Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist (P-3), PG Education – UNGEI, outposted in Nairobi – Kanya (Temporary Appointment 364days) # 00129604 – Fully Remote

Under the supervision of the Programme Manager, and in close collaboration with the UNGEI team, the incumbent will provide substantive and technical support to develop and apply feminist MEL strategies for UNGEI’s programmes, and will support reporting under these programmes. The expected result is that the programmes are informed by substantive feminist MEL expertise, UNGEI’s partners are supported and quality reports and other publications are produced.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, … a commitment.

The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) is a global partnership for gender equality in and through education, governed by UNICEF policies of employment.  Our mandate is to catalyze and galvanize action locally, nationally, regionally and global for girls’ education and gender equality in education. We strive to uphold feminist and anti-racist principles in how we work and offer flexible work arrangements.

UNGEI implements the multi-country programme ‘Ending Gender Stereotypes through Play-Based Curriculum’ for primary and secondary school students in India, Niger and Pakistan. The programme seeks to demonstrate the impact of play-based curricula on shifting students’ attitudes and beliefs around gender stereotypes and restrictive gender norms. UNGEI seeks to leverage its network of partners to build a robust learning agenda that will capture evidence and insights on gender stereotypes programming from across the world.

UNGEI implements country-level programs that work to prevent and respond to SRGBV with a whole school approach. The programs not only aim to increase reporting of SRGBV incidents by students, but also to shift gender norms, a root cause of SRGBV. UNGEI leads the Global Working Group to End School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) together with UNESCO, with over 75 members working on gender, GBV, child protection, CSE, health and education.

UNGEI offers ‘Feminist School’, the peer-based and action oriented feminist leadership training for education-focused civil society organizations and activists in global majority countries. The Feminist School deploys a feminist monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) framework. UNGEI, together with a consortium of partners offers flexible funding for young feminist networks and grassroots organizations in support of activities to advance gender transformative education.

UNGEI, together with UNESCO-IIEP, coordinates the Gender at the Center Initiative (GCI), supporting education ministries and other national actors to advance gender equality in and through education. Between 2020 and 2023, GCI has been implemented in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The second phase from 2024 to 2026 will expand to more countries in Africa, which will be specifically supported through the Gender Technical Assistance Initiative, funded by the Global Partnership for Education.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Programme Manager, and in close collaboration with the UNGEI team, the incumbent will provide substantive and technical support to develop and apply feminist MEL strategies for UNGEI’s programmes, and will support reporting under these programmes. The expected result is that the programmes are informed by substantive feminist MEL expertise, UNGEI’s partners are supported and quality reports and other publications are produced.

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

Develop and apply feminist MEL frameworks for UNGEI and its programmes

• Lead the development of MEL frameworks including but not limited to theories of change, results frameworks, indicators (and the accompanying measurement tools) for UNGEI and its programmes working to advance gender equality in and through education, including country level results frameworks for GCI countries.
• Lead monitoring and learning for the GPE-funded Gender Technical Assistance Initiative pilot, in line with the MEL strategy included in the partnership framework, and with a specific focus on learning among GPE partner countries.
• Guide UNGEI’s programme teams, UNICEF Country Offices and other implementing partners to apply MEL frameworks under the programmes, informed by global results frameworks and similar tools.
• Identify MEL objectives, priorities, and activities required for UNGEI and its programmes, and collaborate with UNGEI’s partners for overall coordination of priority research and MEL activities, including with multi-country scope.
• Capture, synthesize and share key takeaways and lessons learned from the MEL frameworks implemented, across countries and programmes.
• Support and participate in monitoring missions organized by the programme teams.
• Lead multi-country impact evaluations across UNGEI’s programmes, in collaboration with the programme teams.
• Undertake lessons-learned reviews on successful and unsuccessful MEL practices and experience, and ensure they are shared as appropriate.

Support the capacity development of UNGEI’s partners on designing and applying MEL frameworks.

• Provide technical inputs and advice to UNGEI’s programme partners to apply MEL frameworks, including CSOs, UNICEF Country Offices and their implementing partners, as needed.
• Support UNGEI’s programme partners to ensure that MEL systems are properly designed, and that data collection and analysis are streamlined for purposes of generating comparable data.
• Technically support programme partners to formulate high quality impact evaluation designs and reports.
• Ensure that a MEL capacity development strategy for UNGEI’s programme partners exists wherever required.
• Lead and participate as resource person in MEL capacity development initiatives targeting UNGEI’s partners.

Contribute to planning and reporting of UNGEI’s activities and programmes

• Provide technical support to developing and monitoring UNGEI’s Annual Work Plans.
• Collect, collate and input the required data, evidence and information from programmes into UNICEF’s Results Assessment Module.
• Support the programme teams to effectively monitor and report on programme results by providing inputs to donor and other reports.
• Drawing from the planning and reporting functions, facilitate programme coherence and convergence where appropriate, and provide inputs to UNGEI and UNICEF’s relevant reports and publications.
• Develop and ensure the effective utilization of UNGEI’s dashboard of convenings organized and attended.
• Provide technical inputs to donor proposals regarding feminist MEL frameworks.
• Provide technical support to UNGEI Secretariat’s gender in education initiatives in the field of MEL as needed.

Lead and contribute to evidence-based global public goods and relevant communities of practice.

• Participate in and contribute to technical working groups, coalitions and alliances on gender and education by providing MEL expertise, as appropriate. This includes but not limited to the Partner Coalition for Ending Gender Stereotypes, Global Working Group to End SRGBV.
• Lead and contribute to global public goods such as learning & programme briefs, evidence syntheses, results frameworks, etc. of UNGEI and its partners.
• In close collaboration with the GCI team, support learning among GCI partner countries, including through joint monitoring and sharing of results.
• Finalize the global results framework for ending gender stereotypes through schools programme.
• Lead the development of a results framework on preventing and responding to SRGBV through a whole-school approach.
• Provide technical support to the research priority setting exercise in the area of SRGBV, to be implemented together with the Global WG to End SRGBV.
• Ensure that UNGEI’s global public goods drawing on MEL frameworks are accessible, crisp and easy to understand by different audiences.

The following minimum requirements:

• Advanced university degree (Masters or higher) in education, social sciences (e.g. sociology, anthropology, demography, political science, social policy, or economics), statistics, international development or in one of the social sciences with strong research training and experience or other relevant field is required.
  *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

• A concentration in gender and education is a strong asset.
• A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience in monitoring, research, data analysis in the field of education or gender equality is required.
• Experience in designing results frameworks or similar tools is required.
• Experience in designing and/or applying feminist MEL frameworks is an asset.
• Experience in working with education and/or women’s/feminist CSOs and education stakeholders at the national or global levels is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children.

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be 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.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.