Head of Research, Assessment and Monitoring (RAM) | CST Level II

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WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply.

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis. We are committed to promoting diversity and the principle of equal employment opportunity for all our employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender, gender identity and disability.

JOB DETAILS

Job Title:                           Head of Research, Assessment and Monitoring (RAM)     
Grade:                              CST-II    
Type of contract:              Regular Consultant (CST)                
Duration:                          Eleven (11) Months with Possible Extension 
Duty Station:                    Manila, Philippines
Vacancy Number:             659505
Date of Publication:          20 March 2023
Deadline of Application:   03 April 2023, 11:59 PM (Rome time)

This vacancy announcement is for Internationals only.  

Terms and Conditions: 
WFP offers a competitive salary, plus a medical insurance scheme.  
*Remote work may be possible depending upon the operational requirements of the Programme.  Requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the personal circumstances of the requestor given the operational situation.

JOB PURPOSE

The World Food Programme’s engagement in the Philippines is constantly evolving. Initially it begun in the 1960s. WFP officially re-established its presence in 2006 to support the peace process in Mindanao, providing life-saving food assistance in emergencies and disasters, and to develop programs that seek to improve nutrition and the overall quality of life of the people we serve. Since 2018, WFP has been implementing a five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP 2018-2023) to support the Government of the Philippines to address food insecurity, reduce malnutrition and build the resilience of vulnerable populations. WFP Country Office is currently developing its next Country Strategic Plan for 2024-2028, in line with the Philippines Development Plan (2023-2028) and the upcoming UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2024-2028)

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

These roles are likely found in Headquarters (HQ), Regional Bureaux (RBs) or Country Offices (COs). Job holders are likely to report to the relevant Director or more senior Programme post.
Job holders are likely to manage a complex portfolio of activities that may include formulation and direct management or coordination of programmes at CO level or formulation of substantial parts of WFP-wide policies and provision of technical advice at RB or HQ level. As such job holders will be expected to have an extensive breadth of programme and policy knowledge/experience including strong technical abilities in an area of expertise and ability to credibly influence strategic, policy and operational discussions. Job holders usually manage a large team or excel in a specific area.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Food Security and Nutrition Research

• Provide economic intelligence to the management and for various programmes and projects.
• Provide leadership to WFP’s research, assessment and monitoring direction in the Pacific, including setting strategic and technical requirements in further developing a food security monitoring system in support of data-driven decision-making with a focus on country capacity strengthening.
• Lead a team of national staff to develop, update, and oversee analysis and operational plans to ensure knowledge products meet requirements with a focus on localisation of key technical capacities and institutions.
• Work together with existing and new regional and global partners to integrate hazard and/or climate analysis into vulnerability analysis and mapping, ensuring plans focus on risk-informed approaches to inform the national and local governments’ decision-making and WFP Country Office advocacy, policy and programmes.
• Provide technical advice and support to WFP and its partners on matters pertaining to food security and nutrition strategies, policies, programmes, and facilitate the timely and productive use of related outputs in a manner that complies with WFP standards and processes and considers gender and inclusion. 
• Lead/manage the development of a research agenda for the Country Office in collaboration with programme units.
• Contribute to the development of systems and tools for the monitoring and assessment of food assistance needs in line with innovative methodologies and best practice. 
• Manage and/or conduct food security, nutrition, markets and resilience analysis and prepare timely reports on food assessment needs in line with wider WFP policies, processes and guidance to enable effective decision-making on the development of country strategy, policies and programmes. 
• Keep up to date with and advise on food assistance developments and issues and the potential impact upon WFP activities to enable timely and appropriate programme evolution and intervention.
• Contribute to the development of programme activities, providing technical analysis, interpretation and recommendations to facilitate the capacity strengthening of national governments, systems and institutions to meet food security needs in a way that is inclusive and promotes gender equality. 
• Provide support to relevant partners that are focusing on food security and nutrition to enable sharing of experience, lessons learned and best practice. 
• Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency food assistance needs.  

Monitoring and evaluation of programme activities

• Lead the development and manage implementation of M&E and Community Feedback Mechanism Strategies for the Country Office in line with corporate requirements and relevant to the country context;
• Ensure that the Country Office has updated M&E documents in response to changes/needs in the programme, including project log frames, M&E budgets, relevant SOPs, M&E plan matrices and reporting flow charts.
• Advise and support Head of Programme (HoP) and Activity/Thematic focal points on evidence-based decision-making for programme design and implementation, notably through linking monitoring, review and evaluations findings to the TOC and make them accessible, developing innovative, user-friendly and informative products;
• Lead/manage the development and implementation of data collection arrangement including adequate human resources in field offices and potential outsourcing of third-party monitoring partner;
• Ensure that process and post distribution monitoring reports for Typhoon Odette response and CO activities are regularly shared with HoP and activity managers.
• In coordination with HoP, RBB and HQ focal points, support in building M&E processes for measuring capacity strengthening of government in the areas of social cohesion, nutrition, climate change, emergency preparedness and response, social protection, and resilience building and establish a tracking system to follow the progress and document on capacity building for the government;
• Work closely with Cotabato sub office team to support the overall project management of Population Risk Indicator Measurement and Engagement (PRIME) led by HQ;
• Support relevant staff in streamlining gender and protection related indicators and gender analysis within each of the activity’s M&E framework, processes and tools.
• Support supply chain and programme teams during emergency preparedness, emergency needs assessments and operational planning

