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Job Title:   Research & Evaluation Specialist (Data) 

Organisation: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Duty Station:  Kampala, Uganda

Grade: NO-3

About US:

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is mandated by the UN general assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

Job Summary: The Research and Evaluation (Data) function will provide dedicated quality assurance and advisory support to Management and Programme Chiefs. These functions will support the improved analysis of data on child deprivation & vulnerability for increased use for policy and programme action; and will support the collection, analysis and user-friendly presentation of data on multidimensional and monetary child poverty, including strengthening national capacity to collect routinely, report and use data for policy decision-making. The CO will be supported with timely, regular data-driven analysis for effective prioritization, planning, and development to facilitate results-based management for planning, adjusting, and scaling-up specific initiatives to reduce child poverty. Most importantly, the CO will be supported with correct and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children and coverage and impact of child focused services – in support of the country programme and effective partnerships between UNICEF and the Government.

The Specialist will also ensure that the UCO and National partners use a well-prioritized and realistic plan of research activities that will provide the most relevant and strategic information needed to manage the Country Programme, including tracking and assessing impact of UNICEF’s distinct contribution. Support will be provided to develop, manage, and carry out thematic research and evaluation to feed into the country programme monitoring for the realization of children’s rights. Programme Teams will be supported to organize expert consultations, identify data and reference materials, prepare technical reports, manage review processes, and oversee the finalization of studies. The function will also ensure ensures that annual management and work plans are supported by timely released findings from research and evaluation and contribute to office-wide initiatives by identifying significant new research relevant to UNICEF as a whole and by preparing accessible syntheses of research findings. In this context, the CO will be supported with accurate and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children and coverage and impact of child focused services.

The Evaluation function, while encumbered inside PME, continues an independent function to the Representative, with a dotted/matrix line. The function will also report on the progress on evaluations to the CMT on a monthly basis. The Chief PME will also take on a more strategic role in the evaluation function, ensuring a strengthened CO evaluation agenda and a strong uptake by senior stakeholders, including section chiefs. The ongoing regional and country-level capacity building capabilities (of both internal and for external stakeholders) in evaluation will be continued per corporate priorities.

Purpose for the job:

• To ensure that the UNICEF Country Office has useful, valid and reliable information on;
• The situation of children’s and women’s rights (situation monitoring); the performance of UNICEF-supported programmes, including during emergency situations. UNICEF-supported evaluations attain quality standards, and results are disseminated in a timely fashion to stakeholders for improving programme performance and learning.
• To ensure UNICEF country office has relevant mechanisms in place to develop a strategic and prioritized evidence generation plan with relevant quality assurance mechanisms and leveraged for results for children.
• To work within the UN country team to support UNCT goals for delivering valid and reliable information on the attainment of the SDGs and other goals, and on the performance of UN-supported programmes.
• To assist in the development and reinforcement of partnerships between the UNCT, government and other key players to collectively track progress on SDGs and other international commitments for children, including partnerships for research and data systems strengthening.
• Support, in alignment with ESAR Data Strategy and Framework 2022-5 (DSF), the strengthening of national data and statistical systems for children and assist in the development of national systems and capacities for research, and evaluation, with special attention to the interest, concern and participation of government, community, and civil society stakeholders.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Situation Monitoring and Country Analysis of data on child deprivation 

• Ensure that the Country Office and national partners have timely and accurate measurement of change in conditions in the country at national and subnational level, including monitoring of socio-economic trends and the country’s wider policy, economic or institutional context, to facilitate planning and to draw conclusions about the impact of programmes or policies.
• Ensure the country office has a coordinated, multi-sectoral and strategic workplan aligned with the national strategy for development of statistics (NSDS) priorities for children in strengthening the national statistical system.
• Support partners in the digital transformation of the national statistical system (CRVS and sector admin data systems) including establishment and management of national statistical databases that are sustainable and interoperable (ex. mainstreaming SDMX standards), ensuring that key indicators are readily accessible by key stakeholders.
• Facilitate and coordinate data and statistics demand generation and use at country office level across sections, with partners and government through relevant processes and fora, including with country research and evaluation data needs where relevant (for example, in country situation analysis, sectoral analyses child poverty, education sector analysis, Common Country Assessment, Risk analysis and Early Warning Monitoring Systems, and annual and Mid-Term Reviews)
• Develop a joint 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. To include technical support to global reporting obligations including national reports on progress toward the SDGs, and toward CRC, CEDAW, and CRPD fulfilment.
• Support country office and national data system readiness and preparedness strengthening and during humanitarian response situations, provide support for multi-sectoral or sectoral rapid assessments (inter-agency or independently if necessary) to be carried out within the first 48-72 hours, working in close collaboration with the humanitarian clusters partners.
• Supports the collection, analysis and user-friendly presentation of data on multidimensional and monetary child poverty, including strengthening national capacity to collect routinely, report and use data for policy decision-making.

