Planning, M&E Specialist FT, P-4, Juba, South Sudan

UNICEF South Sudan faces a complex operating environment, with challenges related to conflict and lack of road infrastructure. Our work has been focusing on lifesaving needs, tackling issues such as acute malnutrition, displacement and insecurity, and basic health. We are also continuing with regular programming, such as providing routine and supplementary immunization services, safe drinking water, access to sanitation, and strengthening early childhood development. Join our team and help us make sure every child has a champion.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope...

UNICEF South Sudan faces a complex operating environment, with challenges related to conflict and lack of road infrastructure. Our work has been focusing on lifesaving needs, tackling issues such as acute malnutrition, displacement and insecurity, and basic health. We are also continuing with regular programming, such as providing routine and supplementary immunization services, safe drinking water, access to sanitation, and strengthening early childhood development.

Join our team and help us make sure every child has a champion.

How can you make a difference?

Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation is accountable for providing coordination and guidance to the UNICEF South Sudan programme clusters on programme planning and monitoring, and for management of evaluations.

Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Planning (IMEP)

Ensure that the Country Office and national partners use a well-prioritised and realistic plan of research, monitoring and evaluation activities that will provide the most relevant and strategic information to manage the Country Programme, including tracking and assessing  UNICEF’s distinct contribution.  

Duties & Tasks

• 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 United Nations Development Assistance Framework (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.
• In a close coordination with partners, ensure that the IMEPs include data collection activities that provide 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 Country office (CO) Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, in order to anticipate and prepare for the information needs and operational modalities of an emergency.
• 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 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).

Programme Performance Monitoring 

Ensure that the Country Office has quality information to assess programme and financial progress towards expected results established in annual and multi-year work plans.

Duties & Tasks

In close coordination with partners, ensure that a set of equity-focused and 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/Multi-Year Work Plans

Provide guidance and support to the Chief SPM&E to ensure that key annual programme indicators are tracked and analysed with the contribution of implementing partners, regularly entered in Results Assessment Module (RAM), and shared with the Country Management Team for effective programme and management decisions.

Oversee to ensure that data collection and analysis from field visits is coordinated and standardised across programmes to feed into to programme performance monitoring.

Provide coordination for the implementation of evaluation recommendations and the appropriate integration of lessons learned in programme activities.  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.

Evaluation

Ensure that a well-prioritised and strategic selection of evaluations 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

Guide and support joint evaluations with developmental partners, including joint evaluation of UNICEF or of multi-partner programs.

Provide technical support for the formulation of Evaluation Terms of Reference and design, 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.

Ensure that evaluation results are fed into key UNICEF programme planning 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 provide advice to the Representative to ensure that a management response to the findings and recommendations of the evaluation is completed, recorded, and are monitored for follow-up implementation. 

Coordinate and ensure that electronic copies of all evaluations are submitted to NYHQ via the Evaluation Data Base web portal, with full accompanying documentation.

Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity Building

Ensure that the monitoring and evaluation capacities of Country Office staff are strengthened enabling them to increasingly undertake quality results-based planning and monitoring.

Duties & Tasks

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 planning, monitoring and evaluation responsibilities, and training is planned and carried out to fill identified gaps.    

Promote knowledge of and build capacity in evaluation practices within UNICEF. 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.

Lead and guide the development of training materials, as well as delivery of training in results-based planning and monitoring for UNICEF staff and key partners.  Promote Evaluation Capacity Development initiatives based on demonstrated demand at country level.

Communication and Partnerships 

Ensure that all of the above tasks are carried out and accomplished through effective communication and partnerships within the organization,:

Duties & Tasks

• Facilitate macro level integrated planning of research, monitoring and evaluation activities within the Country Office, with national partners, the UN Country Team and the wider international community, in the context of internal office management plans, the country programme process, the UNDAF and sector wide approaches.
• Build partnerships within the organization.  Facilitate joint monitoring and evaluation activities with national partners, the UN Country Team and donors, wherever possible in the context of the above processes.
• Provide synthesis of M&E results to the country office senior management, the Country Management Team and key programme and operations staff.
• Facilitate learning from the results of monitoring and evaluation within the Country Office and more widely within UNICEF in the region and globally, as well as among national partners and other key stakeholders
• Receive broad strategic and advanced technical support on monitoring and evaluation from the Regional M&E Advisors and headquarters advisors on monitoring and evaluation.
• Partner with the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Adviser to ensure the availability of current and accurate monitoring and evaluation data and results. 
• Collaborate with Regional M&E Advisers and HQ Officers for overall coordination of priority research, monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Promote the awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of M& E function among the all staff members through communication, training, learning and development activities organization-wide.
• Ensure that the accountability of the Chief SPM&E is met to provide a sustained commitment to enable all staff meet their responsibilities for the full implementation of M&E function
• Ensure unified approach of M&E for emergencies

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Education: Advanced university degree in international development, development planning, social sciences or other relevant disciplines. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• Experience: Professional work experience in programme planning and programme monitoring. Eight years of relevant professional work experience, including both International and national work experiences. At least one instance of exposure to emergency programming preferred, including preparedness planning.
• Language: Fluency in English is required. Additional UN language(s) an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The technical competencies required for this post are….

• Communication  [III];   
• Working with People  [III];   
• Drive for Results  [III]

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

Remarks:

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply

* The successful candidate for this emergency recruitment MUST be available to commence work within 31 days of receiving an offer.

* Please note that is a non-family duty station.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Employment is conditional upon receipt of medical clearance, any clearance required, the grant of a visa, and completion of any other pre-employment criteria that UNICEF may establish. Candidates may not be further considered or offers of employment may be withdrawn if these conditions are unlikely to be met before the date for commencement of service