Monitoring Officer at United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Kenya Country Office
Vacancy Announcement: KCO/PLN/2015-028
Duty Station: Nairobi
Monitoring Officer, NO-B
Fixed Term
Applications are hereby invited from suitably qualified candidates to fill the above Fixed Term position in the UNICEF Kenya Country Office.
Purpose of the Post: Under the guidance of the Chief Planning, the Monitoring Officer is accountable for the accomplishment of the stated key end-results by providing professional expertise and assistance in information/data collection, statistics and data analysis, programme monitoring, preparation of monitoring and reporting tools and templates as well as specific reports, communication and partnerships, and in implementing capacity building programmes for national and sub-national data collection, monitoring, evaluation and research with a focus on child rights.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Technical inputs to the development and/or review of the Country Programme (CP),
ensuring the logic of the CP results, RWPs and design of PRIME: Provide technical support to the development and/or review of the Country Programme (CP), ensuring the logic of the CP results, RWPs and design of PRIME to ensure that the Country Programme is based on accurate data and 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
- Review CP results matrix, Outcomes and Outputs and the Rolling Work Plans (RWPs) to ensure both horizontal and vertical logic and links. Support development and regular updates of the programme indicators database.
- Develop programme monitoring tools and ensure quality data and information are available to support the quarterly and end-year reviews and CP Mid Term Review.
- Provide technical contributions to the planning and establishing major research, monitoring and evaluation activities in multi-year and annual PRIME, which is to be reflected in CPD and UNDAF M&E Plans.
- Participate in management studies and support/participate in thematic/strategic monitoring to improve development & organizational effectiveness.
- In a close coordination with partners, ensure that the PRIME include data collection activities that provide accurate and relevant data on key activities and results, including results for children.
- Contribute to the incorporation of M&E tasks in the PRIME identified within the CO Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, in order to anticipate and prepare for the information needs and operational modalities of an emergency, in consultation with humanitarian partners.
- During 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 PRIME.
- Provide technical support in ‘performance accountability’ of the CP by ensuring the implementation of the Monitoring components of the PRIME. Ensure compliance of KCO monitoring tools and evaluations with the global UNICEF standards.
2. Situation Monitoring and Assessment: Provide technical support to 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) indicators (through MICS or other surveys) to improve integrated national planning.
- Support management of available baseline information on national statistics and key indicators through established databases (e.g., DevInfo) for easy access and use. Prepare country level statistical reports on the status of children’s and women’s human rights issues, and provide technical support to global reporting obligations including national reports on progress toward the MDGs, CRC and CEDAW fulfilment.
- Monitor the situation of children’s and women’s rights with national partners and keep updated information on the quality research that address issues and challenges affecting children and their families.
- Coordinate with programme teams in the Country Office and partners and provide support in their using up-to-date information on situation of children and women, Early Warning Monitoring Systems, Annual Reviews, Mid-Term Reviews, and Annual Reports or other progress reports.
- In humanitarian response situations, provide technical support for a rapid assessment (inter-agency or independently if necessary) to be carried out within the first 48-72 hours. Provide rapid and accurate information on emergency programme’s coverage, coordination and coherence in close collaboration with partners and in line with the core commitment on children (CCCs).
- Provide technical support to ensure that KCO has information necessary for UNICEF to effectively report on and advocate for children’s rights through the appropriate channels and to enhance partnerships with key players in monitoring collectively progress on child focused international commitments, including MDGs.
- Support the CO in collecting and interpreting existing early warning data effectively to guide the adjustment of programmes and operational approaches when and as country contexts deteriorate.
3. Programme Performance Monitoring: Provide technical support to ensure that the Country Office has quality information to assess progress towards expected results established in annual work plans.
Duties & Tasks
- Provide technical support in the CP and RWP monitoring. Provide guidance to programme teams and thematic working groups on programme monitoring and reporting, and disseminate information and relevant statistics to support the performance monitoring of the CP and ensure efficient delivery of results.
- Provide technical support to identifying and adjusting programme performance indicators, in the context of the multi-year and annual PRIME, the Annual Management Plan and Annual Work Plans, as outlined in the Programme Policy and Procedures Manual.
- Carry out data collection and analysis from field visits, standardising them across programmes, to feed into to programme performance monitoring.
- Keep track of and follow-up actions based on management decisions resulting from Country Office performance monitoring and evaluation.
