M&E and Project Implementation Support Specialist [Open to all applicants]

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

Since the full-scale military aggression by Russian forces in February 2022 (hereafter, the “War”), Ukraine has been facing unprecedented destruction and displacement, and continued threats to human security--- thousands of women, men, and children have lost their lives, critical life-line infrastructures have been destroyed, and millions of people have been forced to leave their homes. The degree of destruction and damages has been unprecedented, profoundly affecting every aspect of Ukrainian society and economy, while casting a long shadow over global peace and security, including stability in East Asia. Without immediate and synergized efforts for three pillars of Human Security---protection, empowerment, and solidarity---to capacitate the nation and people of Ukraine to be resilient against the cumulating negative impacts of the War, Ukraine will soon face risks of succumbing to the cumulative and escalating impacts of the ongoing war, potentially leading to irrecoverable loss.

The complex and compounded crises in Ukraine call for a holistic, multi-sectoral approach that transcends sectoral boundaries and prioritizes the needs of the most affected populations, requiring tailored and integrated forms of support. UNDP has been partnering with donor partners, particularly, the Government of Japan, to promote Human Security by implementing immediate and coordinated responses to the interconnected and multidimensional threats that the country is currently facing.

These programmes and projects encompass large and complex project implementation arrangements and it requires a well-established reporting and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) mechanism with digital and mapping technologies to regularly communicate and oversee the programme activities implemented by various teams and partners while providing support for project implementation and operation to project staff as well as its counterparts. Information and data related to the projects/programmes need to be regularly collected and disseminated to the targeted audiences, especially the Japanese Government, Japanese private sectors as well as citizens and the government and people of Ukraine, to ensure transparency, accountability, and publicity of the CO programme management. To this end, UNDP seeks for qualified personnel to ensure effective reporting and M&E, public relations, and project implementation support.

Position Purpose

Under the direct supervision of Programme Manager-Multi dimensional Crises, the M&E and Project Implementation Support Specialist will promote results-based management and a programme effectiveness approach, by leading the design and implementation of effective monitoring and evaluation frameworks, systems and tools incl. digital database and mapping, as well as strategic and innovative communications and publicities. The Specialist will also support programme quality assurance and developing relevant systems. The Specialist provides technical support on M&E and reporting practices to the CO senior management as well as programme and project teams. This includes ensuring proper and timely reporting on the respective counterparts, managing the database of project activity progress and results, reporting to donors, production of communication/publicity materials, and operational management of financial, procurement and human resources needs of the projects, in a timely and professional fashion. The Specialist promotes a collaborative, efficient, client-focused, evidence-based, and portfolio management approach.

The M&E Specialist supervises and leads a team of staff responsible for M&E and Result Based Management (RBM), and as applicable, quality assurance work; and collaborates closely with Programme, Operations and project teams in the Country Office, UNDP HQ staff, programme staff in other UN agencies, and Government officials, technical advisers and experts, NGOs, donors and other organizations on programme implementation and monitoring and evaluation issues and practices.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

Design and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks, systems, and tools, and as applicable, conduct programme quality assurance in keeping with corporate policies.

• Develop and provide advice on the formulation of integrated monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and results-based management (RBM) frameworks, systems, and plans in line with UNDP Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP) for CO programmes, projects, and initiatives to inform programme implementation, ensure programme effectiveness and compliance with corporate programming and reporting requirements, and support CO management decision making. Assist in ensuring application of UNDP social and environmental safeguards as applicable.
• Lead the design of the Programme Team and Portfolio Theory of change and ensure its tracking and updating thought the programme cycle.
• Lead the development of funded evaluation plans that accompany the development of programme documents and oversee the timely annual implementation of evaluations in the plan.
• Provide technical, innovative and policy advice on M&E and RBM requirements and activities to the programme manager and respective programme staff, engaging with monitoring and evaluation, and consultants and/or members of the evaluation team. Collaborate with programme/project teams on developing integrated development approaches.
• Assist Programme manager and the project teams in developing an implementation mechanism to deliver the programme results in timely and result-oriented manner;
• Act as an interface between the programme units and operation sections to smoothen potential bottlenecks and further improve the delivery levels of programme outputs
• Provide advice, tools, and approaches to the formulation of thematic/sectoral programme strategy documents; and provide support, as applicable, in ensuring projects are designed, implemented, and completed in line with UNDP RBM and quality standards and programme/project management policies and procedures.
• Provide inputs in CO’s annual planning processes such as coordinating inputs to the formulation of the Integrated Work Plan (IWP), CO Annual Business Plan, and defining targets and indicators to ensure consistency with approved country programme and project documents and UNDP POPPs.
• Support the elaboration and mapping of business processes and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in programme and project oversight that includes providing input to establishment of quality assurance processes, guidance notes, protocols, tools, checklists, and sharing best practices.
• Ensure gender equality, disability inclusion, and Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principles are an integral part of UNDP programmes and operations and that these considerations are fully mainstreamed into programming and reflected in project design, monitoring, reporting, and evaluations in line with the UNDP Gender Equality and Disability Inclusion Strategies, UNSDG Operational Guide for Country Teams on LNOB, and available regional guidance.

Lead coordination of and support to monitoring, reporting, evaluation and results-based management of the programmes and projects for recovery and human security.

