Programme Management Advisor (MEAL) - Retainer positions , Multiple positions

Myanmar is one of UNOPS’ leading offices in Asia, acting as fund manager for some of the largest development programmes in the country. In addition, UNOPS is Principal Recipient for the Global Fund in Myanmar and for the Global Fund’s regional artemisinin-resistance initiative targeting drug resistant malaria in the greater Mekong sub-region. UNOPS also provides procurement, infrastructure and project management services to a wide range of organizations in the country, including international development partners, other UN agencies, NGOs and INGOs. UNOPS plays a critical role in ensuring that the quality of services provided to its partners meets stringent requirements of speed, efficiency and cost effectiveness.

The Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT) is a multi-donor fund established in 2010 to address food insecurity and income poverty in Myanmar. LIFT currently receives funding from 9 donors – the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, the United States, New Zealand, and Norway. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is the Fund Manager to administer the funds and provide monitoring and oversight.

LIFT’s overall goal has been to sustainably reduce the number of people living in poverty and hunger in Myanmar. LIFT’s purpose going into the 2024-2028 strategic period is to strengthen the food security and sustainable livelihoods of poor and vulnerable groups to recover from and withstand variable shocks and stressors. LIFT’s strategic level outcomes are (1) To improve nutritional status of vulnerable households, with emphasis on women and children; (2) To contribute to sustaining or increasing improved and gender-responsive livelihood strategies; and, (3) To increase community resilience by supporting gender-responsive and inclusive risk management, social protection, and social cohesion.  

LIFT expects to maintain 40-60 grant agreements with implementing partners during the 2024-2028 strategic period. Implementing partners include international and national non-government organisations, civil society organisations (CSOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), United Nations agencies, and private sector organisations, as well as academic and research institutions. 

LIFT’s programming is oriented along three geographical areas including: (1) Rakhine and Chin States; (2) Central Dry Zone, Peri-Urban Yangon, and the Ayeyarwady Delta (CDU); and (3) Northeast (Kachin State and Northern Shan State) and Southeast (Southern Shan State, Kayah, Kayin, and Mon States,and Tanintharyi Region). LIFT programming addresses several key technical areas, including Nutrition and WASH, Agriculture and NRM, Rural Finance, Migration and Small Business Development; and Social Protection. LIFT programming is committed to empowering local actors, achieving gender equality, and promoting social inclusion.

LIFT’s Monitoring and Evaluation for Accountability and Learning (MEAL)  

During 2023, LIFT reviewed its approach and methods for MEAL matters in order to ensure that MEAL is fit for purpose going into a new strategic period 2024-2028 in a highly dynamic context characterised by widespread armed conflict and worsening socioeconomic circumstances. This review has resulted in the development of a revised MEAL framework for 2024-2028. The overall aim is to increase the capacity of LIFT and its partners to generate and use robust evidence to measure and improve performance across LIFT’s programming portfolio. LIFT’s MEAL system has three main and overlapping functions: 

• enabling accountability - both upward to donors and downward to partners and communities

• supporting learning and adaptive management in projects and programmes

• generating evidence to inform wider interventions in food security, livelihoods and resilience 

The development and implementation of this framework will require a significant upgrading of MEAL systems, capacities and practices within the FMO and amongst implementing partners. 

As a result, LIFT is now looking to hire experienced international and national (Myanmar) professionals on a retainer basis to provide and/or support a range of Programme Management Advisor for MEAL-specific managerial (advisory) and technical services.    

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

There are two objectives of the assignment. The primary objective concerns advisory services in support of MEAL management and implementation. This can include backstopping support for various components of the Fund Management Office (FMO), including the MEAL, Communications, and Programmes teams. Specific tasks may include reporting; capacity strengthening, learning and knowledge management, data collection and data management.

A secondary objective is to carry out midterm and final evaluations of LIFT projects and/or geographic programmes as needed. The evaluations can be carried out by a mix of methods, mostly qualitative, and will include desk reviews and field visits to key informants, beneficiaries and project staff as the context allows. An evaluation can take between 2-3 weeks, depending on the complexity and the specifics of the project or programme. 

This vacancy is open to all nationalities. 

Under the direct supervision of the Sr. MEAL Manager and in accordance with UNOPS policies, procedures and practices, the MEAL Programme Management Advisor will be responsible for the following activities:

MEAL Management Support

• Provide strategic advice and support concerning the development, implementation, and updating of an effective MEAL system that (1) promotes accountability to the LIFT Fund Board, communities, and beneficiaries; and, (2) supports meaningful collaboration with LIFT  partners.

