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.
Under the guidance of the Chief of Planning, Monitoring, Research and Evaluation, the M&E Specialist ensures the Country Office and the national partners are strengthened and receive the necessary support for 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. The Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist will be responsible to:
Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Plan (IMEP)
Ensure that the Country Office and national and sub-national partners use a well-prioritized and realistic plan for research, monitoring and evaluation activities that will provide the most relevant and strategic information to manage the Country Programme and support the UNICEF Goal Area sections and decentralized Field Offices in their efforts for evidence and data generation. The specialist is expected to consider and put in place knowledge, data and evidence partnerships that can effectively reduce existing data gaps on child right deprivations, especially taking into account equity levels.
Situation Monitoring and Assessment
Ensure that the Country Office and national partners have timely and accurate measurement of changes in conditions in the country or regions, 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 on the country’s trajectory towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of the Strategic Plan of UNICEF. This includes leading the actualization of information platforms and periodic updates of the SITAN. In case necessary, the M&E Specialist to also asked to support evidence generation and situation monitoring during emergencies and to work with the broader UN partners on data & evidence.
Programme Performance Monitoring
Ensure that the Country Office has quality information to assess progress towards expected results established in annual work plans and that results are in line with the greater objectives defined in the CPD and through the Theory of Change. Support sections to monitor and understand the distinct UNICEF contribution to results, including during emergency response.
Evaluation
Ensure that UNICEF-supported evaluations (as described in the CEP) are designed and implemented in accordance with UN quality standards, and that the results are disseminated in a timely fashion to stakeholders in order to improve programme performance and contribute to wider learning. This includes ensuring a fluent communication and coordination with the Evaluation units both at regional and headquarter level and providing agile and efficient support to the sections that are leading the evaluations.
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.
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. Brazil Country Office is uniquely positioned both to pilot several of the new innovative M&E approaches as well as share expertise and best practices with other smaller UNICEF offices in the region and through South-South Cooperation. At the same time, a lot of the research and evaluations that are generated will be leveraged for communication and advocacy and the M&E specialist will play an important role in coordinating with these sections.
Team management
Provide oversight and guidance to the M&E colleagues that work in the decentralized field offices and in Brasilia ensuring they are providing adequate support to the sections and offices and making sure that information flows freely.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Education:
Advanced university degree (master’s) in Social Sciences, International relations, Political science, International finance, Public policies and relations, Statistics, Development studies.
Work Experience:
A minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience in programme development and implementation including monitoring and evaluation activities.
Language: Fluency in English and Portuguese is required.
