UNDP Jobs

Two experienced development professionals are required to serve as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officers in the Ministry of Local Government. The specialists will be engaged under the Economic Diversification and Poverty Reduction Component of the 2010-2014 Government of Botswana United Nations Programme Operational Plan (GoB-un POP), hereafter “the project”. The project, implemented under the National Execution modality, has three focus areas, Local Economic Development (LED), Inclusive Pro-poor Policies and Strategies, and Trade and Private Sector Development. 

LED is a government initiative through which the Ministry of Local Government will support district and communities to leverage local resources - natural capital, accumulated capital, knowledge and skills, creativity, enterprise, and institutions - to accelerate the pace of economic growth, create jobs, eradicate poverty and achieve broad based welfare gains. The specific contributions the GoB-UN POP will make in this outcome area are capacity building in respect of policy and strategy frameworks for sustainable LED, development of district data capabilities, and strengthening implementation capacity.

In 2003, the Government of Botswana adopted the National Strategy for Poverty Reduction (NSPR). The key focus of the NSPR was to, among other things: (a) create opportunities for sustainable livelihoods; (b) strengthen the organisational and delivery capacities of poor people and; (c) enhance people’s access to social investments. The MLG, through the Department of Local Government Development Planning (DLGDP), identified LED as a key strategy initiative for its contribution to the NSPR objectives. The Government is currently working towards developing a Poverty Eradication Policy, within which LED shall be a key instrument for inclusive market development.

The development of a LED Policy and Strategy Framework and the requisite institutional capacity are key MLG priorities under National Development Plan 10. Through LED, MLG will support local authorities to develop and nurture effective partnerships between stakeholders in the local economy - local authorities, field offices of government departments, private firms, civil society organisations and the community - and mobilise external support to create better conditions for investment, inclusive economic growth, employment creation and the eradication of poverty.

MLG views LED as a key pillar of the national effort to enhance the competitiveness of local economies, foster inclusive and sustainable market development and economic growth, create jobs, and eradicate poverty. In this regard, LED is expected to feature prominently in Poverty Eradication Policy.

The monitoring and evaluation for LED is concerned with ascertaining whether LED strategies and projects are performing as planned, measuring performance, documenting results and extracting instructive lessons to inform strategy/programme/project reviews and development. Reporting directly to the Director, DLGDP, the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist shall perform specific duties and deliver outputs as outlined hereunder:

Develop, in collaboration with Districts (through District Economic Development Committees (DEDCs)), an adequate system for monitoring and evaluating district LED strategies and projects. This will entail developing the following tools:

• An adequate indicator framework for development management at the district level and, based thereon user friendly tools for collecting data on the selected indicators.
• A monitoring and evaluation plan for LED strategies and projects to assess the delivery of planned outputs, achievement of outcomes and the impacts of LED initiatives.

Develop, manage and maintain a good central LED database and information archiving facility to store all Led related data and information. To this end the M&E specialist shall:

• Develop good project level tools for capturing project data and information for use by project personnel and an effective system for transmitting data and information timely to a central repository.
• Help districts develop adequate development databases and train their staff on their use.

Implement the LED M&E Plan, in partnership with districts, and track programme and project implementation, documenting lessons and challenges to inform programme and project reviews.

Assist districts to develop adequate monitoring and evaluation capacity and the use of M&E products to improve programme and project management. To this end, due attention should be paid to:

• Developing adequate indicator frameworks and databases for monitoring LED.
• Training M&E personnel to undertake basic M&E tasks.
• Review programme/project performance indicators and reports and provide feedback to concerned parties). Prepare quarterly and annual LED monitoring and evaluation reports for review by the relevant structures, especially LED steering committees.

The LED Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist shall, in operational terms, be a core member of the MLG Local Economic development Team, and shall report directly to the LED Policy Advisor in the Ministry of Local Government. In this regard, the M&E Specialist shall, based on the LED annual work plan, prepare his/her draft annual Results and Competency Assessment (RAC) for discussion and finalisation with the LED Policy Advisor and the Director of Local Government Development Planning at the beginning of the year/contract. The LED Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist shall prepare and present quarterly and annual progress reports for review by both the LED Policy Advisor and the Director of Local Government Development Planning.

Deliverables:

The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist is expected to provide a range of continuous monitoring and evaluation services to the Ministry of Local Government on LED and related initiatives. More specifically, he/she shall deliver:

• An inception report, three months into the job, outlining the his/her impression of what is working and what needs to be done with respect to the effective monitoring and evaluation of the Local Economic Development initiative.
• Develop and implement a solid LED monitoring and information system for the MLG and the districts. This shall entail articulating an adequate indicator framework for monitoring LED, developing a quality LED database and user friendly data collection tools for use by all suppliers of LED information, especially districts.
• Development of adequate LED M&E capacity at both the MLG and district levels.
• Timely production of LED monitoring and evaluation reports.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting
• Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets, manage contributions and investments, manage transactions, conduct financial analysis, reporting and cost-recovery
• Good knowledge of the Results Management Guide and Toolkit
• Good ICT skills, knowledge of Atlas
• Ability to implement new systems and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change

Management and Leadership

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities

Education:

• A minimum of a Masters Degree in the social sciences (e.g. economics, statistics, public administration, etc.) or Monitoring and Evaluation from a recognisable university.

Experience:

• A minimum and a minimum of five (5) years of post qualification work experience, and a minimum of three (3) years of traceable project/programme management and/or monitoring and evaluation experience. Familiarity with the results based management approach to programme and projects will be an advantage.
• Basic computer literacy. Proficiency in basic word processing and data management software such as MS-Word, Excel, Access, and Power Point is desirable.
• Ability to work independently for extended periods of time without direct supervision while meeting targets and deadlines.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in spoken and written English. Proficiency in Setswana is also desirable.