Monitoring Specialist (surveys and MICS), P3 WCARO, Dakar-Senegal

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Sunday 8 Aug 2021 at 23:55 UTC

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Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 107,719 USD and 141,049 USD.

Salary for a P-3 contract in Dakar

The international rate of 74,649 USD, with an additional 44.3% (post adjustment) at this the location, applies. Please note that depending on the location, a higher post adjustment might still result in a lower purchasing power.

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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, results

Strategic office context:

The Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) is an important monitoring tool for UNICEF, national counterparts and other development partners. This dates back to the mid-nineties when the MICS survey was thought as the comprehensive survey tool to collect children-centered MDG indicators. Since then, there have been six rounds of MICS and the current round of MICS survey, the MICS6 survey, collects more than 250 SDG directly and indirectly related indicators. This round also includes a number of innovations (new indicators related to learning outcomes, e-coli water contamination test, questions about discrimination and stigmatization, etc.).

Working with national and international development partners, UNICEF has a long tradition of conducting MICS surveys in the West and Central African region. In a region where data availability to monitor the situation of children rights is low, MICS helps avail data on children that are essential for national strategies and policies as well as for -UN (UNSDCF) and -UNICEF (CPD) planning processes. It is therefore a very powerful tool to help rigorously monitor Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), as well as their customization and at country and regional levels.

With the new WCAR ROMP 2022-2025, a stronger emphasis is also given to the roll out of MICS-related innovations (MICS plus, post crisi modules, etc.),to strengthened technical support to a wider range of surveys (baseline surveys, SMART, etc.) and to ensure systematic analysis of MICS (and other datasets) in support to CO and RO advocacy, policy, program work.

The incumbent reports to Senior Monitoring (Data and Research) Specialist. She/he is part of the Monitoring Unit that is composed of a data pillar, a program monitoring pillar, a child rights monitoring pillar and a Information Management pillar.

The post is based in Dakar, Senegal within the West and Central Africa Regional Office, and the incumbent will be expected to undertake regular travels within and outside the region, including to hardship and emergency locations.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose for the job:

Under the guidance of the Senior Monitoring Specialist (Data and Research) the incumbent will:

  • provide technical support in the implementation of the data strategy in the region
  • provide technical support in the quality design and timely implementation of surveys that are part of the Regional Office EISI (Evidence Information System Integration)
  • coordinate and support Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys (MICS) work and related activities in the region in a close collaboration with MICS team in HQ, and national teams
  • assist in the development of national capacities for data and monitoring with a special attention to surveys (MICS, etc.),in collaboration with relevant partners ( sub-regional bodies, national institutions, national partners, UNICEF staff members, etc. ).
Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

1. Coordination and technical support for the MICS surveys and other selected surveys

Ensure that the UNICEF regional office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF and country specific data work in all types of contexts ( crisis, post-crisis, development) in a way that both contribute to and benefit from organizational learning on data, in particular, MICS management and data use .

•Coordinate technical support for MICS in all concerned countries of the region at at the regional level, working closely with relevant partners and MICS teams at HQ- and at CO-level, and mobilize required human resources to ensure country support to quality implementation of MICS.

•Coordinate the flow of information from COs to the RO, from RO to HQ regarding MICS activities in WCAR, including but not limited to closely monitoring MICS related activities at CO level and preparing periodic reports on progress of MICS related in the region.

•Provide technical support and technical expertise virtually and through country visits, as needed in MICS implementation processes, protocol development, sampling, data processing, analysis of data and reporting.

2. Situation Monitoring and Assessment

Ensure that UNICEF Country Offices and national partners have timely and accurate information about changes in the situation of children, to facilitate planning and to draw conclusions about the impact of programmes or policies. This will influence the design of MICS and other surveys.

•In coordination with other stakeholders, support the collection of Sustainable Development Goal (MDG) indicators and other key social development indicators (through MICS or other surveys) to improve national and sub-national planning.

•In humanitarian response situations, provide technical support for quality data production (in particular, through surveys, etc.) and data quality assurance, working in close collaboration with the emergency sections at Ro and CO-level and the humanitarian clusters partners.

3. Programme Performance Monitoring

Contribute to ensure that the Country Office has quality information to assess progress towards expected results established in annual work plans.

•Provide technical support to ensure that the set of programme performance indicators - identified and adjusted as necessary, with inputs of all concerned partners in the context of the multi-year and annual IMEPs, the Annual Management Plan and Annual Work Plans,- have a defined and rigorous quality source with the required frequency.

•work with partners to ensure that monitoring systems are properly designed, and that data collection and analysis from the field are coordinated and standardized across programmes to feed into programme performance monitoring, with special attention to humanitarian response.

•Drawing on monitoring and analysis of key program performance and management indicators, provide professional input to management reports, including relevant sections of the annual reports.

4. Monitoring Capacity Building

Ensure that the data capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – government and civil society – are strengthened enabling them to increasingly engage in data work, in particular for the MICS surveys.

•Promote the awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of function among all staff members through communication, training, learning and development activities, organization wide.

•In close collaboration with partners, ensure that an capacity building strategy for data work, for UNICEF/UN staff national partners and institutions exists in the context of the IMEP, or UNSDCF monitoring plan. Particular attention to the capacity needs of national partners such as national institutes and other non-traditional data producers, will be strengthened by involvement in evaluation processes and possibly through specific capacity building initiatives.

• Collaborate to implement capacity building strategies as a joint commitment with other developmental partners. Utilize a range of appropriate skills building strategies including self-learning, seminars and workshops and practical experience in order that UNICEF and UN staff have the basic knowledge and skills to understand and apply new M&E policies, tools, methods to fulfil their responsibilities. Similarly, design and implement strategies suited to the skills needs of national partners.

•Actively seek partnerships with knowledge institutions for the identification of capacity gaps and development of strategies to address them.

5. Coordination and Networking

Ensure that the UNICEF office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF monitoring developments in a way that both contribute to and benefit from organizational learning on effective data work and data management.

•Collaborate with Regional M&E Advisers and HQ DAPM and EMOPS Evaluation Office for overall coordination of priority data work, uptake innovation for data generation and analysis, partnership building, etc. , especially those of regional scope requiring the coordinated effort of multiple countries.

•Undertake lessons-learned reviews on successful and unsuccessful M&E practices and experience at the national level, and ensure they are shared as appropriate. Similarly, pay attention to M&E knowledge networks to identify innovations and lessons learned that may be relevant for the CO and partners to improve their M&E function.

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

  • Advanced university degree in social sciences, statistics, planning development, planning or M&E.
  • Five years of professional work experience in programme development and implementation including monitoring and evaluation and surveys activities including developing country work experience
  • At least one instance of exposure to emergency programming, including preparedness planning. Active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response proqramme preferred.
  • Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
  • Fluency in English and French. Knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is an asset.

The technical knowledge required for this post is:

Knowledge of Project Evaluation

Professional technical knowledge / expertise in Evaluation Process Management, Follow-up on Recommendations and Dissemination of M&E results.

Emerging international good practice in monitoring and evaluation partnerships.

Professional technical knowledge/expertise in demography, statistics, and data management.

Professional technical knowledge/expertise in methodology of M&E, including 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.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are:

Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)

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)

Drives to achieve impactful results (2)

Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

The functional competencies required for this post are:

Analyzing (2)

Applying Technical Expertise (2)

Planning and Organizing (3)

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org