Chief Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, P5, Lebanon Beirut, Fixed Term Appointment - 1 Year #98944

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

For every child, a champion!

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nation.
Chief Planning, Reporting, Innovations and Monitoring & Evaluation  is accountable for the accomplishment of the following overall end-results through undertaking programme planning, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), exercising advisory role, providing guidance on innovation for programme, coordination of donor proposal and reporting, HACT quality assurance and grants management. The position advices in policy and strategy development, in the oversight of the implementation of M&E recommendations, as well as in the collaboration with the inter-agency sectors in the yearly appeal processes and the UN country team in support of the attainment of the SDGs:
 
1. The Country Office has accurate, coherent and reliable up to date information disaggregated by gender on,
•the situation of children’s and women’s rights;
•the performance of UNICEF-supported programmes including their relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability, and in Lebanon’s emergency context, their coverage, coordination and coherence;
2. The delivery of valid and reliable information on the attainment of the SDGs and other goals, and on the performance of UN-supported programmes.
3. National and sub-national capacities for monitoring, evaluation and research are strengthened, with special attention to the gender equity and equality and the interest, concern and participation of government, community, and civil society stakeholders.
4. Data and evidence are generated and used to catalyze partnerships and collaborative relationships consensus on advocacy and actions needed for pro child initiatives.
5. Country Office Performance including grants management, DCT liquidation and HACT quality assurance are systematically monitored and data for key indicators is collected, analyzed and made available to management and the Country Management Team.

6. Donor and other country office reports are submitted on time and of the highest quality, and donor proposals are aligned to country programme contributing clearly to priorities for children.

7. The office actively engages in local and global innovations initiatives, seeking out opportunities for innovative solutions to programmatic challenges, and developing and scaling user-centred products in support of programme delivery.
 
How can you make a difference?
 

1.  Programme Planning and Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research
Ensure that the Country Office and national partners develop a well-prioritised and realistic programme plan including research, monitoring and evaluation activities that will provide the most relevant gender-specific and strategic information to manage the Country Programme, including tracking and assessing  UNICEF’s distinct contribution. 
 
Duties & Tasks
•In close collaboration with Senior Management, lead the process of the elaboration of the country programme, strategy notes and workplans at the national and sub-national levels, ensuring consistency with UNICEF Strategic Plan, national priorities, sectoral strategies and goals.
•Identify relevant strategic objectives, priorities and problems for policy and strategy development in the area of situation monitoring and evaluation.
•Provide technical guidance and collaboration in the planning and establishing the major research and monitoring and evaluation activities in multi-year and annual IMEPs, that is to be reflected in UNDAF M&E Plans.  
•In close consultation with management and liaison with partners, make a professional contribution to formulation of the IMEPs from a sound gender-sensitive, results-based programming process and collaborative working relations with partners.
•Develop tools to assess and monitor effectiveness of UNICEF communication around the WFFC Commitments and the SDGs, particularly those pertaining to children, to increase the awareness of partners and enhance their engagement.
•accurate and relevant and gender-specific data on key activities and results, including results for children.
•Contribute to the incorporation of M&E tasks in the IMEPs which were identified within the CO Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, in order to anticipate and prepare for the information needs and operational modalities of an emergency.
•In humanitarian response situations, within the first month, draft and recommend a simple one-month data-collection to cover key data gaps as required for the continued emergency response. Support rapid assessment conducted through inter-agency mechanisms to define humanitarian response and measure the progress to identify and address results for children and women, in the line with the core commitment for children in humanitarian action. After the initial humanitarian response, support management of the medium-term response with a minimal IMEP, outlining the key indicators on implementation and outputs and where possible, outcome indicators and the data collection systems and sources to be used (e.g. reporting by partner NGOs, field visits).

2.  Situation Monitoring and Assessment
Ensure that the Country Office and national partners have timely and accurate and gender-specific measurement of change in conditions in the country or region, including monitoring of socio-economic trends and the country’s wider policy, economic or institutional context, to facilitate planning and to draw conclusions about the impact of programmes or policies.