• Oversee implementation and application of efficient and evidence-based results monitoring, and as applicable, quality assurance work for the programme/project development and delivery using integrated portfolio management approach.
• Provide technical support for day-to-day monitoring activities carried out by the respective project/programme staff and ensure that proper reporting is provided to the stakeholders based on indicators of the Result & Resource Framework (RRF) and Annual Work Plan (AWP);
• Develop a M&E Framework for the respective project/programme and collect data on the project activities and achievement indicators. Provide the data on the result indicators to the respective audience through the designated monitoring tools in an accurate and timely manner.
• Develop and manage a digital database and mapping system on the project activity progress and results
• Ensure timely identification of potential implementation problems and bottlenecks and advise the CO management and programme/project teams on strategies/corrective measures to address them.
• Ensure donor reports are timely prepared in line with established requirements. Prepare the project/programme progress reports, analysis of results of projects, and other periodic information and reports for the CO, government partners, donor community and other key stakeholders. Advise on data use and interpretation to assess country programme results, improve programme quality, identify trends, and inform future decision-making processes.
• Ensure consistent maintenance and monitoring of relevant scorecards and quality assurance tools such as the Social and Environmental Safeguards. Provide support to the management and coordination of third-party monitoring and/or any other data collection interventions in the country office.
• Ensure timely implementation of planned evaluations in line with UNDP standards as outlined in the UNDP Evaluation Guidance. Review and approve all plans and Terms of Reference (TOR) for project/programme mid-term reviews, evaluations, and assessments. Participate in consultant and evaluation team recruitment and selection. Review and provide input on evaluation inception reports, evaluation methodology, and draft evaluation reports for quality assurance and compliance purposes.
• Ensure the optimal use of evaluation findings and recommendations. Provide guidance and input in the preparation of timely management responses and key actions to all evaluations; consolidate evaluation findings to assess effectiveness and impact of UNDP CO programmes/ projects; and develop a communication/dissemination plan to incorporate into recommendations for improvement by projects and partners. Follow up on implementation of evaluation recommendations by CO and project teams.
• Support collation of monitoring and evaluation of impact results and/or data/information in a format that is relevant for evidence-based policy and or development interventions.

Promote communications, publicities, and advocacy through strong and effective public relations on integrated recovery and human security matters in Ukraine:

• Coordinate production of publicity materials on the progress and achievements on the activities of integrated recovery and human security, in collaboration with Communication Team of the respective project/programme.
• Document and develop stories that highlight UNDP’s impact and results, which can be posted on the website and other communication tools for social media;
• Promote innovative communication tools/methodologies, integrating communication initiatives into programme implementation and activities.
• Assist in preparing media materials and disseminate key information on the programme activities to the media and the general public.
• Assist media campaigns for the programme in collaboration with CO Communication Specialist
• Provide inputs to form the response to the inquires from the media and the general public.
• Coordinate and liaise with development partners, such as UN agencies, bilateral donors, and NGOs, and provide timely and pertinent information on the programme activities.

Provide substantive contributions to capacity building and facilitate knowledge building and sharing on monitoring, evaluation, and results-based management.

• Contribute to the assessment of capacity needs and elaboration of capacity development plans, tools, and methodologies. Design, organize and lead training activities; and participate in preparing knowledge packages on RBM, monitoring and evaluation, data collection/survey methods, gender mainstreaming and portfolio approach for CO staff, programme and project teams as well as national partners and key stakeholders.
• Support the identification, synthesis, documentation, and dissemination of key lessons learned and good practices derived from monitoring and evaluation activities on what works, what does not work, and/or revised theories of change to identify innovative ideas for their scaling or replication.
• Provide sound contributions to local and global networks, communities of practice, and other knowledge management mechanisms. Proactively participate in UNDP regional and international fora on relevant thematic areas (including engaging in thematic discussions, contributing with analytical papers, etc.).
• Contribute to the implementation of Evaluation Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: Programme Manager-Multi dimensional Crises. Supervises Staff in the Project M&E Unit

Competencies

• Core Competencies:

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:

Business Direction & Strategy-System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Management-Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment

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 and results

Partnership Management-Relationship management: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding

Business Management-Evaluation: Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness-Effectiveness: Programming principles & standards and development effectiveness principles.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Development/Development Studies, Economics, Statistics, Business Management, Social Policy, or related field is required; or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in M&E, programme and/or team management working with quality assurance instruments, results-based management models, and multiple stakeholders.
• Proven technical knowledge of the results-based management cycle and monitoring and evaluation is required.
• Proven experience in designing monitoring and evaluation systems and designing development projects or integrated portfolios is required.
• Proven experience in donor coordination with UN agencies, bilateral donors (particularly Japan), and NGOs
• Previous UNDP experience in project implementation, M&E, reporting is highly desirable.
• Proven ability to work with quantitative and qualitative data, and appropriately use qualitative data /information collection tools in innovative ways is required.
• Experience in developing and managing digital M&E tools and database and mapping tools is an asset
• Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), and web-based management systems, and up-to-date, advanced knowledge of data management tools and database packages is required.
• Experience in designing, implementing and/or managing assessments and/or data collection exercises/processes is desired.
• Experience conducting applied research projects and reporting on findings is desired.
• Prior experience and knowledge of the current Ukraine context would be an asset

Language:

• Proficiency in oral and written English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.
• Basic proficiency in Japanese is an asset

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

MDS disclosure:

UNDP participates in the Scheme for the disclosure of safeguarding-related misconduct in recruitment processes within the humanitarian and development sector (Misconduct Disclosure Scheme).

In line with this Scheme, UNDP will contact previous employers of job applicants to request information about any investigations or findings of misconduct concerning allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment (sexual misconduct) against the applicant, during or after their employment.

By submitting a job application, the applicant confirms having understood and consented to UNDP contacting the applicant’s prior employers to request any such information on sexual misconduct concerning the applicant during UNDP’s recruitment process.

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