Monitoring Officer - Sunninghill, JHB at World Food Programme

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.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to end global hunger. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

In emergencies, WFP gets food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After an emergency, WFP uses food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives. Present in nearly 80 countries, the organization has the global footprint, deep field presence and local knowledge and relationships necessary to provide access to nutritious food and contribute to the lasting solutions, especially in many of the world’s most remote and fragile areas. We manage an operating budget of approximately $5.9 billion each year, distributing 12.6 billion rations to those most in need. We reach an average of 80 million people with food assistance in around 80 countries each year.

For more on WFP and what we do, please go to http://www.wfp.org/videos/zero-hunger

JOB PURPOSE

Support the implementation of the Regional Monitoring strategy, particularly in line with two priority areas - Data Visualisation and Data Analysis - with the overall aim to strengthen Country Office (CO) capacities for high quality monitoring and learning to facilitate strategic and programme decision-making.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Liaise with Country Office M&E staff to ensure quality professional review of IRM documents (ex. Monitoring and Review plans, monitoring section in the county portfolio budgets, log-frames, etc.) and completion of timely documentation as requested
• Support advocacy for the use of qualitative monitoring for decision-making; support CO M&E staff when developing and implementing qualitative monitoring studies and surveys
• On quarterly basis, review baselines, follow-ups and targets status in Logframes in corporate systems (such as Country Office Tool for Managing Operations Effectively/COMET) and support COs in filling gaps as applicable
• In collaboration with the RB Research, Assessment and Evidence Unit, support C&O M&E staff with the establishment of the new Country Strategic Plans baselines and related outcome monitoring surveys and assessments
• In close collaboration with the RB reporting unit, conduct technical review of Annual Country Reports for annual monitoring of programme performance across the region, and inform the Regional Monitoring Advisor of any inconsistencies and problems
• Support Regional Monitoring Advisor in tracking implementation status of mid-term review recommendations, to ensure that follow-up actions are taken as required
• Support and guide Country Offices to enter monitoring timely collect data using appropriate monitoring technologies, analyse and enter the results into relevant corporate databases
• Provide support to country offices in the use of COMET modules, assisting in drawing the link with best-practice M&E and project design
• Support identification of core elements to include in COMET Plus features (e.g. monitoring checklists, assessment tools, nutrition calculator, cooperating partner reports)
• As needed, act as the Regional COMET Coordinator alternate
• Support the use of latest data visualisation technology (such as Tableau). Work closely with the regional data coordinator in providing technical support to the CO M&E teams to create outcome trends dashboards
• Any other duty assigned that are within the scope of monitoring

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in social sciences, statistics, development economics, performance management, monitoring and evaluation or other related fields, or First University degree with additional years of relevant work experience and/or training/courses.

Experience: Minimum of 1 year of relevant professional work experience in the field of monitoring. Experience in using a variety of quantitative and qualitative analytical tools and methods.

Knowledge & Skills: 

• Analytical skills, with the ability to handle data and convert it into useful information transparently
• Good knowledge of Tableau Analytics and other relevant statistical applications (e.g. web-based databases) to organize, analyze, share and use of monitoring data
• Knowledge of results-based management principles and practices
• Ability to read and assimilate a large amount of information within a short time
• Ability to draft clear and succinct reports and other products based on data analysis and transparent interpretation of such data within specific contexts
• Strong communication skills (oral and written) including ability to present ideas and generate feedback from a variety of audience
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Strategic Management: Utilizes up-to-date understanding of humanitarian and development actions in different contexts and knowledge of global geo-political issues, monitoring requirements and/or the evaluation mandate to enhance existing approaches, systems and processes to monitoring and/or evaluation that suit WFP’s strategic and operational needs.

Performance Management: Demonstrates thorough understanding of WFP’s performance management system and ability to manage resources and relationships to lead monitoring actions or deliver complex evaluations (including joint & interagency) of a variety of WFP programmes, processes or policies to WFP monitoring and/or evaluation quality standards.

Qualitative/Quantitative Methodology: Applies in-depth understanding of developing practice in analytical approaches, methods and tools for an appropriate mix to deliver quality monitoring results or complex evaluations on diverse topics relevant to WFP’s strategic and operational results frameworks.

Technical Communication: Able to tailor and synthesize evaluation evidence and engage diverse internal and external stakeholders proactively in appropriate ways to maximize learning and use of evaluation concepts and evidence for improving WFP programme performance.

Programme Monitoring and Review: Applies programme lifecycle knowledge to the development of monitoring systems and applies corporate guidance to draft ToR, co-lead Programme Review implementation, and draft initial findings and recommendations on the effectiveness of food assistance activities.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Cultivated sustainable relationships with local NGOs, government authorities, and other implementation partners
• Has research experience using variety of analytical tools and methods for causality analysis, forecasting, and other data modeling needs
• Performed monitoring, evaluations and assessments at multiple field locations

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 

This vacancy announcement will close on Wednesday, 4 March 2020 at 11:59pm Johannesburg time

This position is only open to South African Nationals OR candidates with a valid South African Permanenet Residence Permit

Female applicants 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.