Technical support to Country Programme development and monitoring, with tools and guidance over the situation analysis of children 

• Conduct technical review of the relevant documentation used in the formulation of the new Country Programme, in terms of the appropriate use of up-to-date data that inform the situation of children and women in the country.
• As the country level focal point on data, research and evaluation participate in relevant regional network meetings, calls and initiatives to shape the regional strategic discourse relating to data, evaluation, research, and knowledge management.
• Strengthen data, research, and evaluation partnerships within the UN Development System (for example, represent UNICEF in relevant working groups), governments and other key players to collectively streamline evidence generation investments aligned to national needs, tracking progress on SDGs, policies, programmes, and other relevant commitments for children.
• Contribute to the conceptualization and technical participation in the UN Development System efforts on strengthen coordinated monitoring of the SDGs.
• Supports correct and compelling use of data and evidence on the situation of children and coverage and impact of child focused services – in support of the country programme and effective partnerships between UNICEF and the Government, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, civil society and local leaders, the private sector, and other UN agencies.
• Provides timely, regular data-driven analysis for effective prioritization, planning, and development; facilitates results-based management for planning, adjusting, and scaling up specific initiatives to reduce child poverty.
• As country office data steward, strengthen country office capacities and ensure all country office work in data and statistics are responsible, quality, and ethical that safeguards children’s rights as per UNICEF Personal data protection policy, Ethical standard in evidence generation procedure, responsible and quality data for children’s principles and framework.

Evaluation and Research 

• Ensure that the Country Office and national partners use a well-prioritized and realistic plan of research and evaluation activities that will provide the most relevant and strategic information to manage the Country Programme in development and humanitarian situations, including tracking and assessing UNICEF’s distinct contribution.
• Develop and maintain country office standard operating procedures on development, prioritization, management and quality assurance of the country office evidence generation activities aligned with national priorities, UNSDCF and country programme evidence needs.
• Support the development and updates of the Costed Evaluation Plan (CEP), and the Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Plan (IMERP). Ensure plans and progress are up to date in UNICEF information management platform (EISI – Evidence Information Systems Integration) for all evidence generation activities (research, studies, and evaluations).
• Technically support programme colleagues and partners to formulate Research and Evaluation Terms of References (TORs). Ensure TORs are reviewed by members of the Country Office Data, Research and Evaluation Committee, and that Evaluation TORs receive quality assurance by ESARO.
• Ensure that UNICEF-supported evaluations are designed and implemented to established UN quality standards. It is expected that all evaluation deliverables will receive quality assurance by ESARO, and feedback will be included during revision/finalization processes.
• Monitor the quality of field work and data management during the implementation phase, and the quality of the analysis during the report writing phase.
• Ensure that a management response to the evaluation recommendations is completed, recorded, and followed-up for implementation. Most specifically, ensure that evaluation recommendations are submitted to the Country Management Team and follow-up actions recorded in CMT minutes.
• Disseminate evaluation findings and recommendations to the intended audiences in user-friendly methods. Ensure that effective participatory feedback is provided to community and civil society stakeholders.
• Support the development of UNSDCF Monitoring, research and Evaluation Plans, and take an active part in the development and conduct of joint evaluations and UNSDCF evaluations.
• In humanitarian response situations, within the first month, draft and recommend a simple one-month data-collection plan to cover key data gaps as required for the initial emergency response, working in close collaboration with the humanitarian clusters partners.
• After the initial humanitarian response, support management of the medium-term response with a revised IMERP.
• Ensure that evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners are strengthened enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead evaluation processes. Support the development and implementation of the Country Office National and Evaluation Capacity Development (NECD) priority activities with relevant partners.
• Collaborate to implement capacity building strategies as a joint commitment with other developmental partners. Utilize a range of appropriate skills building strategies including self-learning, seminars and workshops and practical experience in order that UNICEF and UN staff have the basic knowledge and skills in understanding and applying new M&E policies, tools, methods to fulfil their responsibilities. Similarly, design and implement strategies suited to the skills needs of national partners

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Research & Evaluation Specialist (Data) job must hold an advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in social sciences, statistics, planning development, planning. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• Five years of relevant professional work experience. Developing country work experience (for IP) or field work experience (for NO)
• At least one instance of exposure to emergency programming, including preparedness planning. Active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme preferred
• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in the national language of the duty station an asset
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in Evaluation Process Management, Follow-up on Recommendations and Dissemination of M&E results.
• Emerging international good practice in monitoring and evaluation partnerships.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in demography, statistics, and data management.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in methodology of M&E, including theories, standards and models, quantitative/qualitative/mixed methods, validity/reliability testing of data, data analysis and interpretation, and statistical inference methods.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in Activity Monitoring & Evaluation, Evaluation Design, data analysis, and reporting.
• Gender equality and diversity awareness
• Professional/technical knowledge/expertise in Team Management, Coaching & Training.
• Mastery of UNICEF’s M&E policies and procedures.
• Latest programme monitoring and evaluation theory, methodology, technology and tools.
• Understanding of UN Mission and system, current key UN topics; and International Code of Conduct.
• Understanding of UNICEF Mission Statement and UNICEF Guiding Principles.
• UNICEF strategic framework for partnerships and collaborative relationships
• UNICEF’s Core Values: 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
• UNICEF competencies: (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 (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people.

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested applicants who wish to join United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) should apply online at the link below

Click Here

Deadline: 20^th November 2023

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