Chief Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation, P4, FT Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire

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 150,282 USD and 193,758 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, a warrior

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Chief Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation is accountable for the accomplishment of the following overall end-results through undertaking programme monitoring and evaluation (M&E), exercising an advisory role, providing guidance, coordination and leadership in policy and strategy development, in the oversight of the implementation of M&E recommendations, as well as in the collaboration with the UN country team in support of the attachment 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 emergency contexts, 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; and

3. National and sub-national, monitoring, evaluation and research capacities are strengthened, with special attention to the gender equity and equality and the interest, concern, and participation of primary 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.

How can you make a difference?

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS

1. Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Planning (IMEP)

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 gender-specific 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 around 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.
• 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 CO Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, 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 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 partner 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., Dev Info) for easy access and use ensuring that indicators are gender-specific and equity focused. 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 aid 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 organization’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 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 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.
• Oversee to ensure that data collection and analysis from field visits is coordinated and standardized across programmes to feed into to programme performance monitoring and gender mainstreaming. Ensure optimum use of staff resources.
• Provide technical support 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 transformative 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.

4. Evaluation

Ensure that a well-prioritized 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

• 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 Review/Programme Effectiveness, 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

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 Management, 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 organizations, 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 Gender Action Plan 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.

6. Communication and Partnerships

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

Duties & Tasks

• Develop and manage key partnerships for the Evaluation Office with internal units and external institutions, including donors, evaluation societies, bilateral evaluation units and the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG). Collaborate with key knowledge partners (universities and think tanks) for their knowledge and their research capacities 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 UNDAF 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 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 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, ensuring that gender equality is a standard feature.
• 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, highlighting gender. Participate with Regional M & E Adviser and NYHQ in developing indicators and evaluation methodologies essential to tracking gender inequalities and to evaluating the effect of interventions on improving gender equality.
• 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 senior program officer and/or the Representative is met to provide a sustained commitment to enable all staff meet their responsibilities for the full implementation of M&E function, including enabling senior management to use indicators and approaches essential for mainstreaming gender across the country programme.
• Ensure unified approach of M&E for emergencies.

IMPACT OF RESULTS:

• The work requires professional expertise/technical competencies in evaluation process management, planning for influential evaluations, team management, coaching & training, and resources management.
• The scope and nature of job are broad and deep, involving all functional areas of M&E at the regional, area or country level. The impact of work affects the overall execution of M&E functional areas, as well as the reputation and success of teams.
• The critical focus of work is on development of new approaches, methods & techniques, or policies & guidelines. Also, most of the work entails planning, integrating, and coordinating professional functional groups.
• Perform as an active participant within the CMT and other managerial for a, with a specific need to advocate for and demonstrate the utility of effective M&E work.
• Play a leadership role in large or multiple teams and/or perform as a facilitator. Or play an advisory role or an expert who provides intellectual/technical leadership and expertise, including authoritative advice based on broad work experience in M&E. Play active role in liaising and networking with knowledge institutions partners.
• Managerial focus is on facilitation, integration, and coordination, as well as sharing of responsibilities of quality control.
• Represent M&E function as an expert in organizational meetings, engage in networking and build partnership.
• Focus on cross-functional interface, integrity, and organizational competence in the areas of M&E.

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

1. Education

An advanced university degree in a social sciences field 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

2. Work Experience

A minimum of eight years of professional work experience is required in programme development and implementation including monitoring and evaluation activities.

At least one instance of exposure to emergency programming, including preparedness planning. Active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme preferred.

3. Language Proficiency

Fluency in French and English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of

the duty station is an asset.

4. UNICEF values and competency Required

i) Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

ii) Core Competencies (For Staff with Supervisory Responsibilities) *

• 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)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Reference to the link below for more information on UNICEF’s competency framework:

https://unicef.sharepoint.com/sites/DHR-UCF/SiteAssets/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FDHR-UCF%2FSiteAssets%2FSitePages%2FDHR-UCF%2FCompetency%20Framework%20Brochure%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FDHR

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values