Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will be assigned in Astana, Kazakhstan and will provide support to the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Reporting Lines

Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will work under the overall supervision of Head of the Country office and will receive day-to-day guidance of Programme Officer/Team Leader

Technical Focus

Provide monitoring and evaluation assistance to the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Develop, implement and review programme and projects monitoring and evaluation system, which include developing M&E work plans, designing monitoring and reporting tools, templates and guidelines. • Contribute to the design of studies (quantitative and qualitative) to assess the achievement of the projects’ outcomes and impacts and ensure their implementation; • Manage the M&E functions of the project and provide updates and milestones of progress on a quarterly, bi-annually and annually basis, compared to the project log frame and baseline assessment. • Collect, compile, analyze and report on routine data collected and studies implemented in accordance with the projects’ logical frameworks and as a contribution to the overall logical framework of M&E plans; • Provide technical assistance to program on evaluation designs as well as aligning implemented program data with country logical framework indicator achievements; • Analyse monitoring data and produce reports that show progress in achievement of outputs and outcomes, bottlenecks for not achieving results and recommendations for improvement, using FAO reporting templates. • Liaise with the Project managers and Communications officers to document good practices, success stories and lessons learned for organizational learning and improvement. • Take lead in the maintenance of project M&E system, including tools, databases as well as the continuous provision of information from monitoring data. • Contribute to the design and implementation of Mid Term and Terminal evaluation studies. • Contribute to facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing through organizing learning sessions for project stakeholders. • Work closely with the project team, to undertake monitoring of project activities and assist in the preparation of monthly, quarterly and annual implementation reports as per donor and FAO requirements. • support the GEF Portfolio NPCs to build links between FAO and national Project partners, to facilitate the flow of information to stakeholders through regular meetings in consultation with the NPC, • support the GEF Portfolio NPCs to reflect stakeholder-approved changes in the revision of field activities through stakeholder consultations, • support the GEF Portfolio Project NPCs in monitoring and evaluating key project outcomes and impacts, collecting project indicator data, consolidating them and entering them into relevant databases; provide consolidated M&E information, • Contribute to the preparation and monitoring of FAO Country Annual Reports and compiling the relevant data for finalization process; • Update FEKAZ Risk Records and FPP planning in accordance with FAO guidelines and monitor the status of the activities approved in these plans and records, • Carry out the monitoring of monitoring databases and systems created in FAO (PAID, COMMIT, PIRES) and UN Country team, and coordinate data entry, • Carry out and report the Assessment on the implementation of the Country Programme in order to contribute to the policy and programme work of the Country Programming Framework (CPF), • Support and coordinate the monitoring and evaluation of the projects included in the FEKAZ portfolio.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in agriculture, economics, business administration, project management agricultural economics or any other field related to the work of the Organization, • At least five years of relevant experience in agriculture, economics, business administration, project management agricultural economics; • Working knowledge of English, Russian and Kazakh • National of Kazakhstan or resident in the country with a regular residence/work permit in Kazakhstan.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation frameworks, performance indicators, data analysis, impact assessment, report writing, results-based management, gender and social inlusion

Selection Criteria

• Good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment • Extent and relevance of experience in project management, research analysis, data analysis, impact assessment, quality assurance, performance analysis • Work experience in more than one location or area of work