Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
Sri Lanka
- Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Location: Sri Lanka
- Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Closing Date: 2025-11-20
IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
- FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
- Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
- Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
- FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
- All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
- All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
- FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.
Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Sri Lanka support national efforts to achieve food security and sustainable development in agriculture, fisheries, and forestry. Under the leadership of the FAO Representative, the FAO Representation in Sri Lanka provides technical assistance and coordinates development initiatives aligned with national priorities. It leads monitoring and evaluation activities, stakeholder engagement, and strategic programmes such as the Hand-in-Hand initiative and the agriculture census, contributing to evidence-based decision-making and improved project outcomes.
Reporting Lines
Under the overall administrative supervision of the FAO Representative in Sri Lanka and the technical guidance and direct supervision of AFAOR (Programme), the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist is responsible for operational-level monitoring and evaluation of FAO development projects.
Technical Focus
The position focuses on field-level M&E implementation, participatory monitoring with beneficiaries, and facilitating the dissemination of good practices and results among projects. The M&E Specialist ensures upward accountability (towards the FAOR, government agencies, and development partners) and downward accountability (towards project beneficiaries and primary stakeholders).
Tasks and responsibilities
• Develop and maintain robust M&E frameworks for all development projects, including establishment of indicators, data collection methods, and monitoring schedules
• Apply monitoring instruments for individual projects, including project work plans, logical frameworks (log frames), monitoring plans, and progress against log frame tables
• Conduct participatory monitoring activities according to approved instruments, supporting AFAOR with engaging relevant key stakeholders including communities, beneficiaries, and implementing partners
• Work directly with project staff and support AFAOR with engaging implementing partners (Government, NGOs, CBOs) to ensure timely and accurate generation of information relating to performance indicators at field level
• Support the establishment and maintenance of community feedback mechanisms by assisting in the design of tools, materials and coordinating with projects staff to facilitate stakeholder training sessions led by official FAO representatives
• Develop, establish, and maintain comprehensive beneficiary databases for all representation-implemented projects, updating regularly with project activities
• Coordinate with M&E Officers of other FAO projects to ensure consistency in data collection methodologies and database management
• Assist in the preparation of periodic operational reports by compiling data and inputs from project teams, under the guidance of Project Managers, for onward sharing by FAO officials with Government counterparts, implementing partners and beneficiaries
• Support field monitoring visits to project sites to verify implementation progress and quality of activities
• Assess short and medium-term impacts of project interventions through systematic data collection and analysis
• Support AFAOR to work closely with relevant stakeholders to set up overall M&E system strategy and implementation of related activities within projects and via partners
• Identify and document good practices, lessons learned, and success stories from field-level implementation for dissemination
• Provide support to AFAOR for training and capacity building to project partners on M&E tools, data collection, and reporting requirements
• Update and review M&E frameworks periodically based on implementation experience and changing project needs
• In coordination with AFAOR support the implementation of the H-in-H project for Sri Lanka
• Support the work for agriculture census in Sri Lanka in close consultation with RAP
• Work closely with Sr. Coordinator- Monitoring and Reporting to update the DSS Platform
• Undertake any other tasks assigned by the supervisor or relevant duties in support of efficient implementation of projects
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• University degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Social sciences or any other related discipline. An advanced university degree in a related discipline is considered an asset
• Minimum 4 years of relevant work experience in Monitoring and Evaluation
• Working knowledge of English and Sinhala/Tamil Is required
• National of Sri Lanka or resident of the country with valid work permit
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Selection Criteria
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data analysis and reporting functions
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
- Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
- Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
- For other issues, visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
HOW TO APPLY
• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.