Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, P-2, Brazzaville-Congo, TA 364 days, #00126278

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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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

For every child, results

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Job Organizational Context:

Guided by the UNICEF RRBM principles and the programme policies and procedures, planning, monitoring, and evaluation is a core and critical function in UNICEF and is key to track progress towards results, document lessons and build the institutional knowledge of the programme.

The recruitment of a Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in Congo Country Office is considered important at this stage, as the office is preparing a new country programme that requires careful planning to align with Government priorities, UNSCDF and UNICEF SP objectives. After the country programme is approved, comprehensive annual work plans will need coordination and monitoring to track progress and assess impact. A prolonged vacancy in this position may result in gaps in planning and evaluation capacity, which could affect programme effectiveness and accountability. Filling this position will support the Office team in meeting its commitments and achieving the objectives set out in the country programme.

How can you make a difference? 

Descriptif de poste en français : JD PME.fr-signed.pdf

Purpose For The Job:

The overall goal of PME in Congo CO is to provide technical and oversight support for Planning, Monitoring, and Reporting. The PME Officer provides technical support to programme sections and cross-cutting sections in their efforts in planning, monitoring and reporting, that includes but not limited to development of country programme document, development of workplans, implementation and analysis of monitoring, results monitoring and evaluation.  

Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

1. -     Country Programme planning, monitoring, reporting and coordination of the Annual/Rolling Work Plan development

• Provide technical support for the development of the Country Programme and the UNSDCF, leading the prioritization of programmes, preparing theories of change, and identifying key risks and assumptions.
• Consult with key partners throughout the strategic planning process, to ensure that UNICEF priorities are in line with government priorities and the UNSDCF; The PME officer will coordinate the drafting of essential documents such as the Country Programme Document and Evaluation Costed Plan, working closely with colleagues at regional and headquarters levels.
• Provide technical support as necessary to the process of developing and monitoring Annual Work Plans, including reporting on progress of the equity and gender marker as outlined in the Programme Policy and Procedures Guidance
• Provide technical support as necessary in organising and managing annual/mid-year/mid-term/end term country programme reviews ensuring consistency with objectives and goals set out in the CPD and contribute to the Annual Management Plan.
• Monitor follow-up actions based on management decisions resulting from Country Office performance monitoring and evaluation.
• Support the programme components to effectively monitor and report on the intersectoral programme results, cross-sectoral programme component results and field office results to facilitate programme coherence and convergence where appropriate. 
• Provide technical support to programme sections to effectively monitor and report on the intersectoral programme results.

1. -     Situation analysis:

• Support the collection of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and other key social development indicators (through MICS or other surveys) to improve national planning.
• Support partners in the establishment and management of national statistical databases, ensuring that key indicators are readily accessible by key stakeholders
• Develop a collective Situation Monitoring and Assessment system owned by all key partners which supports the preparation of country level statistical and analytic reports on the status of children’s and women’s rights issues; and which allow, when opportunities emerge, to influence developmental and social policies

1. -     Support to the preparation of the integrated monitoring and evaluation plan (IMEP)

• Provide technical assistance for planning and establishing the major research, monitoring and evaluation objectives, priorities, and activities in UNICEF’s multi-year and annual IMERPs,
• Support the development of UNSDCF M&E Plans from a sound results-based programming process
• Prepare required documentation/materials/data to facilitate evaluation planning, implementation and reporting on IMEP activities.

1. -     Support the implementation, dissemination and follow up of evaluations

• Provide technical and administrative support to the Multi-Country Evaluation Specialist to ensure that UNICEF-supported evaluations are designed and implemented to established UN quality standards, and the results are disseminated in a timely fashion to stakeholders to improve programme performance and contribute to wider learning
• Upload/disseminate completed evaluation reports into Global Evaluation Data base to allow global sharing and final quality review.
• Upload each approved management response in the tracking systems and monitor quarterly update and produce analytical reports for management action and decision on implementation of evaluation agreed actions/recommendations.
• Actively follow up with stakeholders on the implementation of evaluation results. Provide appropriate technical support to facilitate implementation and/or report to relevant stakeholders to ensure time action to ensure the implementation of evaluation results.

1. -     Networking and partnership building

• Undertake lessons learned reviews on successful and unsuccessful M&E practices and experience at the national level, 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 partners to improve their M&E functionBuild and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate monitoring and evaluation capacity building.
• Partner with the Regional Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation teams to ensure that current and accurate Monitoring, Data and Evaluation results are included in regional reports, multi-country studies, and knowledge sharing networks
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency meetings/events on Planning, monitoring and evaluation to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNSCDF operational planning and preparation and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF position and strategies with the UNSCDF development and planning process.

1. -     Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned from programme monitoring and evaluations for integration into broader knowledge development planning and programme management efforts.
• Research and report on best and cutting-edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems for Monitoring and evaluations.
• Participate as resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.
• Actively seek partnerships with knowledge institutions for the identification of capacity gaps and development of strategies to address them.

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

Minimum Requirements:

• Education: A University Degree in economics, psychology, sociology, education or other social science field is required.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in social development analysis and programming at the international and/or in a developing country is required. Relevant experience in program/project monitoring and evaluation in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in both French and English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

Desirables:

Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

Female candidates are highly encouraged. 

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…
• (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 

[add the 8th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role]. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

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.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member’s original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

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

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.