Chief (Evidence Data, Research and Evaluation), P-4 (FT), New Delhi, India, South Asia Region (SAR), Post no. 118309 (This vacancy is open for non-Indian Nationals)

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 90,970 USD and 117,287 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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, AN ADVOCATE:

In an effort to measurably improve UNICEF's ability to deliver better results for children, 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 nations.

How can you make a difference?

Strategic office context:

Evidence is at the heart of UNICEF’s work in India and critical to achieving UNICEF’s equity strategy. With the dynamic economic and political changes in India, the evidence function within UNICEF is becoming more important. Over the past few years, UNICEF’s evidence function has grown substantially in response to increased expectations from Government and other partners, who increasingly look to UNICEF as the knowledge leader on issues related to children. To effectively lead and guide the strategic evidence function to support all programmes and field office, this new section will be headed by the Chief Evidence (Data, Research and Evaluation). The Chief Evidence will supervise one Statistics and Monitoring Specialist (NOC), two Research and Evaluation Specialists (NOC), one Knowledge Management Specialist (NOC) and Programme Associate (GS 5). He or she will also guide the ‘evidence’ focal points (who can be M&E specialist in the programme sections and FOs) using matrix management techniques.

Purpose for the job:

The Chief (Evidence Data, Research and Evaluation) provides overall leadership to the new Evidence Unit. Through his/her leadership, and supported by the other team members of the Evidence Unit, the purpose of this position is to:

• Implement ICO Evidence Strategy and develop a comprehensive multi-year evidence plan.
• Build, harness and manage partnerships and discussion forums for evidence.
• Align and contribute to KM and Advocacy Strategies of ICO.
• Ensure high-quality evidence is generated with integration of cross cutting issues (gender, SBCC, emergency/DRR, disability, urban etc.) and used across UNICEF programmes effectively and efficiently to achieve the policy goals and UNICEF Country programme outcomes, ultimately to advance child rights agenda to fulfill our commitment in the current and new Country Programme.
• Ensure strengthening evidence culture throughout processes of evidence generation to strategic use for results for children.
• Capacity development of ICO staff skill sets for designing, utilization of learning and management of high quality data and evidence generation and partnership and network building.
• Coordination of the organizational priority of SDGs monitoring and support and UNICEF flagship analysis such as Situation Analysis of Children, Adolescents and Women and support to the government for the CRC State Party Report.

Major duties and responsibilities:

Within the delegated authority and under the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be assigned the primarily, shared, or contributory accountabilities for all or part of the following areas of major duties and key end-results.

Plan for Research and Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation (PRIME)

Ensure that the Country Office and national partners use a well-prioritized and realistic plan of research, monitoring and evaluation activities that will provide the most relevant and strategic information to manage the Country Programme toward achieving expected results and towards coping with potential and actual emergencies.

Duties and Tasks:

• Oversee the preparation of PRIME and tracking of progress, and report to senior management on a regular basis. Enhance the culture of evidence generation and use and make professional contributions to and provide technical assistance for the planning and establishing of major research, monitoring and evaluation objectives, priorities, and activities in UNICEF’s multi-year and annual PRIME exercises.
• Support the development of UNSDCF M&E&R Plans.
• Identify the M&E&R objectives, priorities, and activities required for effective CO and partner Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans. In humanitarian response situations, adjust the prevailing PRIME plan in accordance with M&E&R guidance for emergency situations. Likewise, adjust the PRIME in accordance with the transition through the stages of transition and recovery.
• Identify gaps in knowledge and work with sector specialists to ensure these are addressed in planned evidence activities. Facilitate cross-sectoral collaboration in research and data collection activities.
• Provide technical leadership to ensure that a set of programme performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary in the context of the multi-year and annual PRIMEs and associated office-wide management plans and work plans.
• Consolidate E&R plans within required systems and documentation, including the PRIME planning software and in the costed evaluation plan that accompanies the country programme documentation for consideration by the Executive Board. Monitor progress and support CMT, AR, MTR and other review moments that lead to plan revisions. Provide input to management reports, including relevant sections of the annual reports.

