance mobilised, livelihoods, biodiversity, jobs, enterprise performance, and gender and
social inclusion).
● Align with SHONA’s and Partnerships for Forests’ Theory of Change, results frameworks and reporting
requirements.
● Be designed to be implemented by the SHONA Impact and Learning team, independent of the expert
after initial design
Given the different enterprise maturity stages - Rootical (pre-revenue ventures) and Neycha (growth-stage
AEEs with existing revenue), the Impact Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning system must be flexible enough
to accommodate fundamentally different data profiles, risk levels, and impact pathways within a single
coherent framework.
Scope of Work
The assignment is structured in two phases, corresponding to Evidence, Learning and Replication. Technical
proposals shall clearly indicate which phase(s) are being offered and how.
Phase 1: Impact Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Framework design, tool development and
baseline establishment
Workstream 1 - Impact Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework and Indicator Design
Review SHONA's existing Impact Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning practices, Partnerships for Forests’
Theory of Change and Results Framework, the project's key documents, and global benchmarks for
tree-based enterprise impact measurement.
● Co-create with the SHONA team a project-level Impact Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
framework
● Define indicators across the key result areas i.e land, carbon, finance mobilised, livelihoods,
biodiversity, jobs and enterprise performance
● Document indicator definitions, calculation methods, data sources, frequency, responsible roles and
quality assurance
WorkStream 2 - Data Collection Frameworks and Tools
● Design a coherent data architecture covering enterprise, farmer, landscape, and programme-level
flows.
● Ensure data collection tools are designed to capture gender-aggregated data
● Construct digital, accessible tools for establishing baselines, progressive monitoring, mid-term
evaluations and end-line evaluations.
● Document the data flow (Entry - Quality Assurance - Storage - Analysis- Reporting), with consent and
data-protection protocols compliant with Uganda's and Kenya's data protection laws.
● Train the designated SHONA team on the respective tools.
Workstream 3 - Geographic Information System (GIS) - Enabled Land and Carbon Measurement
Reporting Verification System
● Deploy open source, portfolio-level GIS tools (QGIS, Google Earth Engine, OpenForis Collect Earth,
Mapeo or equivalent) suited to SHONA's context and budget, to enable measurement of land use and
carbon impact.
● Define sourcing polygons and a transparent land aggregation methodology that links farmer plots,
enterprise, and project-level land impact figures.
● Set protocols for tree cover monitoring, change detection, and carbon estimation aligned with
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and FAO Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool (EX-ACT),
and document assumptions transparently.
● Integrate the Measurement, Reporting, and Verification with the Workstream 2 data system; train
SHONA's monitoring staff on tool use, basic spatial data management and interpretation of results.
Workstream 4 - Baseline Pilot
● Plan and execute baseline data collection for selected enterprises
● Ground-truth GIS outputs against field observations; validate land and carbon assumptions (per-farmer
hectarage, sequestration coefficients, and agroforestry system typologies).
● Field-test all Impact Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning tools under real conditions, capture
structured feedback from field staff and programme teams, and refine MEL tools and the
methodologies accordingly.
● Produce a baseline report presenting initial findings, validated assumptions, and methodological
notes.
● Deliver an updated Impact Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Toolkit (consolidated tools, protocols,
user guides) ready for independent use by SHONA staff and for scale-up to subsequent cohorts.
Phase 2: Implementation, Tracking & Reporting
Phase 2 covers the ongoing operation of the Impact Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system for the
remainder of the project, transitioning from consultant-led to SHONA-led data collection with consultant
quality assurance and analytical support.
Work Stream 5 - Regular Impact Tracking and Reporting
● Coordinate quarterly and annual data collection, cleaning and analysis cycles to produce period
reports aligned with P4F and other stakeholder reporting requirements.
● Produce quarterly impact dashboards for internal decision-making and Rootical/Neycha cohort
management.
4. Deliverables and Timelines
Phase Deliverable Workstream Timeline
1 Phase 1 Inception Report (approach, work plan, stakeholder map,
risks)
— By July
30th, 2026
2 Phase 1 Project IMEL Framework + Indicator Reference Guide (incl.
gender indicators)
WS1 By August
20th, 2026
3 Phase 1 Digital data collection tools developed, including informed
consent & data protection protocols, and then staff trained
WS2 By 20th
September,
2026.