• Advise and support the preparation of quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reporting to the Fund Board.

• Participate in relevant  technical meetings and maintaining contacts with key stakeholders ensuring that discussions integrate a technically-sound MEAL perspective.

• Participate in Fund Management Office and Fund Board meetings to provide technical MEAL inputs, as directed.

Learning and Knowledge Management

• Support a culture of learning both within the MEAL Unit and the overall FMO

• Help ensure effective collaboration between the MEAL and Communication teams in matters concerning knowledge management. 

• Ensure that MEAL data are readily available, as appropriate, to the FMO, Fund Board, partners, and other stakeholders, particularly on impact and lessons learnt from Fund activities

• Advise and support MEAL capacity strengthening for the national MEAL team and programme teams, as well as partner MEAL teams.

• Provide technical support in improving information sharing on all aspects related to MEAL activities among the team stakeholders, including learning and knowledge products

Data Collection and Data Management

• Advise and support the design of baseline, mid-term and final evaluation surveys;

• Provide technical advice to ensure adequate feedback to/from Fund beneficiaries on data and analyses

• Support the development and implementation of data visualization (i.e., mapping, graphics)

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Review and ensure the MEAL systems align with MEAL Frameworks in order to generate data for results measurements and impact assessments

• Provide technical advice to LIFT’s monitoring and evaluation activities including the preparation of annual MEAL work plans, budgets, and staff allocations

• Inform technical MEAL responses to ad hoc requests for information from the Fund Board and others

• Support monitoring and evaluation missions commissioned by the Fund Board or UNOPS

• Conduct project and programme evaluations as needed

• Ensure that MEAL activities and processes are conflict-sensitive and adhere to Do No Harm principles

• Support in the incorporation of MEAL findings into LIFT reports and providing recommendations to the Fund Board

• Support the preparation of quarterly, semi- annual, and annual reporting to the Fund Board

Monitoring and progress controls

Once a consultant is contracted, he/she will be contacted to conduct a specific task based on his/her expertise. The deliverables and number of days will be agreed through a so-called task note which will provide the details of the planned activity.

The retainers will work in close coordination with the LIFT programme managers under the supervision of the MEAL Senior Manager and will be expected to report in a timely fashion on the assigned task notes.

Deliverables

Outputs and reporting requirements will be detailed in Task Notes specific to each assignment. Task Notes will include:

• Administration and logistics arrangements 

• Indicative work plan 

• Travel requirements, if any 

• Deliverables: Regarding evaluation work, this often includes a debriefing to the partners and LIFT staff at the end of the field visit, and a final report on the findings. Regarding advisory services, the actual deliverables will be specified in a task note.

• A Master’s Degree is required. Preferably in Social Sciences, Business Administration, Research and Statistics, Information Technology, Agricultural Sciences, Political Sciences, Development Studies, Rural Finance & Economics, Nutrition or related field.
• Additional two years of experience with a Bachelor’s Degree is considered equivalent.

• Quarterly, Bi-Annual, Annual MEAL Reporting

• Qualitative/Quantitative Research and Survey Design

• Data-base Management, including Visualisation

• MEAL capacity strengthening, personnel and systems

• MEAL capacity strengthening, local partners (CSOs, CBOs)

• Remote Monitoring and Third Party Monitoring (TPM)

• MEAL management in conflict affected areas

• Learning and Knowledge Management

• Nutrition and WASH

• Climate Smart Agriculture, including: Natural Resource Management (NRM), land tenure, livestock production, crop extension services, small-scale irrigation, seed production,fisheries and aquaculture;

• Local Governance and Community-based Programming

• Social Protection;

• Rural Finance (non-formal financial inclusion mechanisms); 

• Cash/Voucher Assistance (CVA)

• Labour & migration, including TVET and capacity building

• Gender and Social Inclusion

•   Fluency in both written and spoken English is essential.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) 
Contract level: IICA-3/LICA-11
Contract duration: Until June 2026 - Retainer not exceeding 100 days per calendar year

Other considerations:

Each position will be contracted for up to 100 days per calendar year, extendable until June 2026 upon satisfactory services. There will be no guarantee of any number of days work under the contract. 

Applicants are requested to:

• Submit a letter of motivation specifying experience and skills in relation to the subject areas.

• Include the names and contact details of three recent, professional referees.

• Apply to one or more subject thematic areas proposed.

• Indicate their daily fee expectations in USD; and

Note:

• This vacancy is open to all nationalities. 

• This is a home-based contract. The successful candidate shall be offered either local  ICA or international ICA based on their location (duty station).

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.