For Nicaraguan Nationals Only: Emergency Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, NO-1, 11 months

Contract

This is a NO-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-1 contracts.

The passage of Eta and Iota has left approximately 1.8 million people affected in Nicaragua, mainly in the regions of RACCN (North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region), Triangulo Minero (the Mine Triangle), as well as Nueva Segovia, Jinotega and Chinandega. According to national authorities, thousands of families were affected by flooding and landslides which led to the evacuation of over 160,000 people and forced 59,964 people into shelters. The RACCN was by far the most affected department as it took a direct hit from both Eta and Iota’s driving rains and winds as high as 160 mph causing damage in basic infrastructures including water supply systems, health facilities with girls, boys and adolescents being among the most vulnerable groups. The mapping of the affected communities indicates the relevance of operating from Bilwi in the RACCN in order to ease the access and increase the outreach to the areas and communities that the response is targeting as well as for coordination purposes.

How can you make a difference?

PURPOSE OF THE JOB: Monitoring and Evaluation Officer reports to Emergency Specialist and coordinates with the Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist. The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer is accountable for the accomplishment of the stated key end-results by providing professional expertise and assistance in information/data collection, statistics and data analysis, monitoring & evaluation (M&E), preparation of reports, communication and partnership, and in implementing training programmes for national and sub-national data collection, monitoring, evaluation and research capacity building with special attention to the interest, concern and participation of primary stakeholders.

Results Expected 1. Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Planning (IMEP) is followed and put in place into a strategic and realistic plan of activities for M&E. 2. Timely monitoring and measurement of changes in conditions due to programme or policies in country or region are conducted with the participation of relevant partners and are provided to the Emergency Manager, UNICEF M&E Specialist and implementing partners in the Emergency Response, to facilitate the submission of Reports and the permanent availability of monitoring data. 3. Emergency Response Performance is systematically monitored and data for key indicators of the Response Plan is collected from Implementing partners, analyzed and made available to the Response Management Team. 4. Evaluation is designed and carried out with quality process and products in line with priority and strategy. Evaluation findings, recommendations and reports are used as lessons learned and are effectively disseminated to the intended audience. Major partners are kept abreast and/or contribute to these exercises as required. 5. The monitoring and evaluation capacities of Implementing Partners and national institutional partners are strengthened, enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead monitoring and evaluation processes. 6. Effective communication and partnerships are achieved in carrying out integrated planning of research, monitoring and evaluation activities within the Implementing Partners and with the Emergency Management, and with all other stakeholders, including Regional Government, Municipal Governments, the UN Country Team and the international community; and the results are shared with all partners to stimulate joint engagement.

DUTIES & TASKS

1. Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Planning (IMEP) Provide technical support to ensure that the Emergency Management and implementing partners use the monitoring and evaluation strategy for the emergency response in order to provide the most relevant and strategic information to manage the Emergency Manager.

• Contributes to provision of technical assistance for the monitoring and evaluation activities in the Emergency Response. • Participate in management studies and support/participate in thematic/strategic evaluations to improve development & organizational effectiveness. • Support and contribute to effectively joint evaluations with developmental partners, including joint evaluation of UNICEF or of multi-partner programs. • In close consultation with management and liaison with partners, make a professional contribution to formulation of the IMEPs from a sound 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 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, in order to anticipate and prepare for the information needs and operational modalities of an emergency, in consultation with humanitarian partners. • In humanitarian response situations, within the first month, draft and recommend a simple one-month data-collection plan to cover key data gaps as required for the initial emergency response, working in close collaboration with the humanitarian clusters partners. After the initial humanitarian response, support management of the medium-term response with a revised IMEP.

2. Situation Monitoring and Assessment Provide technical support to ensure that the Country Office and national partners have timely and accurate 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.

• Support management of available baseline information on national statistics and key indicators through established databases (e.g., DevInfo) for easy access and use. Prepare country level statistical reports on the status of children’s and women’s human rights issues and provide a technical support to global reporting obligations including national reports on progress toward the MDGs, toward CRC fulfilment, and toward CEDAW fulfilment. • Keep monitoring the situation of children’s and women’s rights with national partners and keep updated with the information of the quality research that address issues and challenges affecting children and their families. • Coordinate with the Country Office and partners and provide assistance 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. • Provide technical support to ensure that the CO has information necessary for UNICEF to effectively report on and advocate for children’s rights through the appropriate channels and to enhance partnerships with key players in monitoring collectively progress on child focused international commitments, including MDGs. • 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 Provide technical support to ensure that the Country Office has quality information to assess progress towards expected results established in annual work plans.

• Provide technical support as necessary to identifying and adjusting a set of programme performance indicators, 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 monitoring system are in place and that key annual programme indicators are tracked and analysed, including those related to partnerships initiative, and provided regularly to the Country Management Team/ Senior Management Team to guide programme and management decisions. • Carry out data collection and analysis from field visits, standardising them across programmes, to feed into to programme performance monitoring. • Keep tracking of follow-up action based on management decisions resulting from Country Office performance monitoring and evaluation. • Compile monitoring and evaluation information/data, and make them available to programme/planning sections. Contribute to the preparation of management reports (e.g., relevant sections of the annual reports), drawing on monitoring and analysis of key management indicators. Assist in the preparation of reports on systemic issues, good practices or any other analysis or data related to programme implementation and/or evaluation, including programme’s performance, relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability; as well as good practices in partnerships and collaborative relationships.

