Background

UNIFEM (Part of UN Women) Country Office in the East and Horn of Africa, including Kenya focus on addressing issues of women's poverty, violence against women (VAW) and governance in post conflict situation and in peace through initiating and supporting mechanisms and processes that call for accountability of duty bearers to the principles of gender equality and women's Human rights; contributing to the increase of women's security in both the private and public sphere; and providing concrete support to women's organizations and networks. To achieve its objectives UNIFEM Africa has committed to:
  • Facilitate the development and implementation of more responsive policy frameworks that promote and enhance the rights of poor and marginalized women to economic opportunities, quality social services, within governance structures in peace and post conflict reconstruction
  • Heighten its contribution towards eliminating the VAW
  • Provide advice and technical support to government and members of the women's movement with a view to improve understanding, facilitate their engagement to shape a development agenda that puts gender equality and women's human rights as a core element
  • Coordinate a UN Joint Programming on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment to support the GoU implement the Kenya Gender Policy and attain the targets of the gender related MDGs and other gender equality coordination groups and foras
The country programmes are guided by the sub regional strategic plan for East and Horn of Africa (2008-2011) as well as country specific strategic plans, which are aligned to the global Strategic plan covering the same period. In order to ensure programme quality and accountability, It is imperative that the country office tracks and monitors progress towards achieving the results it has outlined in its country programme based on the defined indicators, document lessons learned and share those lessons with partners and within UNIFEM. 
 
Therefore, UNIFEM is seeking a Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Officer (PME & R Officer) to support the country office in ensuring that results are well articulated in the programme development processes; results are tracked and documented; and that both internal and external reports capture the actual changes that are happening as a result of the UNIFEM initiatives. Special emphasis of the monitoring process will be on monitoring qualitative changes based on the theory of change stated in the programme design.
 
The PME & R Officer will report to the Country Programme Manager and will liaise closely with all Country Programme Office staff, service contract subscribers and consultants, as required for delivery of the tasks mentioned in this Terms of Reference (TOR) as well for currently unforeseen tasks and results on own initiative as well as per the instructions from the supervisor. The position holder is to work closely with the Deputy Regional Programme Director, the Regional PME and R Officer and other staff members as may be indicated in the future.  

Duties and Responsibilities

Under direct supervision of the Country Programme Manager and in close collaboration with all the programme and operations staff in the country office as well as UNIFEM East and Horn of Africa Sub-regional Office (EHARO), the PME & R Officer will play a key role in the delivery of the country strategy, its monitoring, evaluation, reporting and knowledge management. S/he will have primary responsibility in ensuring that the country programme and projects are well articulated around all the agreed parameters the Country and Sub-regional Strategy and using Results based management approach. S/he will provide and support the development of such tools as required to ensure that PME and reporting are of quality and delivered timely. S/he will support planning and progress tracking of the country programmes against UNIFEM's Strategic Outcomes and Results. The PME & R Officer will assist in annual planning and review processes and consolidate results. S/he will support monitoring by the programme personnel and support the office compliance with commitments made to donors in spending and reporting. S/he will be in charge of knowledge management and for leading the preparation of the various internal and donor reports and directly responsible for their finalization applying quality criteria. S/he will be self-sufficient and undertake all administrative, logistical and management work as may be needed for the delivery of the tasks. Specific areas of function include:
 
