Evaluation Officer

On 15 July 2015, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) issued the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2015 - 01 or the National Evaluation Policy Framework (NEPF) of the Philippines. The JMC is widely considered as one of the reform initiatives to engender results-orientation in the Philippine bureaucracy. More specifically, the policy sets the framework for the conduct of evaluation of all government programs and projects in the public sector to (1) support good governance and evidence-based decisions; (2) promote program improvement; and (3) ensure accountability and transparency. 

The NEPF provides clear guiding principles and evaluation standards that should serve as a guidepost in the conduct of public sector evaluation. NEDA, DBM, and the Office of the President-Presidential Management Staff (OP-PMS) were identified as the members of the Evaluation Task Force that will provide overall direction and coordination in the conduct of public sector evaluation. In addition, there are currently draft bills pending in the House of Representatives and the Senate, which support the creation of central evaluation units (CEUs) in agencies, the regular conduct of evaluations and use of evaluation findings in the whole of government. 

NEDA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) embarked on a partnership to support capacity development activities for NEDA and other agencies towards a more effective evaluation of the implementation of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), Public Investment Program (PIP) and Fiscal Plan at the national and sub-national levels. 

The Strategic Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Project, which is funded by NEDA and is under National Implementation Modality (NIM) with UNDP Country Office support. It was designed to strengthen the evaluation culture in government. Through the provision of technical advisory and project management services, the project aims to support NEDA and select government agencies in managing and conducting evaluations and result in improved public-sector management and official development assistance (ODA) monitoring and evaluation. 

While NEDA currently performs its evaluation function through the Monitoring and Evaluation Staff (MES), it is envisioned that NEDA shall undertake the central evaluation function in the Philippine government. The said vision is anchored on the premise that: (a) NEDA can develop and promulgate evaluation policies and guidelines, oversee and support government agencies in implementing the national evaluation agenda, and assure the quality of evaluation outputs and use of evaluation results; and, (b) NEDA is capacitated to undertake, directly or through commissioning, thematic evaluations and lead the conduct of program and project-level evaluations on priority investments under the PDP and the PIP. 

In view of the foregoing and in line with provisions of the National Evaluation Policy Framework (NEPF), the Strategic M&E Project has a Project Management  Unit within NEDA that  serves to transition towards NEDA’s Evaluation Staff under the Monitoring and Evaluation Group.

To further support the PMU within NEDA for effective implementation of the Stategic M&E project, UNDP seeks to hire an  Evaluation Officer who will serve as Senior Economic Development Specialist  for an initial period of six (6) months, to provide technical support to the Central Evaluation Unit and in the performance of NEDA’s evaluation function. This position will be based in the NEDA Central Evaluation Unit (CEU). 

UNDP will administer the overall contract management of this post and with a direct functional reporting line to the Supervising Evaluation Officer (Supervising Economic Development Specialist). UNDP’s General Conditions for Personnel Services Agreement (NPSA) will apply for the duration of the contract.  The day to day support to effective implementation of the Strategic M&E project outlined in section 3- Scope of Work will be undertaken under the supervision of the Supervising Evaluation Officer (Supervising Economic Development Specialist).  

The Key Summary of Functions:

Policy and Planning Advisory

• Facilitate the preparation of the National Evaluation Agenda, including a pipeline of evaluation studies aligned with the PDP, ensuring participation of NEDA sector staff and regional offices, and consultation with the relevant National Government Agencies.
• Provide technical support in the development of policies for the implementation of the NEPF, including policy papers on key evaluation topics, review and updating of the NEPF guidelines, evaluation standards, procedures, criteria, templates, recommended methods for government-commissioned evaluations, and any other supplemental guidance as deemed necessary.
• Prepare comments on proposed legislative measures pertaining to evaluation 

Project Management and Administration

• Prepare relevant documents to support the implementation and monitoring of the M&E Fund and delivery of operational and financial targets, including designing and managing thematic, sectoral, and program and project-level evaluations to support PDP implementation, as well as support in the implementation of other evaluation capacity and institutional strengthening initiatives of NEDA 
• Prepare and monitor annual work plans and procurement plans (i.e., of the CEU work plan, M&E Fund, and the Strategic M&E Project), ensuring contribution to NEDA’s major final outputs, including unit and individual performance indicators, budget and human resource requirements
• Prepare relevant documents to support the crafting of the budget and staffing proposal to be submitted to DBM for the integration of the Central Evaluation Unit in NEDA by 2024 
• Prepare relevant documents in compliance to Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Partnership Agreements, Project Document (ProDoc), and other relevant documents
• Prepare the relevant physical and financial progress reports as required by the NEDA Financial, Planning, and Management Staff (FPMS) and the Commission on Audit (COA)

