Programme Policy Officer (Monitoring and Evaluation), FT-NOA, Duty Station: Jijiga Area Office (1)

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

Assisting 91.4 million people in around 83 countries each year, the World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. On any given day, WFP has 5,000 trucks, 20 ships, and 92 planes on the move, delivering food and other assistance to those in most need. Every year, we distribute more than 15 billion rations at an estimated average cost per ration of US$ 0.31. These numbers lie at the roots of WFP’s unparalleled reputation as an emergency responder, one that gets the job done quickly at scale in the most difficult environments. WFP’s efforts focus on emergency assistance, relief and rehabilitation, development aid, and special operations.

WFP Ethiopia is working with the government and other humanitarian partners to strengthen the resilience of Ethiopia’s most vulnerable population and to chart a more prosperous and sustainable future for the next generation. The Country Office also supports programmes that use food assistance to empower women, transform areas affected by climate change, and keep children in school. It aims to contribute to Ethiopia’s five-year development agenda, the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), through which the Government combats food insecurity.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. We are seeking to fill a position of Monitoring and Evaluation Officer (National Officer, NOA), based at WFP Area Office in Jijiga.  In the area of M&E, WFP Ethiopia Country Office aims to enhance its operational monitoring so that it responds to WFP’s corporate requirements. This will ensure that the Programme team will be able to show the progress of activities on required performance indicators and alert the potential areas of improvement on a regular basis for decision making by the management at all levels (Country Office, Area Office, Sub-Offices and Field Office levels.

Under the general supervision and guidance of the Head of Area office, and technical guidance by the Head of MEAL/VAM, within the delegated authority, the Programme Policy Officer, Monitoring & Evaluation, you will help us discover the information hidden in vast amounts of data, and help us make smarter decisions to become even more effective at serving our beneficiaries.

The special focus of this assignment will be on managing monitoring activities under the outsourced monitoring, with special focus on providing coordination, providing technical and administrative leadership, ensuring optimum utilization of all resources and achievement of M&E objectives.

To provide support to policy and programme activities that effectively meet food assistance needs.

1. Coordinate planning and implementation of monitoring activities of the Area Office in consultation with Heads of Area/Sub/Field Offices and WFP Contractor for the Somali region Outsourced Monitoring;
2. In coordination with the M&E Officer for WFP Area Office, provide inputs for the preparation and submission of the consolidated monthly monitoring plan for the Area Office;
3. Conduct monthly operational meetings at the Area Office Level, with WFP staff, Contractor for the outsourced monitoring, regional, zonal and Woreda level Government Officials, Cooperating Partners, as a feedback mechanism, review operational challenges for the previous month monitoring, solutions, documentation, and sharing of lessons learned and best practices;
4. Prepare monthly operational updates regarding the implementation progress of monitoring activities for the Area Office; 
5. Compile and disseminate regular analytical monitoring reports based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of information collected in the field (Cooperating Partner reports, Situation Reports, monitoring visits) to inform Programme and Management decision making;
6. Provide guidance and participate in the preparation of training modules in M&E and periodic training of WFP Field Monitors, Cooperating Partners' staff and third-party monitoring staff and their supervisors;
7. Ensure data collection using the M&E toolkits and exercise oversight of the data collection by the Monitoring Assistants, Enumerators and use of mobile data collections tools;
8. Ensure that the Monitoring Database systems are functional and effectively utilized and all required enhancements are undertaken promptly;
9. Contribute to the analysis of outcome data and recommend improvements to programme interventions and to enhance WFP's ability to demonstrate outcome-focused results.

10. Follow-up on monitoring and evaluation findings to ensure that corrective actions are taken and/or adjustments are made to programme responses as required.

11. Represent WFP (e.g. at inter-agency meetings with other NGOs and government agencies) to exchange knowledge and experience, promote the importance of monitoring and evaluation, and build partnerships that enhance inter-agency monitoring and evaluation activities. 

12. Work in close collaboration with internal counterparts and external partners to strengthen the data quality, accuracy, and consistency to build credible performance evidence. 

13. Provide monitoring and evaluation findings and recommendations to support performance planning and risk analysis, emergency preparedness, security risk management, and risk mitigation activities.

14. Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency food assistance needs.

15. Perform other duties as required.

Education: Advanced University degree in Economics, Food Security, Statistics, Data Science, Public Health/Nutrition, Geography, or other related fields.

Experience: At least 3 years working experience focusing on M&E; Gained valuable experience in collecting geospatial and socioeconomic food security data, conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses, and reporting findings to senior leaders; Has led surveys, multiple assessments in countries, including the design, data collection, and analysis; Has participated in design and implementation of WFP programmes focusing in food security; Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.

Knowledge and Skills: Strong knowledge of results-based management principles and practices and WFP’s corporate accountability frameworks; Proven knowledge, abilities, and skills in the areas of Monitoring and Evaluation;  In-depth knowledge of monitoring and evaluation methods, metrics, statistical applications, and reporting systems; Create/use digital media and data visualization platforms, particularly Tableau; Create data mock-ups with an understanding of data visualization and data structures; Good applied statistics skills, such as distributions, statistical testing, regression, etc.; Development and maintenance of monitoring database.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English. Knowledge of the local language is an added advantage.

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Understands WFP’s Strategic Objectives and the link to own work objectives.
• Be a force for positive change: Flexibly adapts individual contributions to accommodate changes in direction from supervisors and internal/external changes (such as evolving needs of beneficiaries, new requirements of partners).
•  Make the mission inspiring to our team: Recognizes and shares with team members the ways in which individual contributions relate to WFP’s mission.
•  Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Sets own goals in alignment with WFP’s overall operations, and is able to communicate this link to others.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Assesses own strengths and weaknesses to increase self-awareness, and includes these in conversations on own developmental needs.
•  Create an inclusive culture: Participates in open dialogue, and values the diverse opinion of others, regardless of background, culture, experience, or country assignment.
•  Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Proactively seeks feedback and coaching to build confidence, and develop and improve individual skills.
•  Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Participates in accomplishing team activities and goals in the face of challenging circumstances.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Shows willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work.
•  Focus on getting results: Consistently delivers results within individual scope of work on time, on budget and without errors.
•  Make commitments and make good on commitments: Commits to upholding individual accountabilities and responsibilities in the face of ever-changing country or functional priorities.
•  Be Decisive: Makes rational decisions about individual activities when faced with uncertain circumstances, including in times of ambiguity regarding information or manager direction.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Seeks to understand and adapt to internal or cross-unit teams’ priorities and preferred working styles.
•  Build strong external partnerships: Demonstrates ability to understand and appropriately respond to and/or escalate needs of external partners.
•  Be politically agile & adaptable: Portrays an informed and professional demeanor toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
•  Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Provides operational support on analyses and assessments that quantifies and demonstrates WFP’s unique value as a partner.

Ability to establish priorities, plan, coordinate and organize one’s own work plan; Resourcefulness, initiative, maturity, tact, advocacy skills; Excellent analytical, conceptual, communication and public speaking skills; Understanding of political dynamics and policy decision making procedures; Ability to establish and maintain good working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds, ability to work well in a high-pressure environment.

19 August 2020

Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

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.