- Develop tools and systems for, and compile monitoring and evaluation information/data, and make them available to programme/planning sections. Ensure that key annual programme indicators are tracked and analysed, including those related to partnerships initiative, and provided regularly to the Country Management Team to guide programme and management decisions.
- Contribute to the preparation of management reports and relevant sections of the annual reports, drawing on monitoring and analysis of key management indicators. Assist in the preparation of reports on systemic issues, good practices or any other analysis or data related to programme implementation and/or evaluation, including programme’s performance, relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability.
- Undertake field monitoring missions to UNICEF-supported project sites and partners, covering the full range of UNICEF’s assistance, cash, supply and technical as well as undertaking an objective review of the programme performance vis-à-vis the planned results. Monitoring mission should pay special attention to non-perishable supply assistance such as vehicles, generators, electric water pumps.
- Review and support programme teams in following up key recommendations from Programme Field Monitoring Reports and facilitate the process to address them. Develop tools for follow up of Field Monitoring recommendations.
4. M&E Capacity Building: Provide technical support to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – government and civil society enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead monitoring and evaluation processes.
Duties & Tasks
- Contribute to the design of an M&E capacity building strategy for the Country Office and national partners in the context of the PRIME and the UNDAF M&E plan. Provide technical support for implementation of capacity building plan together with other developmental partners with special focus on children’s rights.
- Contribute to the formulation and implementation of staff capacity development strategy and plans, ensuring that Country Office staffs have the basic knowledge and skills to fulfil their monitoring and evaluation responsibilities.
- Promote and provide support to ensure that Country Office staff and national partners are aware of and have access to UNICEF monitoring and evaluation learning resources.
5. Development and dissemination of UNICEF-focused country profile:
- Support the development and dissemination of UNICEF-focused country profile data sheets for use by all programmes teams and partners.
- Develop, print and distribute a Pocket County Data Sheet to support decentralised management systems and year round updates.
- Undertake staff orientation and capacity building on results-based management, monitoring and reporting and contribute to the CP annual and other periodic reports.
Duties & Tasks
- Develop and regularly update Country Programme database covering all CP indicators and other data critical to good programme implementation
- Manage the NGO Data-base and KCO Intranet by ensuring that data is inputted and updated on monthly basis.
- Facilitate or contribute to integrated planning of research, monitoring and evaluation activities within the Country Office, with national partners, UN M&E team, in the context of internal office management plans, the country programme process and the UNDAF.
- Facilitate or contribute to joint monitoring and evaluation activities with national partners, the UN Country Team and the wider international community, wherever possible in the context of the above processes.
- Provide technical support to Country Office staff and national partners on data collection, data management and data analysis for basic monitoring and evaluation.
- Provide synthesis of M&E results to the Country Management Team and key programme and operations staff.
- Support communication to partners and implementation of recommendations monitoring missions and evaluation reports and follow-up action for future programming.
- Facilitate learning from the results of monitoring and evaluation within the Country Office, as well as among national partners and other key stakeholders, engaging more expertise from knowledge institutions.
Required Qualifications: University degree in social sciences, development planning, planning, evaluation, survey implementation, advanced statistical research.
Experience:
- Professional work experience in programme development and implementation including monitoring and evaluation activities as follows:
- Two years of relevant professional work experience. Developing country work experience (for IP) or field work experience (for NO).
- Exposure to emergency programming, including preparedness planning. Active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme will be an advantage.
Language:
- Fluency in English and another UN language. Additional language(s) an asset.
Core Values
- Commitment
- Diversity and inclusion
- Integrity
Core Competencies
- Communication [ I ]
- Working with People[ II ]
- Drive for Result [ I ]
Functional Competencies:
- Formulating Strategies and Concepts [ I ]
- Analyzing [ II ]
- Applying Technical Expertise [ II ]
- Planning and Organizing [ II ]
Interested and suitable candidates should ensure they forward their applications along with their curriculum vitae and signed P-11 form (CLICK HERE to download). Internal candidates should attach copies of their last two Performance Evaluation Reports to:
The Human Resources Manager
UNICEF Kenya Country Office
Email address: kenhrvacanciesC@unicef.org
Please indicate: Reference No. “KCO/PLN/2015 – 028” in the email subject.
Closing Date: 25 June 2015
“Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply”
Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse
UNICEF is a smoke-free environment