Management, Implementation, and Quality Assurance of Evaluations 

• Formulate strategies on the design, preparation, procurement, contract management, implementation, and quality assurance of NEDA-commissioned evaluations , ensuring the strategic, programmatic, technical, financial, and contractual integrity of evaluation studies from the initiation phase to utilization of results
• Prepare Evaluation Plans and Terms of Reference for NEDA-commissioned evaluations
• Provide technical support in the preparation, finalization, and monitoring of management responses for NEDA-commissioned evaluation studies.  

Evaluation Capacity Development and Technical Support 

• Support the implementation of capacity and competency assessments of NGAs and their staff in relation to evaluation.
• Prepare necessary outputs to support the coordination and implementation of technical assistance support for the institutionalization and compliance with NEPF guidelines, evaluation standards, and evaluation competencies.
• Prepare necessary outputs to support the coordination and implementation of technical assistance support to NGAs in developing and implementing their evaluation agenda.
• In coordination with NGAs, sector staff, regional offices, and learning institutions, prepare, implement, and monitor responsive and continuous capacity building and learning initiatives to strengthen evaluation capacities, including the national government's integrated evaluation system of the national government
• Prepare, implement, and monitor the quality assurance process for NEDA-commissioned evaluations, ensuring compliance with NEPF guidelines and international evaluation standards.
• Provide adequate technical secretariat services/support to the Evaluation Task Force.

Coordination and Partnership for Evaluation Advocacies

• Prepare communication materials and conduct coordination activities within NEDA, different government units, and non-government stakeholders in implementing activities that will strengthen M&E and evaluation capacities.
• Provide support in the implementation of partnership-building activities to broaden and deepen the evaluation ecosystem, including management of and support to the M&E Network Community of Practice to strengthen the constituency for evaluation.
• Liaise with agencies and partner institutions involved in the implementation of M&E and evaluation activities.
• Prepare necessary outputs for the conduct of regular M&E Fora and other institutionalized learning events/activities

Communication and Knowledge Management

• Prepare integrated evidence reports based on knowledge and lessons drawn from evaluations commissioned by NEDA and NGAs.
• Provide recommendations to the overall design, management, and monitoring of a Knowledge Management Strategy and the National Evaluation Portal to support a culture of evaluation through learning events.
• In charge of day-to-day management and monitoring of activities in the National Evaluation Portal, including the development of standard operational procedures, analysis of existing gaps and coordination of necessary improvements in the platform, provision of technical support to users, and other tasks assigned.

Institutional Arrangement

The  Evaluation Officer will be under the general supervision of the Supervising Evaluation Officer, and will be under the overall guidance and oversight of the Chief Evaluation Officer.  S/he shall work in close coordination with various units in NEDA Central and Regional Offices, Oversight and Implementing Agencies, the Strategic M&E Project Team, and relevant UNDP Philippines Country Office staff. 

Core Competencies

Achieve Results:

LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively:

LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 

Learn Continuously:

LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility:

LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 

Act with Determination:

LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner:

LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

Business Development: Knowledge Generation

Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need

Business Management: Communication

Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience

Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Business Management: Monitoring

Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

Business Management: Evaluation

Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks

Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Management: Working with Evidence and Data

Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making

Business Management: Digital Awareness and Literacy

Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skilfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed

Digital and Innovation: Data Analysis

Ability to extract, analyse and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision making 

Secondary education is required. 

First level university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in Economics, Statistics, and other social sciences courses (e.g., Public Administration, Development Studies, Sociology) 

Minimum years of relevant work experience

Minimum of seven (7) years (with secondary education) or four (4) years (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience in monitoring and evaluation or related field.

Eight (8) hours of relevant training on monitoring and evaluation. 

Required skills: 

Experience in designing and implementing project evaluations.

Experience in report writing and communicating evaluation results

Desired skills 

Data tracking and management; experience in handling of web-based management systems is advantageous. 

Knowledge and understanding of government/NEDA policies and processes is advantageous. 

Previous working experience with government and international organizations at local or international level is advantageous.

Required Language(s): Fluency in English and Filipino languages is  required.

Professional Certificates: Civil Service Eligibility – Professional required