A) Planning support to the country programme and consolidation of plans
  • Draw, document, disseminate and apply good practices and lessons learnt in new and revised planning
  • Support /build capacity of staff in the country office to have a common understanding of Human Rights Based approach and Results Based Management (RBM) concepts, techniques and appreciate the importance of RBM to achieving UNIFEM Outcomes
  • In close collaboration with the sub-regional PME & R officer), assess the adequacy of performance-based monitoring, review reporting arrangements in the office and provide support to the country office to adopt improved PME systems and build capacity of staff in programme monitoring and evaluation
  • Provide feedback as needed into project design, including comments on project documents, theory of change and results matrixes from PME perspective
  • Reinforce budgeting for PME, employing reviews of the programme documents; supporting identification of monitoring, review and evaluation needs during programmes/project planning, etc.
B) Supporting monitoring of results against strategic outcomes and as per approved plans 
  • Develop a monitoring and review framework for the Country Programme and annually develop a monitoring and review plan together with annual Development Results Framework (DRF) and Management for Results Framework (MRF) or any other planning framework/format the organization may adopt in the future
  • In close collaboration with the sub-regional PME & R officer), guide and coordinate the review of the DRF and MRF plans (or other planning frameworks) including the provision of technical advice for the revision of deliverables and delivery planning
  • Compile data sources, employing collection and/or meta-analysis of monitoring data from the national data sources
  • Develop monitoring and review guidelines, formats and tools
  • Analyze project reports and synthesize the country office’s quarterly, six monthly and annual report
  • * Ensure timely delivery of all the reports to the EHARO
C) Monitoring and supporting compliance with donor requirements and reporting results (including reporting to donors)
  • In close collaboration with the sub-regional PME & R officer), support design and maintain an information system for donor contract management, including tracking donor contracts, UNIFEM's contractual obligations, other delivery requirements of the contract, grant tranches or installment schedules, reporting schedule and reporting requirements
  • Support the country office in timely preparation of the narrative and financial reports for the donor funded (cost-share funds) projects and take direct responsibility of their finalization and quality before submission to the EHARO
  • Ensure that periodic reports of project personnel to the CPM and from the partners to the project personnel are results based and that the relevant data is collected to enable preparation of the aforementioned reports
  • Together with the programme staff track the spending of the donor funds and where necessary prompt the Head of the Office about seeking no-cost extension in timely manner
  • Compile and submit timely the internal quarterly, six-monthly and annual reports (periodicity and frequency may change) of the country programme office
  • Based on information/reports from the project personnel, prepare and submit good quality reports for the donors in a timely manner
D) Programme Progress Review and Evaluations Support 
  • In close collaboration with the PME and R Officer and Regional Evaluation Specialist, support implementation of UNIFEM Evaluation Policy at country level 
  • Assist in planning, designing and implementation of evaluations and reviews including management of the evaluation/ review process (drafting of TOR, identification of consultants etc.)
  • Follow up in country office to ensure that management responses to evaluations are drafted and implemented
  • Guide the country office in the implementation of evaluation findings 
  • Conduct/organize joint team reviews of the projects and programmes on a periodic basis (at least twice a year) to assess the progress against the agreed results/objectives, efficiency, effectiveness and needs for adaptation
  • Support the CPM in reviewing the delivery rate of the country programme against the budget and in preparing the spending plans
  • Organize and manage logistics of reviews and evaluations
E) Focal Person
Serve as the focal person for the following:
  • UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women: As focal person the responsibility is to directly monitor the partners, review narrative and financial reports and provide written feedback, and support them in timely reporting to the UN Trust Fund via EAHRO (This task is currently relevant only for Uganda (one partner) and Kenya (one partner) but may change in the future/also be required in Sudan with the selection of new grantees in the future)
  • Fund for Gender Equality: As focal person, the responsibility is to directly monitor the partners, review narrative and financial reports and provide written feedback, and support them in timely reporting to the Fund for Gender Equality (This task is currently relevant only for Uganda (one partner) but may change in the future/also be required in Kenya and Sudan with the selection of new grantees in the future)
  • Internal and donor reporting: Meet responsibilities as described under the sub-heading 'Monitoring and supporting compliance with donor requirements and reporting results (including reporting to donors)
  • Evaluation: Meet responsibilities as described under the sub-heading 'Programme Progress Reviews and Evaluations Support'
  • Any other within the role and scope of this TOR, as may be communicated in the future
F) Knowledge Management
  • Draw good practices and knowledge emerging from the country programme and document them for learning
  • Advise the country programme on the efficient and effect ways to share learning with partners and staff in the country and with others in the Sub-region
  • Identify scale up/optimization opportunities in projects and share them with staff and the Head of the Office to inform adaptation of ongoing programmes, development of new component in the projects and/or inform new programmes/activities
  • Identify and document human interest stories that reflect the intended or unintended changes and/or UNIFEM's impact

Competencies

Corporate
  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards, including those relating to ending sexual exploitation and abuse
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the UN in general and of UNIFEM in particular
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
  • Practices the principles of fair treatment and no harm
Functional
  • Demonstrates very good understanding of and experience in monitoring, evaluation and results-based management
  • Outstanding writing skills, with proven ability to meet tight deadlines
  • Communicates sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
  • Very strong organizational and planning skills
  • Good IT skills, including databases and office software packages
  • Very good familiarity with gender equality issues
  • Ability to travel up to 25% of the time in areas with difficult living conditions
  • Ability to multi-task
Behavioural
  • Focuses on impact and results for the donors/organizations and other stakeholders
  • Interacts effectively with colleagues and partners
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
  • Identifies opportunities and builds strong relationships with clients and partners
  • Demonstrates exceptional ability to remain calm, in control and good humored even under pressure and tight deadlines
  • Participates effectively in team-based, information-sharing environment, collaborating and cooperating with others
  • Takes initiative and solves anticipated and real problems

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
  • Advanced university degree or equivalent in Gender or women's studies, social sciences, international relations, or a related field
Experience:
  • Minimum of 7 years experience in monitoring, evaluation and results-based management
  • Minimum of 5 years of experience in reporting (internal and donors) using results based management principles
  • Demonstrated knowledge of bilateral and multilateral donors reporting requirements
  • Demonstrated experience of assessing progress and sustainability of projects/programmes of identifying timely corrective action
  • Demonstrated experience of building and maintain a reliable M&E database on the status of project implementation, delivery, evaluations and reporting
  • Minimum of 2 years of experience of supporting capacity of the partner organizations in the areas of planning, M&E and reporting
  • Experience of evaluating the effective and efficient use of project inputs and impact.
  • Experience of working in teams and coordinating with project/programme personnel located in distant offices
  • Experience of producing M&E Guidelines, frameworks, training material
  • Demonstrated experience in capturing learning and documenting knowledge

Language Requirement:

  • Fluency in English (written and oral)
  • Knowledge of another UN language is an asset

This position is only open to nationals of Kenya.