Head of Research, Assessment & Monitoring (RAM)

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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.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

JOB TITLE: Head of Research, Assessment & Monitoring (RAM)

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular International Consultancy

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Colombo, Sri Lanka

DURATION: 11 months

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following website for detailed information on working with WFP: http://www.wfp.org

Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

15 November 2022

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

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 (SDG 2) 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. WFP has been present in Sri Lanka since 1968 and provided assistance to the country in emergency response and protracted recovery interventions in the aftermath of man-made disasters such as the 27-year conflict and recurrent natural disasters (droughts and floods/landslides). Following the end of nearly three decades of armed conflict in 2009, Sri Lanka attained lower-middle-income-country status in January 2010, and then was elevated to upper-middle-income status in 2019. Exactly one year after (2020), the World Bank has reclassified again the country in the low-income category. Despite social-economic progresses, scope remains for progress in strengthening food security and nutrition given Sri Lanka’s continued alarming status on nutrition, especially wasting levels, realizing gender equality and eliminating geographic and socio-economic disparities. Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. Several years of economic decline and extended borrowing by the government has led to a depleted foreign exchange reserve, prompting the island-nation to default from its international debt and triggering shortages and rising costs of food, fuel, and fertilizer, power cuts, and eroded family incomes. More than one-third of the population is now facing acute food insecurity, according to WFP’s remote household food security surveys for August. This represents an increase against the results of the face-to-face Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission for June. WFP’s ongoing economic crisis response aims to reach a total of 3.4 million people across three main activities: (1) unconditional food assistance through cash or in-kind; (2) school meals; and (3) nutrition support. The country strategic plan for 2023–2027, which will be approved in November 2022, seeks to provide protective food assistance and other support as required in the short term and to restore and improve food security and nutrition by developing in-country capacity and reducing vulnerability through an integrated resilience and nutrition-sensitive approach that layers and sequences programming. The country strategic plan seeks to address immediate and medium to long term needs through a systems approach to capacity strengthening. Leveraging its comparative advantages in Sri Lanka, WFP will deliver four outcomes: ➢ Outcome 1: Vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka meet their food, nutrition and other essential needs during and after crises. ➢ Outcome 2: By 2027, targeted groups in Sri Lanka have improved nutrition from strengthened nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific programmes focusing on, in particular, the first 8,000 days of life. ➢ Outcome 3: By 2027, communities in Sri Lanka have strengthened resilience and reduced vulnerability to natural hazards, climate change and other risks with improved sustainability of livelihoods. ➢ Outcome 4: By 2027, national and subnational institutions and stakeholders in Sri Lanka have enhanced capacity to enable adaptive and resilient food systems to improve food security and nutrition. Despite sound health indicators in Sri Lanka - in comparison to its South Asian neighbours - maternal, new born and child malnutrition continue to pose a major challenge for the country, characterized by a high level of acute malnutrition, mild to moderate level of chronic malnutrition and widespread micronutrient deficiencies.

JOB PURPOSE

Given the diverse interventions under the CSP with a focus towards technical support and capacity strengthening for the government, 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 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 Sri Lanka is seeking to bolster its capacity on research, assessment and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) with an experienced and qualified consultant to lead the Research, Assessment & Monitoring (RAM) team, which includes VAM, M&E, Gender & Protection/Accountability to Affected Populations, and Information Management/Reporting staff and functions as a wider programme support unit. 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, and emergency responses, through 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.

WFP Sri Lanka is seeking applications to fill the function of Head of RAM for 11 months with the possibility of extension, based in Colombo. Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Deputy Country Director, the Head of RAM will be responsible for the following duties.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

AM Food Security and Nutrition Research -Provide technical advice and support 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. -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/conduct complex food security, nutrition, markets and resilience analysis and prepare reports on food assessment needs in line with wider VAM policies and guidance. -Contribute to the development of programme activities, providing technical analysis, interpretation and recommendations to facilitate food assistance

Monitoring & Evaluation -Develop and implement Monitoring, Review and Evaluation plans. -Manage decentralized evaluations to high professional standards in line with WFP Evaluation Policy and Decentralized Evaluation Quality Assurance System. -Support WFP Management in addressing recommendations from monitoring, reviews and evaluations, manage the R2 risks and recommendations tracking system. -Lead the development and manage implementation of M&E/RAM Strategy for the CO. -Produce regular monitoring reports, including running data analysis, with status of results and implementation progress. -Ensure the CO has updated M&E documents in response to changes/needs in the programme, including project log frames, M&E budgets, M&E SOPs, M&E plan matrices and reporting flow charts. -Advise and support Strategic Outcome Managers, Activity Managers on evidence-based decision-making for programme design & implementation, notably through linking monitoring, review and evaluation findings to the TOC and make them accessible. -Lead/manage the development and implementation of data collection arrangement including adequate human resources in field offices and potential outsourcing to a call centre or third-party monitoring company. -Ensure that CO monitoring systems and tools are in place and compliant with corporate standards and establishment of baselines and targets in alignment with the updated CRF. -Build M&E processes for measuring capacity strengthening of government (Govt) and establish a tracking system to follow the progress and document on capacity building for the govt. -Support SO and AM in streamlining gender related indicators.

Team Management -Provide supervision, coaching and guidance to individual team members and manage their performance -Lead the CO M&E Working Group comprised of cross-functional programme members and strengthening M&E capacity. -Develop annual workplan and budget for VAM and M&E specific activitie

External Cooperation -Represent WFP and ensure WFP input into other UNSDCF related processes, including input for the update of the Common Country Assessment. -Represent WFP at national/inter-agency meetings, including the UN M&E technical working group. -Support SO and AM in working with relevant govt ministries toward an agreed M&E strategy for each strategic outcome for joint monitoring and evaluation. -Contribute to the development and implementation of national govt and interagency monitoring, reporting and evaluation frameworks, including UNSDCF.

Capacity Development -Build capacity of WFP staff, partners and national govt. -Build M&E capacity of WFP staff and partners, including govt through design and delivery of training and information sharing. -Other duties as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in Economics, Food Security, Statistics, Data Science, Public Health/Nutrition, Geography or other related field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses. Experience: 6 or more years of relevant professional work experience in international development or humanitarian work, especially in data collection and analysis; 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 & Skills: • Thorough knowledge of data analysis skills using SPSS, STATA, R, Excel and GIS software as well as remote monitoring, survey design and data collection. • Has led surveys, assessments, including the design, data collection, analysis and reporting. • Practical knowledge on how WFP’s monitoring data is collected, compiled, analysed and presented for management decisions, programme adjustment and donor reporting. • Experience in managing remote surveys, including preparation of data collection tools, managing partnerships with call centers, 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 M&E systems including preparation of data collection tools, development and maintenance of monitoring databases. • Knowledge of facilitation techniques, preparation of training materials, delivery of training and capacity development of partners and external stakeholders. • In-depth knowledge of results-based management principles and practices. • Ability to manage teams, take initiative while maintaining a strong teamwork attitude. Languages: Fluency (level C) in English language.

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WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

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.