Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor

With ongoing United Nations development and broader international humanitarian reform, a specific focus has been placed on collective action, system coordination, and as a key tenet of success, leadership.  

This Global Executive Leadership Initiative (GELI) is the first leadership development program that brings together senior field leaders from UN agencies, NGOs, and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to learn together and co-create a leadership ecosystem within the humanitarian and development sector.

GELI is a multifaceted programme tailored to the specific needs of each individual leader, capitalizing on their extensive experience and highly applicable to today’s operational realities. GELI includes three pillars.  Pillar I is a one-year executive leadership programme that includes three in-person residencies and remote learning.  Pillar II includes short and specialised field training delivered in regional capitals through a blended learning approach.  Pillar III is a Leadership and Innovation Lab to drive a culture of systems leadership, creativity, forward thinking and collaboration in the leadership community.  GELI will work with operational and academic partners to develop learning courses, provide country support to take systems leadership directly to the field/operational level, and encourage innovation and stimulate creative and effective leadership practice through its leadership lab.   

The Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor will be expected to perform the following duties and deliver a number of deliverables: 

• Develop a Theory of Change framework for the Global Executive Leadership Initiative (GELI).  The framework should articulate the overall impact and return of investment of the programme on leadership behaviour in operations.  The Theory of Change framework will clarify indicators relevant to leadership and the GELI programmes for M&E purposes:  measuring performance from the angle of collective leadership and impact over time.  It will include a series of indicators relevant to collective leadership, the adoption of system’s change or similar, and the impact that collective leadership or system’s change has on operations. 

• Develop an evaluation framework that is informed by the Theory of Change to measure the extent that leadership practice and behaviour has changed as a consequence of GELI’s programmes (to the extent possible). The framework will articulate a methodology and practice to develop a baseline and measure the degree that GELI has had on leadership behavior. 

  • The Theory of Change concept articulates a desired end goal of the project and works backwards, identifying milestones at certain points from the establishment of the project, through to its conclusion.  The milestones in a Theory of Change framework will inform the M&E framework for GELI as a project (all three pillars) to outline its journey to strengthen leadership capacities and behaviours, and measure its impact on leadership periodically and as the project evolves.

• Develop M&E guidance for GELI’s Pillar II and Pillar III activities (blended learning regional courses; the SDG Leadership Lab) with implementing partners.

  • GELI is contracting an implementing partner for three projects:  two blended learning courses delivered regional in five locations per year over three+ years, and one collaborative leadership project supporting Humanitarian Country Teams (HCTs) and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) in twenty four countries over three+ years (the SDG Leadership Lab).  The implementing partners in these projects will be designing an M&E framework for each project.  The consultant will work for GELI and with the implementing partners to ensure the M&E framework is well developed and relates to all three GELI pillars.

NOTE:  the timing of the recruitment for the consultancy contract will align with signing partnership agreements with partners, and will start when the partnership agreements for the blended learning programmes and the SDG Leadership Lab are in place.  The RFP process for one blended learning course is in the process of being concluded, and the deadline for the SDG Leadership Lab’s CFP will close on 4th March.  The partnership for the second blended learning course is a unique arrangement between USAID and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) and is already signed.  Bearing these timelines in mind, the consultancy is expected to start in May 2021 and will run for 60 days over approximately a four-month period.

The consultant will work closely with GELI colleagues and with implementing partners to ensure harmonization of M&E approaches, indicators, and evaluations for all the pillars of the GELI project.

Impact of Results 

GELI will use the meta-evaluation framework for the GELI programme designed under this consultancy to demonstrate the extent to which leadership training and GELI’s other activities have contributed to improved leadership in operations, and the impact this has on delivery in humanitarian operations and development contexts.  

The Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor will also contribute to pillars two (regional blended learning) and three (SDG Leadership Lab) have a robust M&E plan for each of its activities (blended learning programmes; and the SDG Leadership Lab).  There will be collaboration with Pillar One’s Executive Course as required to ensure consistency in the approach across all GELI pillars on monitoring and evaluation. 

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) preferably in research methods, statistics, social science research, or a related field, or;
• An Bachelor's degree combined with additional professional experience (two years more than stated in the experience section i.e. nine years or more) in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA)
• Contract level: International ICA Specialist Level 3 (Contract may be issued as Local ICA Specialist Level 11 based on the duty station of the successful candidate).
• Contract duration: Up to 60 working days within four months. Contract may be renewable subject to programme requirements, funding availability, and satisfactory performance.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.