Situation Monitoring and Assessment.

Ensure that the Country Office and national partners have timely, 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 and tasks:

• In coordination with other stakeholders, support the collection of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and other key social development indicators (through MICS or other surveys) to improve national planning.
• Support partners in the establishment and management of national statistical databases (e.g., DevInfo), ensuring that key indicators are readily accessible by key stakeholders, and are gender-specific and equity focussed. Potential uses include the Situation Analysis, Common Country Assessment, Early Warning Monitoring Systems, and MidTerm Reviews. Seek the feedback of the partners to improve the assistance accordingly.
• Develop a Situation Monitoring and Assessment mechanism, collaboratively owned by all key partners, which supports the preparation of country level statistical and analytic reports on the status of children’s and women’s rights issues; and which allow, when opportunities emerge, to influence developmental and social policies. To include technical support to global reporting obligations including national reports on progress toward the SDGs, and toward CRC and CEDAW fulfilment.
• Lead 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.
• In humanitarian response situations, provide professional support for one or more rapid assessments (inter-agency or independently if necessary) to be carried out within the first 48-72 hours, working in close collaboration with the humanitarian clusters partners.
• Help guide 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.

Evaluation

Ensure that UNICEF-supported evaluations are designed and implemented to established UN quality standards, and the results are disseminated in a timely fashion to stakeholders in order to improve programme performance and contribute to wider learning.

Duties and tasks:

• Guide the office and partners to identify priority evaluation topics in accordance with the coverage guidelines of the UNICEF Evaluation Policy, and in accordance with the commitments contained in UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and in the agreed country programme.
• Manage development of national policy or policies (e.g. by sector) on evaluation by public, civil, and private partners. Support country-led evaluations of policies and programmes and the consideration of the results by partners. These country-led exercises may examine aspects of the UNICEF-government programme of cooperation or may look at entirely national efforts.
• For UNICEF-supported evaluations, guide UNICEF programme specialists and programme partners to formulate Terms of Reference and evaluation designs of high quality. Oversee the recruitment of appropriate and highly qualified consultants.
• In certain cases, lead the overall day-to-day management as the designated Evaluation Manager on evaluations in collaboration with programme specialists and partners.
• Coordinate the external review of key deliverables according to the Standard Operating Procedure of the office, by engaging an Evaluation Reference Group, an external review agency and colleagues in the regional office.
• 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 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 provide 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.
• As part of Country Office Reporting, ensure all completed evaluation reports are uploaded to the global Evaluation and Research Database to allow global sharing and final quality review.

Research

Ensure that UNICEF-supported research is designed and implemented according to established UNICEF policies and procedures, and the results are disseminated in a timely fashion to stakeholders in order to improve programme performance and contribute to wider learning.

Duties and tasks:

• Guide the office and partners to identify priority research topics in accordance with the UNICEF Research Policy, and in accordance with the commitments contained in UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and in the agreed country programme.
• Facilitate research quality assure processes at the CO level in accordance with the UNICEF Policy on Research. Ensure that the Standard Operating Procedures outline the quality assurance process for research and that checklists, guidance and other tools are available to research project managers from all sectors.
• Technically guidance UNICEF programme specialists and programme partners to formulate Terms of Reference for high quality research projects.
• Assist with the peer review process of major research projects and coordinate feedback to Supervisor/CMT/stakeholders to ensure quality and compliance with the UNICEF Policy on Research and country office research priorities.
• Lead research project managers from all sectors with the development of a multi-method communication plan to disseminate research findings to intended audiences via user friendly methods.
• As part of Country Office Reporting, upload completed research reports to the global Evaluation and Research Database to allow global sharing and final quality review.
• Ensure all research follows the ethical principles and standards outlined in the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation and Data Collection and Analysis.

Data, Research and Evaluation Capacity Building

Ensure that the research, data/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 research, monitoring and evaluation processes.

