M&E and Project Implementation Support Specialist

Since the full-scale military aggression by Russian forces in February 2022 (hereafter, the “war”), Ukraine has been facing unprecedented threats to human security

thousands of women, men, and children have lost their lives, all sorts of life-line infrastructures have been destroyed, and millions of people have been forced to leave their homes. There are no prospects for a ceasefire or peace in near future and the negative impacts of the war in Ukraine have been spreading to global peace and security.

To maximise positive results for transformational recovery under the recovery framework of UNDP Ukraine, UNDP Country Office (CO) in Ukraine has been implementing multi-sectoral projects and programmes, focusing on the 6 priority thematic areas for the project outputs, based on the three principles of human security, namely, 1) infrastructure restoration; 2) mine action & victim assistance; 3) debris removal and recycling; 4) Economic revitalization; 5) government Recovery Coordination and 6) access to justice and human rights.

These programmes and projects encompass large and complex project implementation arrangements and it requires a well-established reporting and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) mechanism to regularly communicate and oversee the programme activities implemented by various 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 to ensure transparency, accountability and publicity of CO programme management. To this end, UNDP seeks for qualified personnel to ensure effective reporting and M&E, public relations, and project implementation support.

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.

• 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.

• 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.
• 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.

3) 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.

4)  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

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

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.