An International Position in DRC at UNDP to work as a Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist

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Background

Central Africa is home to the second largest tropical rainforest in the world. Forest loss is accelerating despite ongoing efforts, as government action alone has not been sufficient to establish an effective balance between the interests of the forest and of economic development.

On this basis, a coalition of willing donors – Norway, European Union, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, and South Korea – together with Central African partner countries – Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Gabon – have entered in 2015 into a collaborative partnership to establish in partnership with the United Nations, the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI). The objective of this initiative is to recognize and preserve the value of the forests in the region to mitigate climate change, reduce poverty, and contribute to sustainable development. This objective will be attained through the implementation of country-led, national scale REDD+ and Low Emissions Development (LED) investment frameworks that include policy reforms and measures to address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and promote sustainable development.

The CAFI Trust Fund is the principal means to implement the Central African Forest Initiative. It is administered by the MPTF-Office (http://mptf.undp.org/factsheet/fund/AFI00). As per the updated Fund Terms of Reference and the direct cost Secretariat project document, the UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTFO) is hosting the CAFI Secretariat providing the secretariat administrative services under the oversight of the CAFI Executive Board and other participating UN organizations (UNDP, UNCDF, FAO, UN-Habitat, UNFPA, and UNEP).

On November 2, 2021, a 2nd Letter of Intent was signed between CAFI and the Government of DRC. CAFI. The programming of a new portfolio for the second phase of the partnership started. Meanwhile nearly 200 million US$ of investments are already implemented under the first Letter of Intent since 2016. In this context, CAFI is supporting the DRC government by providing advice to the planning and monitoring of CAFI investments and international technical assistance to strengthen national capacities.

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

The Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist in DRC will be supervised by the Technical Specialist (Programming) both based in Kinshasa, DRC. The Monitoring and Evaluation specialist shall have an essential role in CAFI`s DRC programme strategy. He/she will assist the Trust Fund and its partners to find and implement integrated solutions in M&E, in solid synergy with the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in Geneva, administering effective monitoring and evaluation, results-based management, tools and systems, and quality assurance frameworks in CAFI`s portfolio in DRC, ensuring that the Trust Fund remains accountable, transparent and learns from its programme implementation.

Design and implement monitoring and evaluation systems, and tools for the CAFI DRC portfolio, 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 programmes, projects, and initiatives to inform programme implementation, ensure programme effectiveness and compliance with corporate programming and reporting requirements, and support management decision making.
Provide technical, innovative and policy advice on M&E and RBM requirements and activities to programme and project managers, staff concerned with monitoring and evaluation, and consultants and/or members of the evaluation team. Collaborate with Programme and project teams on developing integrated robust M&E approaches.
Participate as needed in planning processes to defining targets and indicators to ensure consistency with approved project documents.
Support the elaboration and implementation of business processes and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for programme and project oversight that includes providing input to establishment of quality assurance processes, guidance notes, protocols, tools, checklists, and sharing best practices.
Ensure that DRC projects effectively monitor gender equality, disability inclusion, Leave No One Behind (LNOB) and other programme principles and that these considerations are fully mainstreamed into their monitoring and reporting to CAFI.

Lead coordination of and support to monitoring, reporting, evaluation and results-based management of CAFI DRC programmes and projects:

Coordinate with the FONAREDD Secretariat and the CAFI Secretariat to create and update project factsheets, at least twice a year and prior to meetings of the governance structures (steering and project management committees, FONAREDD technical/programming committee), overseeing their quality, and adapting their content to different types of audiences.
Ensure timely identification of weak project performance and bottlenecks and advise the FONAREDD, management and programme/project teams on strategies/corrective measures to address them.
Lead the reporting chapter on DRC of the CAFI consolidated report. Ensure it is timely prepared in line with established requirements. Prepare chapter based on an analysis of results of projects, and other periodic information and reports for the government partners, CAFI Executive Board and other key stakeholders.
Advise on data use and interpretation to assess country programme results, improve project quality, identify trends, and inform future decision-making processes.
Monitor project targets and indicators over time to analyze their evolution, explain these, if necessary, with the help of the FONAREDD Secretariat and implementing organizations, in brief notes and establish a benchmark for comparable projects, in particular territorial projects.
Ensure timely implementation of planned evaluations in line with CAFI standards. Provide inputs into the review and approval of evaluation plans and Terms of Reference for project and programme mid-term reviews, evaluations, and assessments.
Ensure the optimal use of evaluation findings and recommendations. Provide inputs into priority recommendations, review project management responses, follow up on implementation of evaluation recommendations. management responses: consolidate evaluation findings to assess effectiveness and impact of programmes/projects
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.
Analyze, with the support of the reporting specialist of the CAFI Secretariat, the compliance and quality of the annual and half-yearly reports of projects in the DRC, and provide feedback to the agencies in support of the FONAREDD Secretariat.
Support and review the annual gender analysis of projects in the DRC and extract recommendations.

Support the establishment, implementation and data collection of a geo-spatial information system, especially for PES projects:

Support the operation of a structured geographic information system integrating data acquisition, administration, processing, analysis and dissemination.
Support monitoring of data collection by projects.
Analyze and exploit data combining layers of maps, photo and satellite images, text and statistics.
Develop interactive monitoring and decision support maps.
Provide pedagogical assistance to the FONAREDD Secretariat and CAFI project implementation organizations as needed.

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 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 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 Strategies.

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

Competencies

Core Competencies – UNDP Core Competencies can be found here.

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.
Business Management – Evaluation: Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.
Business Development -Knowledge Generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
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.
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 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) in setting up and operationalizing M&E systems for large programmes of funds, qualitative monitoring techniques, quantitative data collection techniques, data analysis, including the use of geographic information systems (GIS), preferably in application to rural development.
Proven experience and proficient skills in mapping software and GIS tools (QGIS, ArcGis), mobile data collection (e.g. Kobo toolbox, ODK) is required.
Demonstrated experience of sectoral, if possible national, land use issues: spatial planning dynamics, land access and use, forest management, agricultural practices, etc.is desirable.
Demonstrated experience and knowledge of the management and programming modalities of United Nations organizations, the World Bank, bilateral cooperation and/ or large international non-governmental organizations is highly desirable.
Proven experience in designing monitoring and evaluation systems for integrated portfolios is required.
Proven ability to work with quantitative and qualitative data, and appropriately use qualitative data /information collection tools in innovative ways 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.

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