Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist

Key Functions:

1. MEAL Design and Planning

2. Partnerships Building and Partner Support

3. Capacity Strengthening and Knowledge Management

4. Monitoring and Reporting

5. Risk Mitigation

MEAL design and planning: 

• Work closely with the Senior Programme Manager and M&E Retainer to develop the MEAL Framework and Work Plan. 

• Provide and coordinate technical support to projects on the development of their project MEAL frameworks and associated tools to ensure that partners meet the Project M&E requirements, including developing and updating the results framework and MEAL plan, including KPI´s for existing and new projects. 

• Coordinate periodic reviews of M&E tools, guidelines, and processes - consolidating recommendations for necessary updates for review by Senior Programme Manager and M&E Retainer and undertaking follow-up actions, as required. 

• Lead project planning processes related to MEAL work plan and budget. 

• Establish and/or maintain a reliable MEAL framework according to the donors’ requirements and UNOPS policies and principles to ensure quality and compliance. 

• Monitor operations and ensure quality deliverables. 

Partnerships Building and Partner Support: 

• Become familiar with the project teams’ objectives, challenges, and methods to understand and provide relevant information and advice. 

• Create dynamics to regularly meet and participate in relevant discussions within the teams to constantly learn about their performance and needs.  

• Coordinate closely with the team leads to ensure constant communication and fluent interaction between both parties. 

• Liaise with HQ when necessary for benchmarking, networking, and/or capacity-building purposes. 

• Become a trusted advisor for the project team and UNOPS. 

• Conduct comprehensive and ongoing assessments of partner’s MEAL systems and identify areas for capacity development to improve the overall quality of data reported to the project. 

• Participate in project field visits to review implementing partner MEAL systems and conduct data quality reviews. 

Capacity Strengthening and Knowledge Management 

• Guide  relevant project personnel on the utilization of the project framework implementation tools to ensure consistency in their application across the Project.

• Support project staff with training and mentoring on routine monitoring procedures and monitoring techniques. 

• Provide coaching, mentoring, and on-the-job training to the project team to improve their skills and constantly raise the bar. 

• Organize annual re-skilling and up-skilling sessions with the project team.

• Support in developing KM mechanisms and processes for the project. 

• Establish practices to incorporate project studies’ findings, lessons learned, achievements, and gaps, to ensure knowledge management. 

• Facilitate process review and lessons learned exercises, including data collected to assess improvement opportunities and act upon them. 

• Conduct relevant M&E training and related capacity development activities to ensure implementing partner MEAL systems are fully operational and in compliance with the Project's MEAL standards. 

Monitoring and Reporting 

• Oversee implementation of day-to-day M&E activities and raising issues affecting implementation and proposing subsequent actions to the Senior Programme Manager in a timely manner. 

• Oversee the collection and timely reporting of data and statistics. 

• Lead the regular reporting process for the Programme and work closely with the Project teams to ensure alignment and quality/reliable data. 

• Consolidate and draft inputs for regular reporting exercises. 

• Create an effective, efficient, and reliable framework for data reporting. 

• Establish reporting parameters with the Senior Programme Manager and M&E Retainer, to ensure timely compliance of reports requirements and deliverables. 

Risk Mitigation 

• Identify and mitigate risks related to the Programme´s performance and proactively communicate them. 

• Identify risks affecting the implementation of Programme M&E activities, raising these risks and proposing subsequent actions to the Senior Programme Manager and M&E Retainer in a timely manner; 

• Ensure putting in place the right mechanisms to identify and act on risk management, considering the Programme's processes and UNOPS policies and principles. 

• Create a risk management culture within the Project MEAL team, to enhance proactivity and safeguard the Programme's interests.

Education:

• A Master’s degree preferably in social sciences, statistics, international development, public administration, sociology, or similar is required. 
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s) in the above fields with an additional 2 years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree.

Experience: 

• Minimum 5 years of experience in monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) at the programme level, preferably in rural or community development, livelihoods, climate, or related fields, is required. 
• Minimum 2 years experience in designing, implementing, and overseeing monitoring and evaluation system is required. 
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative M&E methodologies is required. 
• Experience in coordinating or managing diverse stakeholders is required. 
• Experience in leading or coordinating teams is required. 
• Previous experience designing and implementing gender-sensitive or disability-inclusive M&E would be a distinct advantage. 
• Demonstrated experience in mainstreaming MEAL practices within large-scale development projects is highly desirable. 
• Experience working with the UN or international organizations is highly desirable.
• Experience with database management would be an advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Myanmar is required.
• Knowledge of an additional UN language is desirable.
• Knowledge of other languages spoken in Myanmar would be an advantage.