Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

You are invited to join a team of dedicated development professionals whose primary role is to support the Philippines to achieve the 2030 Agenda. As part of the UNDP team your focus will be to work with multiple stakeholders to find the country specific solutions that lead to resilience to crises, and to ensure no one is left behind - and we reach those furthest behind first.

In Mindanao, UNDP has played a critical role in supporting various peace processes, including technical and operational assistance during the peace negotiations as well as in the implementation of peace agreements towards realizing peace dividends for communities in conflict-affected areas. This accompaniment process has included substantive technical and operational support for conflict-prevention, governance and peacebuilding. Specifically, the Peacebuilding Cluster has implemented technical and operational support for capacity-strengthening on conflict-sensitivity and peace-promotion among regional government institutions; community resilience and socio-economic empowerment assistance for communities most affected by armed conflict; and support for peace process mechanisms, including on key components of the Normalization process. In addition, projects under the Cluster also focus on strengthening meaningful participation and empowerment of sectoral groups (women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and internally displaced persons) through the mainstreaming and operationalization of the Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security agenda.

To support results-based monitoring and evaluation for Peacebuilding projects, UNDP is seeking a Monitoring and Evaluation Associate who is willing to be based in Cotabato City, and who will support the Project Manager in establishing and operationalizing the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning system of Peacebuilding projects, including (1) Programme on Stabilization, Peacebuilding and Resilience Phase 2, (2) Joint Programme on Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace, and (3) Preventing Violent Extremism.

The M&E Associate will work closely with local authorities, civil society organizations, UN agencies, and various stakeholders to ensure a coordinated approach to governance, stabilization and resilience, and normalization initiatives under the Project. The M&E Associate will support MEAL initiatives ensuring effective monitoring and reporting of key outputs and results from the Project. The M&E Associate will also help operationalize and enhance feedback and response mechanisms for the Project, ensuring that appropriate, timely and effective action and referral are facilitated in response to feedback or grievances received from partners and stakeholders.

Together with project team members and partners, the M&E Associate will provide support for quality assurance processes relative to the established progress on indicators, tracking achievements, challenges encountered and identifying lessons learned. In doing so, s/he will provide information that will support the Project Board and the Project Staff in decision making in line with the overall strategic objectives of the Project. S/he will also carry out capacity building and mentoring of Project staff and partners in relation to the Project’s MEAL system.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Project Manager, the M&E Associate will be tasked to deliver distinct outputs of the project, to ensure quality implementation. He/ She will work with key partners and stakeholders, to effectively deliver M&E outputs of the project, to support quality Project implementation towards achievement of delivery targets.

Programme Management Support:

Support planning, design and management of the Peacebuilding Projects;
Provide analysis and written outputs on the work of the Project, emerging issues and their impact for the implementation of the governance, conflict prevention, stabilization and normalization initiatives under the Project;
Supports the formulation, revision, and implementation of the Annual Work Plan;
Support partnership with think tanks, academic and research institutions and lead on specified action research activities that will contribute to the implementation of the Project;
Support the Project team in the preparation of key events on Project governance, such as Project Board meetings, donor visits to the project sites, and verification and monitoring missions;
Support the Project team in drafting and revising technical reports and donor reports.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:

Ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of the Project, including through recommending improvement of results frameworks to align to the UNDP CPD and SP;
Maintain and update the project’s monitoring and evaluation plan, based on the Project document, specifically in terms of the outputs, outcomes and indicators, including the following:
- Identifying sources of data and collection methods (quantitative and qualitative);
- Identifying criteria and assessment process to examine Project benefits and sustainability;
- Developing M&E tools for Project activities and outputs aligned with the identified indicators;
- Facilitating training and guidance for Project staff and partners regarding the application of M&E tools as well as data collection and analysis procedures;
- Regular review and updating of the M&E plan, including maintaining of data repository for the Project;
Implement MEAL activities included in the Annual Work Plan, with particular focus on results and impacts, through the following processes:
- Adopting a results-based approach for monitoring and evaluation, emphasizing results and impact;
- Preparing consolidated progress reports to inform Project management through identification of challenges and bottlenecks in Project implementation and recommended solutions;
- Facilitating field visits to support M&E, including gathering of change stories;
- Co-designing and supporting evaluation mission, data quality assessments and lessons learning workshops;
Establish and operationalize Feedback and Response Mechanisms for the Project, including regular analysis of feedback received and responses provided to affected partners and stakeholders;
Support regular monitoring of risks and application of social and environmental safeguards and other risk management measures, including updating of Project risk logs;
Prepare and consolidate Project reports (monthly, quarterly, annual) and facilitate regular assessment of Project implementation relative to criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the Project, including through regular reviews;
Organize and support monitoring and evaluation missions involving UNDP, the Philippine Government, the BARMM Government, and donor delegates to visit field sites and activities on the ground.