Duties & Tasks
•In coordination with other stakeholders, support the collection of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators (through MICS or other surveys) to improve integrated national planning.
•Manage available baseline information on national statistics and key indicators through established databases (e.g., DevInfo) for easy access and use ensuring that indicators are gender-specific and equity focussed.  Prepare country level statistical reports on the status of children’s and women’s human rights issues when opportunities emerge to influence developmental gender and social policies, and provide a technical support to global reporting obligations including national reports on progress toward the SDGs, toward CRC fulfilment, and toward CEDAW fulfilment.
•Coordinate with the Country Office and partners and provide assistance in their using up-to-date information in, inter alia, Situation Analysis, Common Country Assessment, Early Warning Monitoring Systems, Annual Reviews, Mid-Term Reviews, and Annual Reports or other progress reports. Seek the feedback of the partners to improve the assistance accordingly.
•In humanitarian response situations, provide technical support for a rapid assessment (inter-agency or independently if necessary) to be carried out within the first 48-72 hours, in collaboration with clusters partners. Help provide adequate strategic information to determine programmatic needs in health and nutrition, education, child protection, water supply and sanitation, HIV/AIDS and other salient child rights issues emphasizing gender across all programmes as well as factors affecting the organisation’s capacity to function in the field.   Provide technical support to ensure that the CO has information necessary for UNICEF to effectively report on and advocate for children’s rights and gender equality through the appropriate channels. 
•Support the CO in collecting and interpreting existing early warning data effectively to guide the adjustment of programmes and operational approaches when and as country contexts deteriorate.

3.  Programme and Management Performance Monitoring
Ensure that the Country Office has quality information to assess progress towards expected results established in annual work plans.

Duties & Tasks
•In close coordination with partners, ensure that a set of gender–specific programme performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary, in the context of the multi-year and annual IMEPs, the Annual Management Plan and Annual Work Plans, as outlined in the Programme Policy and Procedures Manual (especially, Chapter 6, section 6: IMEP). 
•Provide technical support to Senior Programme Officer for the implementation of evaluation recommendations and the appropriate integration of lessons learned in programme activities, especially those in the reduction of gender inequalities, is shared and used to improve gender mainstreaming results.  Provide advice in order that management decisions based on Country Office performance monitoring are properly tracked and followed up.
•Provide technical advice in order that management reports including relevant sections of the annual reports are prepared drawing on monitoring and analysis of key management indicators.
•Provide technical support to Senior Programme Officer to ensure that key annual programme indicators are tracked and analysed with the contribution of implementing partners, and provided regularly to the Country Management Team/ Senior Management Team for effective programme and management decisions.
•Ensure that grants management, DCT liquidation and HACT quality assurance activities are monitored, analysed and reported on systematically and made available to management and the Country Management Team.
•Oversee to ensure that data collection and analysis from field visits is coordinated and standardised across programmes to feed into to programme performance monitoring and gender mainstreaming.   Ensure optimum use of staff resources.

4.  Reporting & Evaluation
Ensure country and programme reporting and proposals are developed to a high-quality standard, and that a well-prioritised and strategic selection of evaluations at programme or Country Office strategy level is managed in order that each evaluation is designed and carried out with quality process and products and that evaluation results are useful to the intended audience.

