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Principal Adviser (P-6), Evaluation Office, NYHQ, FT # 7232

New York City

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: New York City
  • Grade: Senior level - P-6, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Monitoring and Evaluation
  • Closing Date: Closed

Under the direction, guidance and supervision of the Director of Evaluation, the Principal Adviser will oversee the day-to-day work of the corporate evaluation teams in completing planned evaluations on time, on budget, and on target, in keeping with the parameters set forth in the UNICEF Evaluation Policy, the vision and performance expectations set by the Director of Evaluation, the revised norms and standards of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), and the specific goals targeted in the Evaluation Office work plan. She/he will help ensure that areas of complementarity and collaboration across the corporate evaluation portfolios are optimized, that the cross-cutting portfolios related to impact evaluation, methods and innovation, knowledge management and capacity development are mainstreamed wherever appropriate, and that linkages between evaluation and other knowledge-generating functions within UNICEF are strengthened and maintained. Third, s/he will advise the Director of Evaluation on issues of strategic importance in the implementation of the UNICEF Evaluation Policy and represent him in internal and external fora as required. Finally, the incumbent will assist the Director in ensuring the smooth and seamless overall functioning of the Evaluation Office, and of the evaluation practice throughout the Organization more broadly, by assisting and in some cases leading key internal processes.

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, Evaluation

This position is based in UNICEF's Evaluation Office in New York, which serves as the steward of UNICEF’s evaluation function. Its Director reports to UNICEF's Executive Board through an annual report on the evaluation function and on selected evaluations. The Evaluation Office commissions and manages independent corporate evaluations and other evaluative exercises (e.g., evaluability assessments, syntheses, reviews), usually conducted in collaboration with external consultants but sometimes embedding Evaluation Office staff in the evaluation teams. It also leads in the development and implementation of evaluation policy, strategy and systems; oversees evaluation quality assurance processes; undertakes evaluation capacity development activities within and outside the Organization; actively promotes an enabling environment for evaluation and a strong evaluation culture; and ensures transparent access to evaluation information. The Office works closely with the Regional Evaluation Advisers in each of UNICEF’s seven regions to ensure a well-coordinated, collaborative, whole-of-organization evaluation effort and to continue to build the Organization’s community of practice. Working in a complementary manner with UNICEF’s other data, evidence and research functions, the Evaluation Office aims to deliver consistently timely, credible and useful independent analyses that harness knowledge to help the Organization deliver results for children.

How can you make a difference?

Under the direction, guidance and supervision of the Director of Evaluation, the Principal Adviser will serve in four overarching capacities. First, s/he will oversee the day-to-day work of the corporate evaluation teams in completing planned evaluations on time, on budget, and on target, in keeping with the parameters set forth in the UNICEF Evaluation Policy, the vision and performance expectations set by the Director of Evaluation, the revised norms and standards of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), and the specific goals targeted in the Evaluation Office work plan. Second, s/he will help ensure that areas of complementarity and collaboration across the corporate evaluation portfolios are optimized, that the cross-cutting portfolios related to impact evaluation, methods and innovation, knowledge management and capacity development are mainstreamed wherever appropriate, and that linkages between evaluation and other knowledge-generating functions within UNICEF are strengthened and maintained. Third, s/he will advise the Director of Evaluation on issues of strategic importance in the implementation of the UNICEF Evaluation Policy and represent him in internal and external fora as required.  Finally, the incumbent will assist the Director in ensuring the smooth and seamless overall functioning of the Evaluation Office, and of the evaluation practice throughout the Organization more broadly, by assisting and in some cases leading key internal processes, such as: strategic planning, key performance indicator monitoring, and annual reporting; individual recruitments and human resources management; active contributions to the cultivation of a positive, respectful, motivated, mutually supportive and results-driven office environment; on-going strengthening of the evaluation culture and of evaluation use; and the strengthening of the linkages between and among the corporate and decentralized evaluation teams in pursuit of a well-integrated global evaluation team that works optimally together to support the successful achievement of the Strategic Plan 2022-2025.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Provide day-to-day supervision, guidance, and support to corporate evaluation teams in completing planned evaluations on time, on budget, and on target.

  • Within the parameters set forth in the UNICEF Evaluation Policy, the vision and performance expectations set by the Director of Evaluation, the revised norms and standards of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), and the specific goals targeted in the Evaluation Office work plan, provide on-going guidance, support, supervision and oversight to Evaluation Office teams.
  • Track progress against Evaluation Office work plans to ensure that they remain on track with respect to timelines established, budgets allocated, and quality standards established by UNEG. Trouble-shoot any blockages, provide on-going feedback, and problem-solve to ensure that the day-to-day work of the Evaluation Office is proceeding as planned.
  • Identify and communicate issues requiring the direct attention of and action by the Director of Evaluation.
  • As necessary, provide quality assurance backstopping to section chiefs on key evaluation outputs (e.g., terms of reference, inception reports, data collection instruments, draft reports, and other key outputs).
  • Draft key outputs related to this supervisory, guidance and support role.

2. Assist the Director of Evaluation in ensuring that areas of complementarity and collaboration across the corporate evaluation portfolios are optimized, that the cross-cutting portfolios are mainstreamed across the evaluation portfolios wherever appropriate, and that linkages to other knowledge-generating functions are strengthened and continually maintained.

