National UNV: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist in Jordan

Mission and objectives

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency that works in nearly 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and build resilience. UNDP helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals1. UNDP emphasizes developing local capacity towards long-term self-sufficiency and prosperity.

Context

UNDP Arab States Regional Programme’s Youth Empowerment, Engagement and Knowledge (Shababeek) Project team supports development for young people in the Arab region as part of UNDP’s Bureau for Arab States overall mandate. The Shababeek serves as a portfolio and is home to several youth-focused regional projects with direct support to UNDP country offices in the Arab region. More than 60 percent of the region’s population is under the age of 30, and the current youth generation is historically the largest youth cohort this region has witnessed over the past 50 years, making up 30% of its population of 370 million. Youth are demanding responsive political systems and social justice as much as they seek equitable economic opportunities. Meeting these demands in a region with some of the most complex and long-standing conflicts and highest youth unemployment rate in the world requires multifaceted approaches both at the regional and country levels. The project contributes to strengthening the enabling environment for job-rich, green growth and transformation in the Arab region and or reinforcing capacities for their effective implementation; developing leadership, management and entrepreneurship skills of young people; and helping to connect them to productive youth employment opportunities; and enabling the adoption of a deliberative process of policy articulation between governments and youth as policy shapers. In helping to create opportunities for youth in the Arab region to unleash their creativity and leadership in civic, economic and political spheres, the project aims to fundamentally shift societies’ perception of youth as problems to assets for regional transformation and social cohesion. In short, it will aims to co-generate a conducive environment for young people to become job creators, future-proof job seekers, community builders and policy shapers. One of the projects under the Shababeek Portfolio is the Green Growth and Jobs Accelerator. This project concerns four countries including Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. The Accelerator will support established entrepreneurs and SMEs, of which 10% will be youth-led, to accelerate green growth in their businesses and through this, support the local transition to a green and sustainable economy, and enable green jobs for youth. One important approach is to ensure careful tracking and monitoring implementation and progress at country-level and submit data and narrative reports to our partners. Additional information: National UN Specialist Volunteers in Jordan are entitled to: • Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) at the amount of JOD 1,068.5; • Annual and learning leaves; • Free Medical and life insurance; and • Free access to different learning platforms.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of UNDP/RBAS Regional YEEP Project Manager, the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist will support the implementation of youth related activities at the regional and national levels. The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist should carry out the following tasks in a period during the 12 months assignment:

• Lead the MEAL for the overall Shababeek portfolio/projects which includes setting up a dynamic system of data collection, learning loops, and reporting;

• Review and consolidate the M&E plan on an annual basis as part of the annual work plan submission and ensure M&E activities are adequately budgeted for;

• Ensure that MEAL guidance is understood, advice and support country office staff in implementation, completing the annual compliance check, and ensuring areas of weakness are addressed;

• Track, collect, analyze results and progress against the results indicators in the Portfolio and relevant projects’ Result and Resources Framework to assess the progress of the project in achieving the agreed outputs;

• Adapt measurement tools and processes and update in discussion with the Project manager the results framework as necessary;

• Set up monthly reflection across all projects in the portfolio: at these events we will convene relevant country office staff, other partners and stakeholders and beneficiaries in collective reflection sessions;

• Organize and lead quarterly reflection sessions with country offices and stakeholders implementing the projects;

• Prepare and submit quarterly monitoring updates for the Green Growth and Jobs Accelerator and contribute to the preparation of the yearly report;

• Work with country level project staff for efficient data collection and country level analysis;

• Support in monitoring synergies, integrated approaches and partnerships with all participating country offices implementing the projects under the Shababeek portfolio including the Green Growth and Jobs Accelerator.

• Provide support to ensure resources for MEAL are appropriately budgeted; develop tools for quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis as well as support the analysis of qualitative data collected by country offices to better understand and explain the outcomes and impacts; • Capture and report on good practices and lessons learned;

• Organize ad hoc learning sessions as needed;

• Advise Project Manager on an ad-hoc basis about convening other external actors, such as funders, governments and other external allies to help make sense of, share and/or act on insights emerging from the portfolio’s projects;

• Support evaluation processes (mid-term and final evaluations) and any other assessments;

• Prepare data and results to feed into presentations to stakeholders, briefs for missions and management,; pitching materials to potential donors, when required;

• Compile and consolidate performance indicator progress as part of the donor reports and ensure strong programme analysis based on indicator progress;

• Train country office staff on the MEAL approach for all projects in the Shababeek Portfolio, and ensure synergies in data collection at all levels;

• Lead drafting of all donors reports in accordance with donor requirements as well as annual reports required corporately;

• Work closely with communications colleagues to feed in results for external communication materials;

• Undertake related ad-hoc tasks that are requested by the Regional Portfolio Manager;