Duties & Tasks
  .
•Donor and other country office reports are submitted on time and of the highest quality, and donor proposals are aligned to country programme contributing clearly to priorities for children.
• Carry out basic research and formulate proposals for evaluation strategies, policies, objectives and methodologies.
•Guide, supervise and participate in the joint evaluations with developmental partners, including joint evaluation of UNICEF or of multi-partner programs.
•Formulate Evaluation Terms of Reference and design of high quality in compliance with the organization’s programme evaluation policies, guidelines and methodology while satisfying stakeholders’ requirements. 
•Provide technical advice and guidance to regional and country offices, management teams, programme managers and staff to ensure that Evaluation design and management meet quality standards as outlined in UNICEF Programme Policies and Procedures and related stand-alone Evaluation Technical Notes, ensuring that UNICEF’s most recent policies, including especially those on gender inequality, highlighted. 
•Coordinate and ensure effective dissemination of findings, including especially those on interventions that reduce gender inequalities, conclusions, recommendations and lessons learned from evaluation to the intended audience as described in the Terms of Reference with a view to improving programme design, policy, strategy and performance and contributing to wider learning.   Specifically, ensure that evaluation results are fed into key UNICEF programme planning gender mainstreaming processes including the Annual Reviews and the Mid-Term Reviews, and formulation of the Country Programme Document, the Country Programme Action Plan and the Annual Work Plans.  Coordinate and ensure that participatory feedback, including to community and civil society stakeholders, is provided.
•Coordinate and advice to offices to ensure that a management response to the findings and recommendations of the evaluation is completed, recorded, and are monitored for follow-up implementation.  Most specifically, ensure that evaluation recommendations are submitted to the Country Management Team and follow-up actions recorded in CMT minutes.
•Coordinate and ensure that electronic copies of all evaluations are submitted to NYHQ via the Evaluation Data Base web portal, with full accompanying documentation.

5.  M&E Capacity Building and Innovations
Ensure that the monitoring and evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – government and civil society – are strengthened enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead monitoring and evaluation processes, including those that address gender inequality.
 
Duties & Tasks
•In close collaboration with partners, ensure that an M&E capacity building strategy for national partners and institutions exists and corresponding activities are identified and implemented in the context of the IMEP or UNDAF M&E plan.  Collaborate to implement capacity building strategies as a joint commitment with other developmental partners, highlighting gender as a central component. 
•In coordination with senior managers, develop staff capacity development strategy and plans, and exercise effective leadership in implementing them, ensuring that Country Office staffs have the basic knowledge and skills to fulfil their monitoring and evaluation responsibilities, and training is planned and carried out to fill identified gaps.  Organize, design and conduct country and regional workshops and seminars, facilitate an agreement on the evaluation recommendations.   Ensure that promising women candidates are identified for training and encourage further development of those that are successful.  Lead and build a multidisciplinary, gender-balanced team of experts for the conduct of project, thematic and country programme evaluations. 
•Promote knowledge of and build capacity in evaluation practices. Oversee to ensure that Country Office staff and national partners are aware of and have access to UNICEF monitoring and evaluation learning resources.
•Ensure to facilitate that Evaluation capacity of national partner organisations, which may include local institutions such as national professional evaluation associations, is strengthened through their involvement in evaluation processes and possibly through specific capacity building initiatives.
•Support the assessment of the technical competencies of evaluation staff and consultants, actively seek out and recommend for hiring, especially promising women candidates as in accordance with UNICEF‘s Action Plan for Gender Parity and Equality and other standards set to meet the HR strategy, needs and competency requirements.
•Lead and guide the development of training materials, as well as delivery of training in gender-sensitive, results-oriented M&E.  Promote Evaluation Capacity Development initiatives based on demonstrated demand at country level.
•Actively seek partnerships with knowledge institutions for the identification of capacity gaps and develop strategies to address them.
•The office actively engages in local and global innovations initiatives, seeking out opportunities for innovative solutions to programmatic challenges, and developing and scaling user-centred products in support of programme delivery.

