Monitoring & Evaluation Specialists at UNICEF Nigeria

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - In September 2014 UNICEF began implementing a joint programme with UN Women on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) funded by the European Union (EU). The programme will support the Nigerian Government (Federal level), three Northern Nigerian States namely Adamawa, Gombe and Plateau and selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) to strengthen women’s leadership, advance gender equality and improve protection for women and children in conflict settings.

UNICEF is responsible for implementation of Component 2 of the programme, namely ‘to increase access to reporting mechanisms and protective services for girls and women affected by human rights abuses, including gender based violence, in 3 states of northern Nigeria”. This will entail enhancing avenues for reporting of child rights violation and Gender Based Violence in Plateau and Gombe States, strengthening access to and quality of services for children and women who have experienced violence (including gender based violence (GBV), abuse, neglect and exploitation and strengthening the information management system for collecting data on violations.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist (#96939)

Job Number: 494060
Location: Ondo
Work Type : Fixed Term Staff
Level: National Professional (NO-C)
Contract Type: Fixed Term
Duration: Two years

Purpose of the Position

• To ensure that the UNICEF Country Office has useful, valid and reliable information on the situation of children's and women's rights; the performance of UNICEF-supported programmes including their relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability, and in emergency contexts, their coverage, coordination and coherence.
• To work within the UN country team to support UNCT goals for delivering valid and reliable information on the attainment of the MDGs and other goals, and on the performance of UN-supported programmes.
• To assist in the establishment of a monitoring an evaluation tools which enhance partnership between the UNCT, government and other key players to collectively track progress on MDGs and other international commitment for children.
• To assist in the development of national capacities for monitoring, evaluation and research, with special attention to the interest, concern and participation of government, community, and civil society stakeholders.

Key Expected Results

• Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Planning: The Country Office and national partners have a well-prioritised and realistic plan of research, monitoring and evaluation activities, developed collaboratively that provides all the relevant and strategic information needed to manage the Country Programme.
• Situation Monitoring and Assessment: A collectively Situation Monitoring and Assessment system owned by all key partners is in place, trough which the Country Office and national partners have timely and accurate measurements of change in conditions of children, women, and their families in the country or region; this information is available to facilitate planning and measure program impact.
• Programme Performance Monitoring: The planning function of the Country Office has quality information collected and disseminated with the participation of all concerned partners to assess progress towards expected annual and multi-year results.
• Evaluation: UNICEF-supported evaluations attain established UN quality standards, and the results are disseminated in a timely fashion to stakeholders for improving programme performance and contributing to national and corporate learning.
• M&E Capacity Building: The monitoring and evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners - government and civil society - enhanced with the contribution of UNICEF knowledge partners meet the expectations and requirements of their positions and responsibilities.
• Coordination and Networking: The UNICEF office is linked to wider UNICEF M&E developments in way that both contributes to and benefits from organizational learning on effective M&E management.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Plan (IMEP)

• Ensure that the Country Office and national partners use a well-prioritised and realistic plan of research, monitoring and evaluation activities that will provide the most relevant and strategic information to manage the Country Programme, including tracking and assessing UNICEF's distinct contribution.

Duties & Tasks:

• Make professional contributions to and provide technical assistance for the planning and establishing the major research, monitoring and evaluation objectives, priorities, and activities in UNICEF's multi-year and annual IMEPs, in consultation with child-rights and implementing partners.
• Likewise, support the development of UNDAF M&E Plans from a sound results-based programming process.
• Identify the M&E objectives, priorities, and activities required for effective CO and partner Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans,
• 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.

Situation Monitoring and Assessment
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.