4. Evaluation Provide technical support to ensure that a well-prioritised 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.

• Provide support to ensure that the relevant programme partners participate and formulate Evaluation Terms of Reference and design of high quality. • Provide technical support 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, when necessary provide assistance to seek expertise of knowledge institutions. Facilitate and take part in producing Evaluation Office’s responses on specific and substantive issues. • Review and provide technical comments on draft evaluation reports. Contribute to the effective dissemination and sharing of knowledge, findings, conclusions, recommendations and lessons from evaluation to the intended audience as described in the Terms of Reference with a view to improving programme performance and contributing to wider learning. Specifically, assist in feeding evaluation results 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. Support effective participatory feedback, including to community and civil society stakeholders. • Provide assistance in tracking to ensure that a management response to the findings and recommendations of the evaluation is completed, recorded, and followed up for implementation. Most specifically, ensure that evaluation recommendations are submitted to the Country Management Team and follow-up actions recorded in CMT minutes. • Submit electronic copies of all evaluations to NYHQ via the Evaluation Data Base web portal, with full accompanying documentation.

5. M&E Capacity Building Provide technical support to 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.

• Contribute to the collaboration of an M&E capacity building strategy for national partners and institutions and corresponding activities for implementation in the context of the IMEP or UNDAF M&E plan. Provide technical support for implementation of capacity building strategies as a joint commitment with other developmental partners with special attention to the interest, concern and participation of primary stakeholders. • In close consultation with senior managers, contribute to formulation of 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. • Promote and provide support to ensure that Country Office staff and national partners are aware of and have access to UNICEF monitoring and evaluation learning resources. • Contribute to facilitate that Evaluation capacity of national partner organisations is strengthened through their involvement in evaluation processes and possibly through specific capacity building initiatives. • Provide assistance to liaise with knowledge institutions to seek partnerships for the identification of capacity gaps and the development of strategies to address them.

6. Communication and Partnerships Provide technical support to ensure that all of the above tasks are carried out and accomplished through effective communication and partnerships, as elaborated below:

● Facilitate or contribute to 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 respectively, in consultation with child-right partners. ● Facilitate or contribute to 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 technical advice to Country Office staff and national partners on data collection, data management and data analysis for basic monitoring and evaluation. ● Provide synthesis of M&E results to the country office senior management, the Country Management Team and key programme and operations staff. • Ensure that evaluation recommendations are communicated to the relevant partners for implementation, with advice on the Implementation Plan and follow-up action for future programming. ● 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, engaging more expertise from knowledge institutions. ● Seek advanced or in-depth technical support on monitoring and evaluation from the Regional M&E Advisors and headquarters advisors on monitoring and evaluation as necessary. ● Collaborate with the Regional M & E 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.

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

Education: University degree in social sciences, development planning, planning, evaluation, survey implementation, advanced statistical research.

Work Experience: Professional work experience in programme development and implementation including monitoring and evaluation activities as follows: • One year of relevant professional work experience. Field work experience. • At least one instance of exposure to emergency programming, including preparedness planning. Active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme preferred.

Language Proficiency - Fluency/proficiency in English and Spanish. Additional language(s) an asset.

With residence in Bilwi it will be considered an advantage.

Technical Knowledge Required • Knowledge of Project and Activity Evaluation. • Professional technical knowledge/expertise in Data Collection • Professional technical knowledge/expertise in Evaluation Process Management, Follow-up on Recommendations and Dissemination of M&E results. • Professional technical knowledge/expertise in demography, statistics, and data management. • Methodology of M&E, theories, standards and models, quantitative/qualitative/mixed methods, validity/reliability testing of data, data analysis and interpretation, and statistical inference methods. • Professional technical knowledge/expertise in Activity Monitoring & Evaluation, Evaluation Design, data analysis, and reporting. • Gender equality and diversity awareness

Technical Knowledge to be Acquired/Enhanced (for the Job) • Knowledge/expertise of best practices, lessons learned and communication. • Understanding of UNICEF’s policies and procedures for programming, monitoring and evaluation guidelines. • Latest programme monitoring and evaluation theory, methodology, technology and tools. • Understanding of UN Mission and system; and International Code of Conduct. • Understanding of UNICEF Mission Statement and observance of UNICEF Guiding Principles. • UNICEF strategic framework for partnerships and collaborative relationships.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Core Values • Care • Respect • Integrity • Trust • Accountability

Core Competencies • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1) • Works Collaboratively with others (1) • Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1) • Innovates and Embraces Change (1) • Thinks and Acts Strategically (1) • Drive to achieve impactful results (1) • Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Functional Competencies • Analyzing (2) • Applying Technical Expertise (2) • Planning and Organizing [ 2]

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:

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