Purpose:

The Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist reports to the Chief of Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (PMER) for supervision. The Specialist provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the planning, monitoring, evaluation process, preparing, executing, managing and implementing a variety of technical and administrative tasks to contribute to evaluation planning, implementation, oversight and reporting to ensure that evaluations are carried out according to schedule and that results and recommendations are implemented and followed up.

The Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist liaises with senior Government officials in the area of strategic planning and regular reviews of UNICEF’s Country Programme. The Specialist provides technical advice and quality assurance in the area of data analysis and programme monitoring, supports the implementation of evaluations as well as capacity building of the Country Office, including Field Offices, in planning, monitoring and evaluation.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Setting Standards for Programme performance planning and monitoring:

• Provide technical support as necessary to the process of developing and monitoring Annual Work Plans, including reporting on progress of the equity and gender marker as outlined in the Programme Policy and Procedures Guidance.
• Provide technical support as necessary in organizing and managing annual/mid-year/mid-term/end term country programme reviews ensuring consistency with objectives and goals set out in the CPD and contribute to the Annual Management Plan.
• Monitor follow-up actions based on management decisions resulting from Country Office performance monitoring and evaluation.
• Support the programme components to effectively monitor and report on the intersectoral programme results, cross sectoral programme component results and field office results to facilitate programme coherence and convergence where appropriate.
• Contribute to development of programme monitoring framework for the learning zones including technical backstopping to the field team for convergent programming.
• Provide technical support to programme sections to effectively monitor and report on the intersectoral programme results.

Support to the preparation of the integrated monitoring and evaluation plan (IMEP):

• Participate in evaluation planning and discussions and support the development and completion of IMEP through research, collection, analysis and reporting of evaluation related information/data to facilitate integrated evaluation planning and priority and goal setting.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout the evaluation process by executing/ administering a variety of technical, operational and administrative transactions, preparing related materials/documentations and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support evaluation results-based planning (RBM) and monitoring and assessing results.
• Prepare required documentations/materials/data to facilitate evaluation planning, implementation, and reporting.

Support implementation of evaluations:

• Draft and/or develop terms of reference for external consultants and initiate the recruitment process to ensure the timely selection and recruitment of evaluators. Manage the various processes of assessing and/or selecting consultant and evaluation teams to facilitate the recruitment/selection process
• Organize materials, briefings and all required administrative arrangements to ensure external consultants are provided appropriate and comprehensive information to start and continue effectively and efficiently the conduct of evaluations.
• Keep abreast of evaluation progress to proactively meet the evaluators’ need for information or other related issues to ensure delivery of results as scheduled and allocated.
• Support the evaluation budget preparation. Monitor and verify the use of resources for compliance with approved allocation/goals, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on critical issues/findings to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Collect and maintain roster of qualified evaluators and firms, ensure continued update, verification and quality assessment of their suitability for evaluation projects. Develop and maintain an effective system for dissemination of the roster for easy access.
• Prepare timely analytical documents highlighting critical areas for management progress monitoring, oversight, and action.

Dissemination and follow up of evaluations:

• Consult stakeholders to seek clarification and/or validate findings from draft and final evaluation reports and report on feedback to facilitate timely action.
• Upload/disseminate completed evaluation reports into Global Evaluation Data base to allow global sharing and final quality review.
• Upload each approved management response in the tracking systems and monitor quarterly update and produce analytical reports for management action and decision on implementation of evaluation agreed actions/recommendations.
• Actively follow up with stakeholders on the implementation of evaluation results. Provide appropriate technical support to facilitate implementation and/or report to relevant stakeholders to ensure time action to ensure the implementation of evaluation results.

Networking and partnership building:

• Provide technical and operational support to a wide range of stakeholders and evaluators on UNICEF and UNEG policies, practices, standards, and norms.
• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate evaluation and build their capacity for evaluation planning and implementation.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) meetings/events on evaluations to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building:

• Identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned from evaluations for integration into broader knowledge development planning and management efforts.
• Research and report on best and cutting-edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems for evaluations.
• Participate as resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of stakeholders.

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree in social sciences, statistics, planning, development or a related field is required.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in planning, monitoring, evaluation, social development analysis and programming in a developing country is required.
• Relevant experience in programme/project planning, monitoring and evaluation in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic) or a local language is an asset.