Monitoring, Evaluation and Results Based Monitoring Specialist

Contract

This is a IPSA-10 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Personnel Services Agreement. It is normally internationally recruited only. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education. More about IPSA-10 contracts.

Background

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
3. Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials

Background:

Addressing climate change is one of UNDP’s key global challenges and priorities. Working in over 170 countries and territories, UNDP is uniquely placed to work with all sectors of society to help mobilize the institutions and resources required to support countries act on climate change while simultaneously driving sustainable development priorities. Under the framework of the Paris Agreement, countries take action towards common global goals on mitigation, adaptation and finance, leveraging the policy tool of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). UNDP has and continues to be an integral player in supporting countries to define and implement these national climate pledges. Through its Climate Promise, launched in 2019, UNDP has supported 120 countries to revise and enhance their NDCs in an effort to raise ambition. Following submission of their NDCs to the UNFCCC, countries are looking for further support to implement their NDCs and turn these pledges into action.

Building on UNDP’s flagship NDC Support Programme and its experience supporting NDC design and implementation since November 2017, UNDP has scaled up support to countries under the second phase of the Climate Promise: from Pledge to Impact to support the development of implementation plans and the enabling environment to sustain this work. The Climate Promise portfolio helps to integrate the broad portfolio of support UNDP provides on climate change and related initiatives, to bring to bear the whole weight of the organization to help countries deliver their NDCs. UNDP, together with partners, will scale-up support for at least 100 countries to turn their pledges into concrete action and use their NDCs as national plans for investment in key engines of sustainable development – such as energy, water, nature-based solutions, forests, agriculture, transportation, and green economy – to enable them to advance on a path toward net zero emission and climate resilience.

The UNDP’s Climate Strategies and Policy Team (CSPT) as part of the Nature, Climate and Energy Team of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support is in search of a dedicated Monitoring, Evaluation and Results Based Management Specialist to contribute to the achievement of the country, regional, and global outcomes of the Climate Promise Portfolio by providing sound, timely and focused support to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of the Climate Promise Portfolio.

The Specialist will lead the development and improvement of a streamlined M&E system to ensure appropriate results reporting and adaptive management at all levels to meet the objectives of the Climate Promise, and the Climate Strategy and Policy team’s targets and requirements. This work will also be critical to feed into the broader UNDP corporate advocacy, external engagement and resource mobilization efforts to support countries to advance climate ambition and action.

Institutional Arrangement:

The Specialist will be part of the Intelligence and Innovation (I&I) pillar of the Climate Strategies and Policy Team. S/he will report to the I&I pillar Lead and work closely with the I&I team members, in addition to other colleagues across the team.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work:

Results management and Performance measurement:

• Develop monitoring and evaluation systems to consistently and systematically monitor results and impacts across the entire Climate Promise portfolio
• Ensure quantitative and qualitative data on global results is aligned with the expected objectives and outcomes of the Climate Promise, and is designed to support adaptive management
• Improve the Climate Strategy and Policy team’s (CSPT) monitoring tools and templates to support a nested and streamlined M&E system at the project, country, regional and global level to facilitate necessary results reporting at all levels
• Manage the annual monitoring process to report progress made toward delivering global technical programme/project results and tailored reporting across the portfolio
• Review and verify quality of results data and develop capacities among the team to measure results and articulate compelling results
• Systematically analyze and interpret Climate Promise results data as compared to established indicators which are tracked over time
• Provide continuous feedback from a monitoring perspective to inform management decision-making and improve strategy and performance
• Consolidate and analyze the global results achieved, and benchmark progress against agreed targets ensuring UNDP, donor and stakeholder requirements are met; identify and implement efficiencies in these processes
• Support CSPT management to develop and strengthen accountability systems to review and assess the quality of results achieved, such as the development and tracking of management effectiveness indicators
• Analyze and present real-time data on results, impacts, and performance to senior management, to inform work-planning that addresses strategic policy or operational issues identified

Reporting and Information/Data management:

• In coordination with thematic and country coordinators, gather the results data needed to support the preparation of CSPTs annual reports, quarterly updates (e.g. through the dashboard), and thematic reports.
• In coordination with the data analyst and other colleagues input validated data for inclusion in programme dashboards.
• Prepare global annual reports in accordance with internal and external (donor-driven) requirements and contribute to ad hoc reporting as required.
• Identify synergies and efficiencies in various donor and corporate M&E and reporting requirements to ensure the results reporting provides relevant, reliable and timely information to programme/project boards, UNDP, donors, strategic partners, and other stakeholders as required
• Enhance the Climate Promise global database/dashboard, and online system to meet the needs of team members and partners; explore other innovative reporting and info/data management, given new developments in data and communications technology, in close coordination with the data analyst and other colleagues

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively:

LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously:

LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility:

LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination:

LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner:

LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Thematic Area

Name

Definition

Business Direction and Strategy

Effective Decision Making

Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources

Business Direction and Strategy

Strategic Thinking

Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions

Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP

Business Management

Working with Evidence and Data

Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making

Business Management

Monitoring

Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance results

Agenda 2030: Planet

Nature, Climate and Energy

Climate Change Policies: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA

Min. Academic Education

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in social sciences, international development, statistics, planning or planning development

Min. years of relevant Work experience

• At least 5 years of relevant experience working in results analysis and reporting using a result-based management approach

Required skills and competencies

• Consolidated experience in development planning, monitoring, and evaluation design, management and methodologies
• Strong numeracy skills, and confidence handling quantitative and qualitative analysis of data
• Knowledge of best practice in a range of data collection methodologies, including surveys, administrative data sets and qualitative data
• Comprehensive experience in the use of excel and other relevant software
• Demonstrated experience establishing effective and scalable reporting systems
• Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating development of complex reports and products
• Demonstrated and proven ability to work with tight deadlines
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment including flexibility in availability for different work timezones
• Ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of teams and partners

Desired additional skills and competencies

• Working experience in using UNDP’s corporate planning systems an asset
• Demonstrated knowledge on inter-governmental processes on climate change such as NDCs, LT-LEDS, NAPs etc.
• Demonstrated professional working experience with the UN organisations, with UNDP is an advantage.

Required Language(s) (at working level)

• Excellent oral and written skills in English;
• Knowledge of French or Spanish is an advantage