KEY END-RESULTS:
1. Accurate, coherent and reliable information collected and reported on,
•The situation of children’s and women’s rights, disaggregated by gender.
•Conducting inter-agency rapid assessment to define humanitarian response, in line with core commitment for children in humanitarian action.
•The performance of UNICEF-supported programmes including their relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability, and in emergency contexts, their coverage, coordination and coherence.
2. Country Programme planning, strategy notes and workplans at the national and sub-national levels clearly contribute to priority issues for children and are developed in consistency with UNICEF Strategic Plan, national priorities, sectoral strategies and goals.
3. Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Planning (IMEP) is prepared and in place to provide strategic priority and realistic plan of activities for M&E.
4. Timely monitoring and measurement of changes in conditions due to programme or policies in country or region are provided to the Country Office and national partners to facilitate national planning, and assess the impact of the programmes and policies, and report on the progress being made. Mechanisms set up to seek feedback from partners on assistance provided to them, to secure their contribution and use of data and information collected and analyzed.
5. Technical guidance and support provided for the collection of accurate, reliable, gender-specific and coherent information for the Country Office to effectively assess programme performance, with the involvement of key partners, in terms of progress towards key end-results established in annual work plans.
6. Technical guidance and support provided to ensure that Country Office Performance including grants management, DCT liquidation and HACT quality assurance are systematically monitored and data for key indicators of the Annual Management Plan and management reports are collected, analyzed and made available to management and the Country Management Team.
7. Evaluation is designed and carried out with quality process and products in line with priority and strategy. Evaluation findings, recommendations and reports are useful to improve programme performance and are effectively disseminated to the intended audience.
8. The monitoring and evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners are strengthened, enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead monitoring and evaluation processes and to develop and use gender-specific indicators and monitoring and evaluation approaches to address gender inequality. The know-how of knowledge institutions is mobilized for monitoring and evaluation capacity enhancement as well as for an evidence-based policy change agenda on behalf of children.      
9. Donor and other country office reports are submitted on time and of the highest quality, and donor proposals are aligned to country programme contributing clearly to priorities for children. l
10. The office actively engages in local and global innovations initiatives, seeking out opportunities for innovative solutions to programmatic challenges, and developing and scaling user-centred products in support of programme delivery.
 
To qualify as a champion you will have…

•Advanced university degree (Master's degree) in social sciences or other relevant disciplines is required. Practical training in programme management and evaluation, survey and research analysis, or applied statistical data analysis in social sciences an asset.
•Professional work experience in programme development and implementation including monitoring and evaluation activities.
•Ten years of relevant professional work experience, including both International and national work experiences.
•At least one instance of exposure to emergency programming, including preparedness planning is required. Active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme is an asset.
•Fluency in English and another UN language. Additional language(s) an asset.

Competencies and level of proficiency required:
i)  Core Values:
•Commitment 
•Diversity and Inclusion
•Integrity
ii)  Core Competencies:
•Communication  [III];  
•Working with People  [III];  
•Drive for Results  [III]
iii) Functional Competencies:
•Leading and Supervising  [III] 
•Formulating Strategies and Concepts [III] 
•Analyzing [ III ]  
•Relating and Networking  [III]  
•Applying Technical Expertise  [III]
iv) Technical Knowledge:
a) Specific Technical Knowledge Required (for the job)
(Technical knowledge requirements specific to the job can be added here as required.)
• Comprehensive understanding of various approaches and methods of Programme and Project Monitoring & Evaluation.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in methodological guides for all types of Monitoring & Evaluation.
• Knowledge of Human Rights, Gender and Equity issues and their implications of projects/programmes.
• Knowledge of Institutional Evaluation, Environment Assessment, Result Based Management and Strategic Evaluation.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in Planning for Influential Evaluation, Project Evaluation.
• Emerging international good practice in monitoring and evaluation partnership
b) Common Technical Knowledge Required (for the job group)
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in demography, statistics, and data management.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in methodology of Monitoring & Evaluation, including  theories, standards and models, quantitative/qualitative/mixed methods, validity/reliability testing of data, data analysis and interpretation, and statistical inference methods.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in Activity Monitoring & Evaluation, Evaluation Design, data analysis, and reportin
 c) Technical Knowledge to be Acquired/Enhanced (for the Job)
• Professional/technical knowledge of best practices, lessons learned, follow-up on recommendations, communication and dissemination
• Understanding of UNICEF’s policies and procedures for programming, monitoring and evaluation guidelines.
• UNICEF strategic framework for partnerships and collaborative relationships.
• Latest programme monitoring and evaluation theory, methodology, technology and tools.
• Understanding of UN Mission and system, current key UN topics; and International Code of Conduct.
• Understanding of UNICEF Mission Statement and UNICEF Guideline Principles.

 Attached you will find the full Job Description

Job Description.pdf   Job Description.pdf