Duties & Tasks:

• In coordination with other stakeholders, support the collection of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and other key social development indicators (through MICS or other surveys) to improve national planning.
• Support partners in the establishment and management of national statistical databases (e.g., DevInfo), ensuring that key indicators are readily accessible by key stakeholders. Potential uses include the Situation Analysis, Common Country Assessment, Early Warning Monitoring Systems, and Mid-Term Reviews.
• Develop a collectively Situation Monitoring and Assessment system owned by all key partners which supports the preparation of country level statistical and analytic reports on the status of children's and women's rights issues; and which allow, when opportunities emerge to influence developmental and social policies. To include technical support to global reporting obligations including national reports on progress toward the MDGs, and toward CRC and CEDAW fulfilment.
• In humanitarian response situations, provide professional support for one or more rapid assessments (inter-agency or independently if necessary) to be carried out within the first 48-72 hours, working in close collaboration with the humanitarian clusters partners.

Programme Performance Monitoring
Ensure that the Country Office has quality information to assess progress towards expected results established in annual work plans.

Duties & Tasks:

• Provide technical support to ensure that a set of programme performance indicators is 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, as outlined in the Programme Policy and Procedures Manual).
• Coordinate with partners to ensure that monitoring systems are properly designed, and that data collection and analysis from field visits are coordinated and standardised across programmes to feed into to 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.

Evaluation
Ensure that UNICEF-supported evaluations are designed and implemented to established UN quality standards, and the results are disseminated in a timely fashion to stakeholders in order to improve programme performance and contribute to wider learning.

Duties & Tasks:

• Technically support programme partners to formulate Terms of Reference and evaluation designs of high quality, when relevant drawing on the know-how of knowledge institutions, in compliance with the organization's programme evaluation policies and guidelines..
• Monitor and ensure the quality of the field work and data management during the implementation phase, and the quality of the analysis and ease of understanding during the report writing phase.
• Disseminate evaluation findings and recommendations to the intended audiences in user-friendly methods. In particular, to ensure that effective participatory feedback is provided to community and civil society stakeholders.
• Monitor and 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.

M&E Capacity Building
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.

Duties & Tasks

• Promote the awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of M& E function among all staff members through communication, training, learning and development activities organization-wide.
• In close collaboration with partners, ensure that an M&E capacity building strategy for UNICEF/UN staff national partners and institutions exists in the context of the IMEP, or UNDAF M&E plan.
• Pay particular attention so the capacity needs of national partners such as professional evaluation associations 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 in understanding and applying 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.

Coordination and Networking
Ensure that the UNICEF office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF M&E developments in a way that both contributes to and benefits from organizational learning on effective M&E management.

Duties & Tasks

• Collaborate with Regional M&E Advisers and HQ Evaluation Office for overall coordination of priority research, monitoring and evaluation activities, especially those of regional scope requiring the coordinated effort of multiple countries.
• Partner with the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Adviser to ensure that current and accurate M&E data and results are included in regional reports, multi-country studies, and knowledge sharing networks.
• 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.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

• Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Statistics, Planning Development, Planning.
• Professional work experience in programme development and implementation including monitoring and evaluation activities as follows:
• Five years 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.
• Fluency of the local language of the duty station as well as proficiency in English.

Competencies of Successful Candidate
Core Values:

• Commitment
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies:

• Communication
• Working with People.
• Drive for Result.

Functional Competencies:

• Leading and Supervising.
• Formulating Strategies and Concepts.
• Analyzing.
• Applying Technical Expertise.
• Planning and Organizing.

Technical Knowledge
Specific Technical Knowledge Required:

• 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.

Common Technical Knowledge Required:

• 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.
• Gender equality and diversity awareness

Technical Knowledge to be Acquired/Enhanced:

• Professional/technical knowledge/expertise in Team Management, Coaching & Training.
• Mastery of UNICEF's M&E policies and procedures.
• Latest programme monitoring and evaluation theory, methodology, technology and tools.
• Understanding of UN Mission and system, current key UN topics; and International Code of Conduct.
• Understanding of UNICEF Mission Statement and UNICEF Guiding Principles.
• UNICEF strategic framework for partnerships and collaborative relationships.

Application Closing Date
26th February, 2016.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidate should:
Click here to apply online