  •  Meet with teams to actively encourage, and where necessary help identify, areas of collaboration across the sector-specific evaluation portfolios in order to maximize the relevance, utility and efficiency of the evaluations produced by the Evaluation Office.
  • Work with section chiefs to actively seek and implement opportunities to incorporate an impact evaluation lens into their work, in keeping with the ambitious outcome-level targets set by UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025.
  • Brainstorm with section chiefs and their teams, as necessary, to identify and apply ways to bring new, best-in-class, creative and/or innovative methodological approaches to bear on their evaluations, as well as ever-better ways of communicating evaluation results in order to maximize the positive benefit of evaluations to UNICEF and its key stakeholders.
  • Work with the section on evaluation capacity development to connect the skills-building work of the Evaluation Office to the needs of staff as identified in their own self-assessment and by their supervisor and the Director of Evaluation.
  • Provide feedback to teams, as necessary, to help the Evaluation Office internalize a cross-cutting, and creative and where appropriate innovative, modes of thinking.
  • Participate in organizational strategic policy development in evaluation and related functions by contributing to the review of corporate policies, strategies and programming responses.
  • Represent the Evaluation Office and the broader evaluation function in senior management for a (internal) and or inter-agency bodies (external).
  • Support the Director in reporting to and interacting with the Executive Board and other high-level fora, and in negotiating and managing strategic partnerships sustaining the evaluation function.
  • Support the Director in developing and executing resource mobilization plans to provide the Evaluation Office and the broader function the financial support needed.
  • Contribute to efforts to strengthen the linkages between evaluation and other knowledge-generating functions within UNICEF (e.g., monitoring, data analytics, research, audit) and to the continual maintenance of these linkages, with a view to helping ensure that the evaluation function is coordinating and collaborating with these distinct but complementary functions in well-integrated manner for the collective benefit of the organization and its stakeholders.
  • Draft key output related to this de-siloing and mainstreaming role. 

3. Advise the Director of Evaluation on issues of strategic importance in the implementation of the UNICEF Evaluation Policy and represent him in internal and external fora as required.

  •  Serve as a critical sounding board for the Director of Evaluation on key issues of strategic importance to the work of the Evaluation Office and the evaluation function more broadly, and advise as necessary on potential options, actions and strategies.
  • Represent the Director of Evaluation in select internal and external meetings.
  • Provide briefings and briefing notes, as necessary, on key areas of strategic importance to the Evaluation Office and the evaluation function more broadly.
  • Draft other key outputs related to this advisory role.

4. Assist the Director of Evaluation in ensuring the smooth and seamless overall functioning of the Evaluation Office, and of the evaluation practice throughout the Organization more broadly.

  • Assist, and as required lead, key internal processes under the guidance and supervision of the Director of Evaluation. Examples of processes that the incumbent will assist with or lead include, but are not limited to, the following: strategic planning processes (quadrennial and annual); monitoring, reporting and advising on the progress of the Evaluation Office and evaluation function in relation to its key performance indicator targets; and individual staff and consultant recruitments.
  • In addition to the responsibilities for fostering cross-sectional collaboration and mainstreaming of cross-cutting areas described above, assist the Director in managing human resources in the Evaluation Office.  These duties entail the administrative aspects of performance management (i.e., initiation of individual performance plans, midterm review processes, and final performance reviews) as well as managerial aspects of human resources management to keep Evaluation Office staff focused on results and motivated to contribute their best to the work of the organization (e.g., through the provision of constructive feedback on an on-going basis; modeling the core values and core competencies; and reinforcing the cultivation of a positive, respectful, motivated, mutually supportive and results-driven office environment).
  • Under the guidance of the Director of Evaluation, contribute to the on-going strengthening of the evaluation culture and of evaluation use within UNICEF through on-going advice and concrete actions. 
  • Assist the Director of Evaluation in strengthening of the linkages between and among the corporate and decentralized evaluation teams in pursuit of a well-integrated global evaluation team that works optimally together to support the successful achievement of the Strategic Plan 2022-2025.
  • Perform other tasks assigned by the Director in pursuit of smooth and seamless overall functioning of the Evaluation Office and the broader evaluation practice within UNICEF and with its evaluation partners.
  • Draft key outputs related to this overall evaluation-strengthening role.

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

  • Master’s degree or higher in a social science and/or planning and programme management.
  • 16 years in progressively responsible professional work related to planning, implementation, coordination, and management, preferably in the area of monitoring, evaluation and/or research.
  • At least 10 years senior-level management experience, including in the area of evaluation or in a closely related function, either in a large country office, a regional office, or headquarters.
  • Demonstrated experience (re)enforcing organizational and individual accountabilities and competencies for results, conveying direct but constructive feedback, and fostering a positive, respectful, motivating and results-oriented environment.
  • Significant experience in a strategic advisory role.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Strong familiarity with UNICEF and its internal and external stakeholders highly desirable but not necessary.
  • Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

Core Values

  • Care
  • Respect
  • Integrity
  • Trust
  • Accountability

Core competencies

  • Builds and maintains partnerships (3)
  • Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3)
  • Drive to achieve results for impact (3)
  • Innovates and embraces change (3)
  • Manages ambiguity and complexity (3)
  • Thinks and acts strategically (3)
  • Works collaboratively with others (3)
  • Nurtures, leads and manages people (3)

Functional Competencies:

  • Leading and supervising (3)
  • Formulating strategies and concepts (3)
  • Analyzing (3)
  • Relating and networking (3)
  • Applying technical expertise (3)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

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.

UNICEF is currently undergoing organizational changes; therefore, the exact location of the post has yet to be determined. Selected candidates may be required to commence duties remotely until the location is confirmed. If reassigned or relocated to New York, candidates may be expected to relocate to a new location again during the initial contract or assignment period. When working remotely, the candidate will be expected to fulfill their functions during NYHQ core working hours (10AM-4PM) unless agreed otherwise by the Hiring Office.

This vacancy is now closed.
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