Duties and Tasks:

• Promote the awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of Research, M&E function among all staff members through communication, training, learning and development activities organization wide.
• 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 PRIME or UNSDCF M&E plan. Collaborate to implement capacity building strategies as a joint commitment with other developmental partners.
• 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 research, 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. 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 research methods, monitoring and evaluation practices. Oversee to ensure that Country Office staff and national partners are aware of and have access to UNICEF research, monitoring and evaluation learning resources.
• Ensure to facilitate that research, monitoring and evaluation capacity of national partner organisations, which may include local institutions such as national professional evaluation associations, is strengthened through their involvement in processes and possibly through specific capacity building initiatives.
• Lead 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 development of strategies to address them.

Knowledge Management

Ensure that the UNICEF has mechanisms and platforms in place for effective and efficient use of robust evidence in UNICEF programming, to promote a culture of learning, as well as support UNICEF’s positioning and the knowledge hub in children’s rights in India.

Duties and Tasks:

• Oversee the implementation of the internal components of the UNICEF India Knowledge Management Strategy and workplan. Support in building relevant resources/platforms that are user friendly, and ensure effective and efficient exchange of knowledge between sectors, teams and field offices.
• Oversee the implementation of the external components of the UNICEF India Knowledge Management Strategy and workplan. Support in positioning UNICEF as the knowledge hub/leader on children’s rights and evidence on children in India. Ensure effective management, timely dissemination and use of knowledge and evidence.
• Promote a better understanding and active engagement for knowledge management. Build the knowledge management capacity to distribute knowledge in various formats and to various audiences. Contribute to a culture of learning and towards improving development effectiveness.
• Ensure that the office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF KM, Research, M & E developments in a way that both contributes to and benefits from organizational learning on effective KM management.

Coordination, Networking and Partnerships

Ensure that the UNICEF office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF Research, Evaluation and Evidence developments in a way that both contributes to and benefits from organizational learning on effective delivery of results for children. UNICEF leverages strong evidence partnerships to implement its vision.

Duties and Tasks:

• Collaborate with key knowledge partners (universities and think tanks) for their knowledge and their research capacities in order to generate and disseminate relevant data for the identification of child-friendly policies and their effective problem-solving mechanisms.
• 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 UNSDCF and sector wide approaches, incorporating transparency on gender inequalities and using, where applicable, strategies for gender mainstreaming across sectors.
• Build partnerships within and outside the organization. Work collaboratively with clients and partners. Facilitate joint research, monitoring and evaluation activities with national partners, the UN Country Team and the wider international community, wherever possible in the context of the above processes.
• Provide synthesis of Research, M&E results to the country office senior management, the Country Management Team and key programme and operations staff.
• Collaborate with Regional Programme Planning, Data, Evaluation & Research Advisers/Specialists, HQ Evaluation Office, HQ Data Analytics and Planning office, and Office of Research-Innocenti for overall coordination of priority research, data, monitoring, evaluation and research activities, especially those of regional scope requiring the coordinated effort of multiple countries.
• Partner with the Regional Advisers to ensure that current and accurate evidence are included in regional reports, multi-country studies, and knowledge sharing networks.
• Undertake lessons-learned reviews on successful and unsuccessful evaluation and research practices and experience at the national level, and ensure they are shared as appropriate. Similarly, pay attention to knowledge networks to identify innovations and lessons learned that may be relevant for the CO and partners to improve their evaluation and research function.
• Lead and/or provide technical inputs into proposal development and mobilization of resources to support research, monitoring, data analysis, evaluation, evidence synthesis, knowledge management and capacity-building activities of UNICEF and partners.

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

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, statistics, development studies, planning or relevant field.
• Minimum Eight years of relevant professional work experience in programme development and leading monitoring, research and evaluation activities in international settings.
• Experience in developing countries is required. At least one instance of exposure to emergency programming, including preparedness planning will be an asset. Active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme will be an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

Core Values (Required)

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability

Core UNICEF Competencies (Required)

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

• This Vacancy is open for non-Indian nationals.
• This position is based in New Delhi (India).
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNICEF does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process including application, interview, meeting, traveling, processing, training etc.

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

  For more information about UNICEF India, please refer to the link below: - https://www.unicef.org/india/