Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

Details

Mission and objectives

Update

Context

Following a thorough and participatory national consultation among key representatives of the Government, political parties, civil society, and other key national stakeholders, the Government of Sao Tome and Principe expressed a collective commitment to reform and strengthen the justice sector. A high-level joint mission by the UN and ECCAS in April 2023 and the follow-on technical mission undertaken by UNDP and UNODC, with the participation of OROLSI identified areas of justice and security reform, and leveraged the recommendations from the strategic assessment to propose specific programmatic interventions aimed at assisting Sao Tome and Principe in implementing justice and security sectors reforms (JSSR). In January 2024, the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) convened a high-level meeting to deliberate on the needs and reform of the justice and security sectors in Sao Tome and Principe. At that occasion, representatives from civil society, notably from the women and gender sectors, presented their views to the Commission, highlighting priorities for the country from their perspectives. Subsequently, in May 2024 a project was signed by the Peacebuilding Support Office and the Government of Sao Tome and Principe, and UNDP, UNODC, and OHCHR, led by the RCO, to be funded by Peace Building Fund.
This joint project aims to support the strengthening of the justice and security sectors in Sao Tome and Principe through nationally owned and led reform efforts. It aligns with the recommendations from the joint UN-ECCAS strategic assessment conducted in April 2023, which findings and recommendations were endorsed by the Government in November 2023. Relatedly, the current project also integrates programmatic recommendations crafted during a scoping mission conducted by UNDP and UNODC, with the participation of OROLSI, in November 2023, as a follow-up to the UN-ECCAS strategic assessment.
The signed project aligns with the country’s strategic vision, as outlined in “São Tomé and Príncipe 2030: The Country We Want,” and the “Principe 2030” Sustainable Development Plan. These agendas, in conjunction with the Africa Union Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2030, and the United Nations Development Sustainable Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027, as well as UNDP’s Country Programme Document, are all dedicated to fostering transparent and accountable institutions. It also aligns with UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Africa 2030 to bring more safety to Africa’s people, government and institutions from drugs, crime, and corruption, and with UNODC’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa (ROSEN) strategic efforts for peacebuilding, security sector reform, national institution building, and capacity-building in the region. UNDP will work closely with UNODC, OHCHR, and the Resident Coordinator Office to deliver the outcomes planned in the project, as well as to reach out and mobilized more resources for scaling up the justice and security reform in the country.
The purpose of this recruitment is to engage a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist who is expected to play an essential role in UNDP Country Office, as well as in liaison with the RCO and UNODC in promoting result-based management and programme effectiveness approach in implementation of the project.

Task description

Under the overall guidance of UNDP Deputy Resident Representative and direct supervision of Assistant Resident Representative – Programme, and with a secondary reporting line to the PBF Project Coordinator, the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will put a thorough mechanism in place to administer effective monitoring and evaluation, results-based management, and quality assurance frameworks to ensure that implementation of the project is done in an accountable, transparent manner and the lessons learnt from the project are incorporated in the next projects and scaled up interventions.
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.
1) Ensure the implementation of frameworks and strategies for monitoring and evaluating the PBF project in order to achieve the following results:
– Develop and implement tailored monitoring and evaluation and result-based management framework, systems, and tools for the PBF project, in accordance with the outputs, outcomes, and requirements of the project and in close consultation with the project partners.
– Conduct quality assurance exercises to ensure compliance with the expected outcomes and timeframe of the project, in accordance with UNDP M&E practices.
– Review existing M&E systems, tools, and indicators in use by the STP government and relevant partners, identify sources of data already available and flow of information.
– Provide technical guidance for the implementation of the Monitoring and Evaluation plan, through trainings and other on-site support.
– Monitor the implementation of the Programme processes/activities, review the progress on a quarterly basis; address the issues raised, and through the timely variation analysis propose remedial actions ensuring any disparity between planned and actual outputs.
– Assist in the identification of potential implementation problems and bottlenecks and recommend appropriate timely, appropriate strategies to address them and to achieve planned results.
– Ensure early warning of any disparities between planned and actual outputs are addressed.
– Prepare quarterly and annual programmatic progress updates on the project.
– Provide inputs to joint UN and UNDP annual planning and reporting processes including, ROAR, Annual Reports, Briefing Notes.
– Ensure compliance and application of UNDP Social and Environmental safeguards in implementation of the activities related to UNDP.
– Ensure gender equality, disability inclusion, and Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principles are mainstreamed into project design, monitoring, reporting, and evaluations.
2) Ensure effective management of the monitoring and evaluation, and result-based management processes for the project focusing on achievement of the following results:
– Oversee efficient and evidence-based results monitoring for the PBF project, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation comply with Project Document and that the provisions of the agreement are fully observed.
– Ongoing monitoring and alignment of the project activities/processes in accordance with the work plans, targets and the timely identification of workplan variations, and generate appropriate and quality information for the decision-making process.
– Ensure robust, quality and timely reporting to UNDP management and the Project Coordinator, and as and when required, to the RCO and the Project Board/Steering Committee.
– Map and assess the quality of existing official data sources, the methods of collecting them, and ensure that data quality standards are monitored and met and propose approaches to address identified gaps to ensure data quality.
– Coordinate and collaborate with the entities that are implementing key surveillance, M&E and strategic information initiatives in in justice and security for timely completion and quality outputs.
– Verify and ensure compliance of programmatic reports received from the national institutions and provide timely feedback on the report.
– As and when required, coordinate data collection interventions, audit, and evaluation; and prepare Terms of Reference for baseline, mid-term, and end-line evaluations including methodology preparation, and provide overall technical direction for the conduct of the evaluations and follows up on the recommendations.
– Proactively monitor progress against targets and identify early actions to address potential under-achievement.
– When required, and in close coordination with the UNDP DRR, support the thorough preparation for the UNDP Office of Audit and Investigation, and follow up together with the programme team on timely implementation of recommendations.
– Ensure the optimal use of evaluation findings by providing guidance in preparation of timely management response to all mandatory evaluations and by developing a communication/dissemination plan.
3) Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the area of monitoring and evaluation focusing on achievement of the following results:
– Represent the project in the areas assigned by UNDP and the Project Coordinator, making presentations at the relevant forums.
– Support capacity assessment of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) functions of the national institutions and propose capacity development plans to strengthen M&E.
– Identify, formulate and systematize lessons learned and document best practices from regular work, from evaluations and studies to be reflected into project reports.
– Contribute in developing information and communication materials relating to the project (briefs, press-releases, presentations etc).
– Maintain proactive relationships with all key stakeholders, policy makers and donor partners.
– Collaborate and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense and Internal Order, other UN agencies, government agencies, NGOs, technical partners and other organizations on good monitoring and evaluation practices.
– Provide technical support to the national partners to create a solid information management system in the field of the project, especially with regard to the implementation of digital information systems for these sectors.
– Attend professional meetings as necessary
– Promote a culture of sharing knowledge and learning with the entire project and office team whenever necessary
– Share experience/best practices on the UNDP’s websites, platforms.