Monitoring & Evaluation Officer (SSA9) - Damascus VA004-2025

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

Objectives:. the M&E Officer/ Evaluation Manager will be responsible for managing the evaluation in line with WFP’s Decentralized Evaluation Quality Assurance System (DEQAS) to ensure an independent, credible and useful process and products. Specific objectives are:

• To draft the evaluation TOR using the DEQAS template and follow the process for review, quality assurance, finalization and approval
• To recruit the evaluation team following WFP procedures and guidance
• To manage the inception phase to ensure that the team delivers a high-quality inception report that responds to the evaluation TOR and meets WFP quality standards
• To manage the field work and ensure sufficient stakeholder engagement in line with approved inception report
• To manage the analysis and reporting phase to ensure that the evaluation team delivers a high-quality evaluation report that meets WFP quality standards
• To actively disseminate evaluation findings and results

Supervision received: This position is based at the Syria Country Office and reports directly to the Monitoring and Evaluation Team Lead in Damascus

Contract Details:
Contact Type: Special Service Contract (SS9)
Duration: 11 Months
Number Of Required Staff: 1
Duty Station: Damascus Country Office

Detailed accountabilities and responsibilities of the Evaluation Manager

• Manage a decentralized evaluation, in line with WFP Evaluation Policy and Decentralized Evaluation Quality Assurance System (DEQAS) to ensure the production of independent and credible evidence that meets high professional standards in line with UN Norms and Standards; the Code of Conduct for Evaluation in the UN system; the 2020 Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation, including the Pledge of Ethical Conduct; the 2014 Guidelines on Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation as well as the WFP technical note on integrating gender in evaluations.
• Manage the evaluation processes from preparation to completion.
• Manage sourcing, hiring and supervising of the evaluation team.
• Engage stakeholders appropriately in the evaluation process.
• Develop and manage relevant communication and knowledge management plans as well as budgets.
• Take responsibility for ensuring the integration of protection, gender and wider inclusion issues throughout the evaluation process.
• Prepare the Terms of reference (TOR).
• Prepare and present budget and team for CD/DCD approval.
• Serve as the main contact point in WFP for the evaluation team throughout the evaluation process.
• Convene on behalf of the chair, the evaluation reference group and evaluation committee and provide secretariat services.
• Consolidate the library of information needed for the evaluation before the start of the inception phase.
• Take responsibility for the administrative and logistical needs of the evaluation.
• Ensure relevant logistical arrangement are in place, including liaising with units/authorities for ticketing, payments, transport, visa, authorisations as relevant.
• Organise and facilitate an evaluation team and commissioning office in person or remote orientation meeting (if one is planned) prior to the inception phase and relevant inception meetings.
• Coordinate with the evaluation team and staff of the commissioning office to prepare the field site visit agenda, in line with the requirements set out in the inception report.
• Organize meetings (including the end of fieldwork debriefing) with key stakeholders and site visits.
• Comment on and quality assure the evaluation products in compliance with DEQAS process guide.
• Submit the draft ToR, inception and evaluation report to the DE Quality Support Service (DEQS) for feedback on the quality of the deliverables from an evaluation perspective; and participate in the DEQS follow-up calls.
• Provide systematic and constructive feedback to the evaluation team leader on the basis of the review and the feedback from the DEQS.
• Share the draft TOR, inception and evaluation report with the Evaluation Reference Group and relevant stakeholders for their review and comment.
• Consolidate all comments received on draft ToR, inception and evaluation report in a comments matrix and follow-up to ensure that the evaluation team addresses all the comments or provides a rationale if any are not addressed.
• Review final ToR, inception and evaluation report and comments matrices, and submit quality assured products to the evaluation committee chaired by the CD/DCD for approval.

• Support submission and publishing of the approved evaluation products and disseminate evaluation findings and results with all evaluation stakeholders.
• Facilitate/support the development of a management response.
• Support organisation and participate in an End of Evaluation Lessons Learned session with relevant stakeholders, to reflect on the evaluation process.

Expected Outputs of the Contract

• Final approved Terms of Reference
• Final approved Inception Report
• Final approved Evaluation Report
• Evaluation Report and Management Response are publicly available and actively disseminated

Qualifications and experience required

Education:

• Advanced University degree in one of the following fields: social sciences, statistics, development economics, performance management, monitoring and evaluation or other related fields, or First University degree with additional years.

Required Experience:

• Minimum of Three years of post-graduate relevant professional experience with a Master’s degree, or five years post-graduate relevant professional experience with a Bachelor's University Degree of relevant professional experience in evaluation, including strong experience using a variety of quantitative and qualitative analytical tools and methods
• Experience in management of evaluation systems and processes in diverse contexts, assessing national policies and programmes including subject areas relevant to WFP country, regional or global level
• Worked in a multi-cultural environment

Knowledge and Skills:

• Understanding of humanitarian and development actions in different contexts and knowledge of global geo-political issues and UN Reform
• In-depth knowledge of international norms and standards for evaluation and can apply them appropriately
• Demonstrates ethical behaviour at all times and communicates WFP’s expectation that all personnel act ethically in furtherance of the ideals of the UN and WFP’s mission
• Understands the specific implications of ethics in evaluation activities and is able to consistently ensure that appropriate actions are taken to safeguard ethics
• Ability to validate data quality and ensure that data collection and analysis have been conducted ethically
• Ability to select and apply high quality, credible, analytical approaches and qualitative and quantitative methods appropriately
• Knowledge of a range of evaluation methods, data collection and analysis methods and is able to define key methodological requirements and critically review the evaluation design proposed by evaluation teams
• Demonstrates active listening and conflict resolution skills to promote constructive engagement from stakeholders with diverse, complex, and high-stake interests and seek guidance and engagement from management where appropriate
• Demonstrates skills to communicate effectively key evidence from evaluations to a range of stakeholders
• Demonstrates communication skills with the ability to create clear, influential messages to senior audiences, using a variety of communication platforms (verbally and in writing)
• Fully computer-literate with excellent skills in Word, Excel, Power Point and database management
• Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to work effectively and sensitively in diverse teams
• Strong organizing skills and proven ability to produce results to deadlines
• Demonstrated skills in project management, ability to manage teams, conflicts and solve problems
• Understanding of the country/regional context

Conflict of Interest

The M&E officer will not have been involved in the design, implementation or monitoring of the WFP programme in Syria, have no vested interest, nor have any other potential or perceived conflicts of interest. The consultant should not be involved in evaluations of subjects for which she/he has worked or had responsibility in the recent past, or in which she/he has been financially involved.

Conflicts of interest are typically identified by a lack of independence or a lack of impartiality. These conflicts occur when a primary interest, such as the objectivity of an evaluation, could be influenced by a secondary interest, such as personal considerations or financial gains. There should be no official, professional, personal or financial relationships that might cause, or lead to a perception of bias in terms of what is evaluated, how the evaluation is designed and conducted, and the findings presented. To avoid conflicts of interest, particular care will be taken to ensure that independence and impartiality are maintained.

Language: Fluency (level C) both in English and Arabic language.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact:  global.inclusion@wfp.org

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.