Closing date: Saturday, 14 March 2015
Posting Title: SENIOR EVALUATION OFFICER, P5
Job Code Title: SENIOR PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT OFFICER
Department/ Office: United Nations Environment Programme
Duty Station: NAIROBI
Posting Period: 13 January 2015-14 March 2015
Job Opening number: 15-PGM-UNEP-38258-R-NAIROBI (R)
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Special Notice
Appointment against this post is for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their
careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.
All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided.
If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira ‘Need Help?’ link.
Organizational Setting and Reporting
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations systems designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. This post is located in Evaluation Office, a part of Office of the Executive Director, at the Nairobi duty station.
Under the supervision of the Director, Evaluation Office the incumbent will
Responsibilities
- Keep emerging issues in UNEP (both environmental, political and managerial / operational) under review and make substantive analytical contributions to evaluation planning based on the former and on organizational priorities, mandates and previous evaluation findings. Monitor the performance of the Evaluation Office against key performance indicators and report these to the Director, Evaluation Office.
- Develop evaluation methods, manage and provide substantive analytical contributions to higher level evaluations conducted by the Evaluation Office. Design methods for impact evaluation of specific UNEP interventions and build a portfolio of outcome and impact evaluations that capture the ‘value for money’ of UNEP interventions. Develop technical peer review processes (involving external expertise) for impact evaluation to ensure quality and rigour. Play a lead role in the Evaluation of the UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy, Formative Evaluations of the UNEP Programme of Work, Thematic Sub-Programme Evaluations. Ensure that the UNEP Evaluation Manual and the UNEP Programme Manual are regularly updated, reflect international good practice in evaluation and are consistent with UNEG Norms and Standards. Work collaboratively with evaluation professionals from other UN agencies through UNEG and when joint evaluations are undertaken.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy and plan for outreach / uptake of evaluation findings, recommendations and lessons. Prepare high quality knowledge products and organise events to promote use of evaluation findings across the organisation and among evaluation stakeholders. Monitor implementation of the outreach plan and provide analytical feedback to enhance future work. Maintain an overview of patterns in lessons and recommendations issued across the evaluation portfolio. Conduct formal evaluation demand studies every biennium and collate evidence of use of evaluation among key stakeholders (UNEP, implementation / execution partners, donors and country representatives). Ensure that the format and content of the Evaluation Office website meet user needs and ensure staff keep it up-to-date.
- Identify internationally credible evaluation consultants, review credentials and make recommendations to the Evaluation Director for their selection. Prepare detailed impact evaluation budgets and timelines, inform consultant team members of required scope and quality of deliverables ensuring negotiated agreements on consultant remuneration comply with UN rules. Manage, oversee and provide quality assurance for work undertaken by highly qualified and experienced international consultant evaluators. Provide advice on evaluation methods approaches and processes; review and assess the quality of evaluation deliverables, capture stakeholder views on them and provide constructive feedback to facilitate finalisation of evaluation deliverables, ensuring all aspects of the evaluation TORs are fulfilled.
- Review evaluation inception reports and draft evaluation reports being managed by other Evaluation Office staff, provide informal professional advice to, and formally supervise P4, P3, JPO and G staff.
- Provide substantive analyses from impact evaluation, patterns in lessons and recommendations and outreach/uptake efforts for inclusion in the Biennial Evaluation Synthesis Report. Prepare periodic evaluation progress reports and take the lead on selected Evaluation Office Management / Special Studies for publication.
- Provide advice and support to broader corporate planning and management processes with findings and recommendations from evaluation studies.
Competencies
Professionalism
- Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of all aspects of evaluation.
- Proven conceptual and analytical skills and the ability to understand technical documents and write evaluation reports.
- Shows pride in work and in achievements;
- demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;
- is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
- is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns;
- shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges;
- remains calm in stressful situations.
- Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
Communication
- Ability to research, write, speak clearly, intelligibly and effectively in the English language.
- Ability to communicate intelligently with both technical and lay persons, good interpersonal and oral communication skills, including the ability to present sensitive issues/positions and prepare reports on short notice.
Teamwork
- Ability to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively to achieve organizational and/or collective goals.
Client Orientation
- Ability to identify clients’ needs and accommodate them, must have the capacity to maintain productive partnerships with clients.
Managing Performance
- Able to delegate responsibility and to ensure that goals, roles and reporting lines are clear.
- Able to motivate staff while providing technical oversight and quality control.
- Capable of mentoring, coaching, and evaluating staff.
Leadership
- Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results;
- is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives;
- establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support;
- anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions;
- drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo;
- shows the courage to take unpopular stands.
- Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
- demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
Education
- Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Natural Resources, Environmental Studies/Sciences, Development Planning or related technical field is required.
- A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience
- A minimum of ten years of experience in evaluation and programme management is required, some of which should be at the international level.
- Experience in the evaluation and analysis of projects, programmes and policies with specific focus in the area of environment and development.
- Substantive work experience in international settings is required; professional experience in developing countries is an advantage.
Languages
- English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
- For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.
- Knowledge of other UN Languages, especially French or Spanish, is desirable.
Assessment Method
- Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment which will be followed by a competency-based interview.
United Nations Considerations
Job openings posted on the Careers Portal are taken off at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
Applications are automatically pre-screened according to the published evaluation criteria of the job opening on the basis of the information provided by applicants. Applications cannot be amended following submission and incomplete applications shall not be considered. The selected candidate will be subject to a reference checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on ‘The Application Process’ and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on ‘Manuals’ on the upper right side of the browser on Inspira.
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations – Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
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