4 Phase 1 GIS-enabled land & carbon MRV module developed &
functional. A defined sourcing-polygon methodology
developed including landing aggregation; Internal monitoring
staff trained on the completed GIS and MRV module
WS3 By the end
of October
2026
5 Phase 1 Collect baseline data for first cohort ventures, validate land
and carbon assumptions, Test MEL tools and refine
methodology based on pilot results
WS4 By Nov 25th,
2026
6 Phase 1 Baseline Report and dataset, the validation of land and
carbon metrics, and a refined IMEL Toolkit ready for
application.
WS4 By the end
of November
2026
7 Phase 2 Build quarterly and annual dashboards, annual impact
reports, and 2 knowledge products.
WS5 End of July
2027
8 Phase 2 Ongoing technical support for reporting WS5 End of Dec
2027
Qualifications & Experience
Required
● Master's Degree or higher in Monitoring and Evaluation, Development Economics, Statistics,
Agricultural Economics, Environmental Science, Forestry, Geography or related field.
● At least 10 years of professional experience in Impact Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning with
experience in entrepreneurial support.
● Expert understanding of tree landscapes, tree value chains, tree-based enterprises, agroforestry
systems, and carbon reporting frameworks.
● Demonstrated experience developing; Results frameworks, Logical frameworks, Indicators and
indicator tracking systems and Learning agendas.
● Demonstrated experience working in Agroforestry initiatives, Landscape restoration and Biodiversity
conservation.
● Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with GIS tools and spatial data for land-use or
environmental monitoring (QGIS, Google Earth Engine, or similar).
● Track record integrating gender-responsive and youth-inclusive indicators. Direct experience
reporting against bilateral/multilateral results frameworks
● Excellent analytical skills and attention to data quality.
● Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to guide discussions, motivate
participants, and provide clear, actionable feedback. Should communicate in a manner that boosts
the confidence of others.
● Familiarity with the socio-economic context of Uganda and Kenya and an understanding of the
challenges faced by women-driven businesses in East Africa.
● Ability to manage complexity.
Desireable
● Knowledge of regenerative and agroecology entrepreneurship.
● Additional qualifications or certification in impact measurement frameworks such as IRIS+, GIIN IMP,
ISEAL, or Gold Standard.
● Experience working with venture studios, accelerators, or business incubation programmes.
● Experience with agricultural-SME impact measurement tools.
● Professional certification in IMEL, Data analysis, GIS etc
Confidentiality and Data Ownership
All data, tools, frameworks, reports, and other outputs produced under this assignment are the property of
SHONA Group Limited. The Consultant shall maintain strict confidentiality regarding all project data,
enterprise information, and farmer-level data encountered during the assignment. A non-disclosure
agreement will be signed prior to contract commencement. All data handling must comply with the Uganda
Data Protection and Privacy Act (2019) and Kenya's Data Protection Act (2019).
Proposal Submission
Interested consultants (individuals or firms) should submit a proposal comprising:
Technical Proposal (maximum 12 pages, excluding annexes):
● Demonstrated understanding of the assignment and the dual-purpose Impact Monitoring, Evaluation &
Learning requirement (programme accountability and long-term learning for replication).
● Proposed methodology for each workstream. Proposed work plan with a clear timeline, milestones,
and level of effort (days) per workstream and phase.
● Risk assessment and mitigation measures for the assignment.
Team Composition (if a firm or team):
● CVs of all proposed team members (maximum 3 pages each), clearly stating roles, responsibilities,
and relevant experience.
● Indication of who will serve as team lead and primary point of contact.
Financial Proposal:
● Detailed budget breakdown by workstream, including professional fees (daily rates and number of
days), travel and accommodation, tool/license costs, training delivery costs, and any other direct
costs.
● All costs must be presented, inclusive of applicable taxes.
References:
● At least two references from comparable assignments, including contact details.
Evaluation Criteria
The successful evaluator (individual or firm) will be selected based on a transparent assessment of their
technical proposal, financial proposal, and demonstrated qualifications
How to apply