UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a future

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How can you make a difference?

Purpose for the job: The incumbent will work under the general guidance and supervision of the Chief Immunization (Team Lead for Polio Eradication at UNICEF), Afghanistan, in close collaboration with the Programme Monitoring and Evaluation section and the health section. This position is based in the Afghanistan Country Office in Kabul, Afghanistan, with frequent travel to the field. The incumbent will support the following functions:

• Ensure that the UNICEF Country Office has useful, valid, and reliable information about children’s and women’s rights; the performance of UNICEF-supported programmes including their relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability, and in emergency contexts, their coverage, coordination, and coherence.
• Assist in the establishment of a monitoring an evaluation tools which enhance partnership between GPEI partners, government, and other key players to collectively track progress on SDGs and other international commitment for children.
• Assist in the development of national capacities for monitoring, evaluation, and research, with special attention to the interest, concern and participation of government, community, and civil society stakeholders.
• Provide technical guidance, leadership, and strategic inputs, supporting the development and implementation of targeted and data driven polio program strategies.
• Provide technical assistance to field offices and polio team in the collection, analysis, and reporting of key programme performance indicators, as well as ensuring the documentations of best practices.
• Collaborate with national counterparts as well as GPEI partners including WHO, CDC, Gates Foundation to coordinate polio programme monitoring and evaluation efforts.
• Support proposal development for resource mobilization and donor reporting for resources received from polio eradication activities.

Summary of Key functions/accountabilities:

1. Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Plan (IMEP) 

• Contribute to and provide technical assistance for the planning and establishing research, monitoring and evaluation objectives, priorities, and activities in UNICEF’s multi-year and annual IMEPs, in consultation with child-rights and implementing partners.
• Support the development of UNDAF/TEF M&E Plans from a sound results-based programming process.
• Identify the M&E objectives, priorities, and activities required for effective CO, polio programme, and partner Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans.

2. Situation Monitoring and Assessment 

• In coordination with other GPEI stakeholders, support the collection of SDG and other key social development indicators (through MICS, KAP and other surveys) to improve national planning and decision making.
• Support GPEI partners in the establishment and management of national statistical databases (e.g., DHIS, APMIS), ensuring that key indicators are readily accessible by key stakeholders. Potential uses include the Situation Analysis, Common Country Assessment, Early Warning Monitoring Systems, and Mid-Term Reviews.
• Develop a Situation Monitoring and Assessment system owned by all GPEI partners which supports the preparation of country level statistical and analytic reports on the status of polio eradication initiative in Afghanistan.
• In humanitarian response situations, provide professional support for one or more rapid assessments (inter-agency or independently if necessary) to be carried out within the first 48-72 hours, working in close collaboration with the humanitarian cluster partners.

3. Programme Performance Monitoring

• Provide technical support to ensure that polio programme performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary, with inputs of all concerned partners to assess progress towards expected annual and multi-year results in the context of the multi-year and annual IMEPs, the Annual Management Plan and Annual Work Plans.
• Coordinate with GPEI partners to ensure that monitoring systems are properly designed, and that data collection and analysis from field visits are coordinated and standardized across programmes to feed into to programme performance monitoring, with special attention to polio eradication.
• Drawing on monitoring and analysis of key program performance and management indicators, provide professional input to management reports, including relevant sections of the annual reports.

4. Evaluation

• Technically support programme partners to formulate Terms of Reference and evaluation designs of high quality, when relevant drawing on the know-how of knowledge institutions, in compliance with the organization’s programme evaluation policies and guidelines.
• Monitor and ensure the quality of the fieldwork and data management during the implementation phase and the quality of the analysis and ease of understanding during the report writing phase.
• Disseminate evaluation findings and recommendations to the intended audiences in user-friendly methods, to ensure that effective participatory feedback is provided to community and civil society stakeholders.
• Monitor and ensure that a management response to the findings and recommendations of the evaluation is completed, recorded, and followed up for implementation.  Most specifically, ensure that evaluation recommendations are submitted to the Country Management Team and follow-up actions are recorded in CMT minutes. Submit electronic copies of all evaluations to NYHQ via the Evaluation Data Base web portal, with full accompanying documentation.

 5. M&E Capacity Building

• Promote the awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of M& E function among all polio staff members through communication, training, learning, and development activities organization wide.
• In close collaboration with GPEI partners, ensure that an M&E capacity-building strategy for UNICEF Polio staff, national partners, and institutions exists in the context of the IMEP, or GPEI M&E plan.
• Collaborate to implement capacity-building strategies as a joint commitment with other developmental partners. Utilize a range of appropriate skills building strategies including self-learning, seminars and workshops, and practical experience in order that UNICEF and UN staff have the basic knowledge and skills to understanding and apply new M&E policies, tools, and methods to fulfill their responsibilities.
• Actively seek partnerships with knowledge institutions for the identification of capacity gaps and development of strategies to address them for polio eradication.

6. Coordination and Meeting

• Collaborate with CO PME, Regional, and HQ M&E Advisers for overall coordination of priority research, monitoring, and evaluation activities.
• Partner with the CO, Regional, and HQ Monitoring and Evaluation teams to ensure that current and accurate Polio M&E data and results are included in all reports, multi-country studies, and knowledge-sharing networks.
• Undertake lessons-learned reviews on successful and unsuccessful M&E practices and experiences at the national and sub-national levels, and ensure they are shared as appropriate.  Similarly, pay attention to M&E knowledge networks to identify innovations and lessons learned that may be relevant for the CO and GPEI partners to improve their M&E functions.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, statistics, planning development, public health, or related field.
• Professional work experience in programme development and implementation including monitoring and evaluation activities as follows:
  • Eight years of relevant professional work experience. Developing country work experience (for international professionals) or fieldwork experience (for national officers)
  • At least one instance of exposure to emergency programming, including preparedness planning. Active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme is preferred.
  • Experience in data analysis, research KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice), and data visualization is an asset.
  • Developing M&E tools for accessing the community acceptance for vaccines is an asset.
  • Experience in managing a team is required.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Eligible UNICEF International Professional (IP) Staff Members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to a Temporary Appointment, which is dedicated to L3 (or L2) Response, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and their current tour of duty, and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.