Support Knowledge Management:

Identify and consolidate lessons learned and recommendations to be integrated into UNDP’s broader knowledge management efforts;
Contribute to relevant knowledge networks and communities of practice, with a view to facilitating innovation and knowledge sharing mechanisms;
Liaise with the Communications Team to formulate outreach, communication and reporting materials and packages to support resource mobilization and general communication efforts including visibility events to promote Project achievements to the relevant stakeholders.

The incumbent will also perform other duties and responsibilities within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

Business Management

Partnerships Management: Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
- Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively;
- Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results.
- Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming.
- Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools.
- Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks.
- Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Direction & Strategy

Futures & foresight:
- Ability to look at information from the past and present, identify patterns and trends and use them to inform decision making with a long-term view.
- Being sensitive and able to scan horizons and pick up weak signals of change, explore their potential implications and assess their impact and urgency.
- Using creativity and imagination to communicate insights in compelling and engaging ways to challenge current mental models;
- Ability to develop scenarios, speculative designs to present future visions or by making it experiential.
- Being able to facilitate debate and discussion about possible futures;
- Help people to feel comfortable with the discomfort of uncertainty.

Audit & Investigation - General

Financial and Managerial Accounting and Finance key concepts: Key concepts and principles of financial accounting, interpret financial analysis, managerial accounting, etc.

Digital & Innovation

Collective Intelligence Design
- Ability to design, lead or manage processes that help a collective to become smarter together by bringing together diverse groups of people, data, and technology.
- Ability to define and articulate why and how collective intelligence can add value to development programming (understanding problems; finding solutions; decision making and mobilizing action; monitoring progress in real time, learning and adapting).
- Being able to integrate different types of data (real-time, ‘ground- truth’ and novel data) to unlock fresh insights.
- Understand guidelines and principles around data privacy, ethics and protection.
- Increase diversity of inputs – and look beyond the 'usual suspects', ability to navigate and manage a variety of actors, appreciate the diversity in perspectives, opinions, expertise.
- Ability to facilitate platforms or sessions where people can contribute by providing their views and ideas independently and freely.
- Being people-centered: ensure people understand and can determine how their data is used.
- Feed back inputs and insights to empower people, don't extract data.

Digital

Data Literacy:
- Understand the potential as well as the limitations of using data driven innovation.
- Ability to use a mix of data sources (quantitative, qualitative or real-time techniques) to develop understanding, identify patterns to inform decision making or identify opportunities for further exploration.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Secondary Education is required. or
University or college degree (bachelor's degree) in Economics, Statistics, Data Science, Development Studies, Business Administration will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

Minimum of seven (7) years (with secondary education) or four (4) years (with Bachelor’s degree) of professional experience in monitoring & evaluation support for peacebuilding and/or development projects or programs.

Required Skills:

At least four (4) years demonstrated experience in results-based monitoring and evaluation related to peacebuilding, community area development and community transformation;
At least four (4) years demonstrated experience in collecting and analyzing M&E data and facilitating project reporting for decision-makers and development partners;
At least four (4) years experience using MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, database systems, and overall report writing, is required,

Desired Skills:

At least five (5) years of experience in handling web-based monitoring and management systems, preferably Oracle (Quantum);
At least five (5) years of experience in engaging institutional and community partners in monitoring and evaluating peacebuilding and/or development programmes in different provinces of the BARMM;
At least four (4) years demonstrated experience in analyzing quantitative data using statistical software such as SPSS, Stata, R among others.
Previous working experience in Mindanao, particularly in the BARMM.

Required Language(s):

Fluency in English and Filipino language is required.
Knowledge of BARMM dialect is an advantage.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

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Monitoring & Evaluation Associate [Open to Internal & External Applicants]