Reviews, evaluations and planning

• In coordination with HoP, manage the CO’s evaluation portfolio, providing oversight and ensuring high profession standards in line with WFP Evaluation Policy and Decentralized Evaluation Quality Assurance System (DEQAS);
• Support WFP Management in addressing recommendations from monitoring, reviews and evaluations to ensure that follow-up actions are taken as required;
• Contribute to and support centralized evaluations, joint UNDSCF evaluations and donor-led evaluations in country;
• Lead the process of conducting any external or internal evaluation from inception to completion. This includes identifying an entity for an independent evaluation, facilitating secondary data review and primary data collection based on the scope of evaluation and methodologies agreed, disseminating the findings and facilitating their use in in future CO decision-making.
• Contribute to/support the preparation of the Annual Country Reports in coordination with programme and IM teams.
• Contribute to donor and adhoc reporting and proposals through data analysis and visualization of findings
• In coordination with CD and DCD, lead the technical process for designing the new CSP.

External Cooperation and coordination

• Represent WFP and ensure WFP input into UNSDCF processes;
• Represent WFP at national/inter-agency meetings, including the SEPF M&E technical working group (i.e., UN M&E Group), to contribute to technical discussions, exchange knowledge and best practices, identify opportunities for potential collaboration and for strengthening national M&E capacity and develop strategic partnerships.

Capacity building

• Regularly assess internal and Government partner VAM-related and M&E capacities and ensure adequate training is provided to build capacity by designing client-oriented training programs for different audiences.
• Build capacity of CO, partners and national government to conduct analysis on food security, nutrition, markets, resilience, gender, and related topics to effectively inform policies and programmes.

Team/staff management

• Provide strategic leadership, supervision, coaching and guidance to VAM & M&E focal points and individual team members;
• Develop annual workplan and budget for VAM and M&E, and follow through the implementation
• Manage the recruitment and supervise external evaluation consultants hired for the implementation of surveys, assessments and reviews
• Manage staff performance providing regular feedback and through the PACE process

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in Economics, Statistics, International Affairs, Sociology, Development Studies or any other relevant field.

Experience: At least 7 years of relevant professional work experience in international development or humanitarian work; has led and/or managed monitoring and evaluation activities in a project or a country office context; is familiar with IT solutions in support of programme and project monitoring. Experience in managing diverse teams of technical staff.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Trained in evaluation management; specific training in corporate EvalPro will be considered an advantage;
• Working knowledge of the evidence value chain approach and application across diverse portfolio
• Practical knowledge on how monitoring data is collected, compiled, analysed and presented for management decisions, programme adjustment and donor reporting;
• Has led surveys, assessments and monitoring surveys in countries, including the design, data collection and analysis;
• Experience in managing remote surveys, including preparation of data collection tools, managing third party monitoring partner, and data quality control;
• Knowledge of diverse humanitarian assistance and development practices;
• Analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data and effective visual presentation of results;
• Knowledge of facilitation techniques, preparation of training materials, delivery of training and capacity development of partners and external stakeholders.
• Knowledge and experience on GIS and remote sensing preferred but not essential

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Language: Excellent written and oral communications skills in English.

Research, Assessment and Monitoring and Evaluation Requirements

Given the diverse interventions under the CSP with a focus towards supporting the GoP, there is a strong need for tracking the progress and generate quality evidence on the outcomes and impact of WFP assistance on the lives of beneficiaries, capacity strengthening efforts, as well as its contribution to achieving SDG indicators, particularly in the area of food security and nutrition (SDG 2) and partnership (SDG 17) and other related SDGs.

For this purpose, WFP Philippines is seeking to bolster its capacity on research, assessment and monitoring and evaluation with an experienced and qualified international consultant to lead the team involved in Research, Assessment & Monitoring (RAM), which includes staff involved in Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM), Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), Community Feedback Mechanism (CFM) and functions as a wider programme support unit through online corporate reporting systems (COMET, SCOPE). Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Country Director, the Head of RAM position will play a critical role in leading the coordination and implementation of all research, assessments, and monitoring and evaluation efforts across all CSP activities and through the capacity building of WFP staff on food security, inclusive of nutrition, resilience, climate change and emergency responses, by adopting both traditional approaches and innovative technological solutions. This strengthening in RAM is critical to inform operational, evidence-based decision making and strategic reorientation and to report on results.

All WFP Employees are expected to demonstrate the competencies and standards of behaviour aligned with our core values and defined in the WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK, namely: 
•    Leading by example with integrity, 
•    Driving results and delivering on commitments, 
•    Fostering inclusive and collaborative teamwork, 
•    Applying strategic thinking, 
•    Building and maintaining sustainable partnerships.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings).  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. 

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action. 

Request for Disability related Reasonable Accommodations: 

It is important to WFP to create an accessible and inclusive workplace for everyone.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.  If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the selection and hiring process, please direct your request and inquiries to the Diversity and Inclusion team on:  global.inclusion@wfp.org, cc’ing philippines.hr@wfp.org. A member of the reasonable accommodation team will contact you to confidentially discuss your needs. 

This email is only to be used for any disability related accessibility requirements, and not for sending the application itself. Due to volume of applications, any applications or CVs sent through this email address will not be considered as a formal application and will not receive a reply from WFP. 

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.