Project Management Support - Associate (M&E)- Internal Applicant ONLY

Afghanistan

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the people of Afghanistan through the delivery of projects and services that improve the lives of people in need. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency. At present, UNOPS AFCO activities cover a range of sectors including humanitarian, basic human needs, cash for work, infrastructure, development, procurement and HR services.

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to improving the lives of girls, boys, men and women living in Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the humanitarian response and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve the lives of Afghans in need.

Project Information

Responding to one of the most complex humanitarian crises in the world, the Afghanistan Inter-Agency Information and Accountability Centre (IAIAC) known as Awaaz Afghanistan is an inter-agency two-way communication and accountability mechanism that responds to the information and communication needs of affected populations in Afghanistan and allows affected populations to shape their own relief and recovery. Based in Kabul and functioning as a toll-free humanitarian helpline, Awaaz Afghanistan is a link to the partnership between those who wish to assist and those who need assistance and is accountable to both constituencies.

Supported by the Humanitarian Country Team, with current funding from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the Japanese Supplementary Fund (JSF), and the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Awaaz’s primary objective is to promote two-way communication between affected populations to:

1. Empower communities through the provision of accessible and timely information on how to access humanitarian services and resources required to improve their situation

2. Help ensure efficient and effective coordination of humanitarian actors operating in Afghanistan by collecting and circulating information about the urgent needs and priorities of affected populations

3. Support an environment of transparency and accountability by:

   • Establishing an easy-to-access and safe mechanism through which affected populations can lodge feedback and complaints

   • Channeling feedback and complaints to humanitarian actors to influence humanitarian programming and shape quality advocacy

Job-Specific Information

UNOPS is seeking a Project Management Support - Associate to support the M&E Officer in call center data quality assurance, post call monitoring surveys, and remote call monitoring. The outcome of this consultancy is to further strengthen and streamline Awaaz data management processes as part of its overall objective to strengthen accountability to affected populations in Afghanistan. 

The result of this consultancy achieves Awaaz’s objectives through the provision of:

• Effective implementation of the quality assurance programme to monitor the performance of call handling agents and the service provided to callers, and to enhance their capacity/skills. 

The incumbent reports to the M&E Officer, which reports to the Project Manager at UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO).

The incumbent will perform the following duties with transparency and integrity, and in adherence to the humanitarian standards for information management as provided by the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP), the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Sphere Handbook:

• Provide support to the M&E Officer and Information Management team for data quality assurance as needed.

• Support M&E Officer in implementation of quality assurance operating procedures and performance indicators, including monitoring and evaluating call handling performance and data entry against indicators, and in conducting user satisfaction surveys and remote monitoring surveys;

• Support M&E Officer in tracking of key performance indicators (KPI) for operators.

• Support M&E Officer with ongoing capacity building sessions for operators to maintain and advance core skills (active listening, stress management) and to augment existing skills, knowledge, and capacity on specific areas including protection and gender-related issues. 

• Identify and report technical issues affecting the operationalization of the IAIAC;

• Support internal and external information management structures to ensure the timely accurate delivery of information to both affected populations and to quality assure data capturing and processing

• Remain informed of accurate and up-to-date information on the humanitarian response and information relevant to affected communities. Ensure this information is shared with the team in a time sensitive manner.

• Handle calls, perform weekend/early/late shifts when required.

• Support in conducting daily and weekly analysis of call log, referring cases and tracking cases referred to partners and their level of feedback as it comes in. Document this feedback from partners in a systematic way to facilitate analysis and reporting of impact, closing the loop on complaints, and supporting the overall accountability of humanitarian actors to the affected population. 

• Support M&E officer in data cleaning, assigning tasks to operators, and conducting & reporting on Remote Call Monitoring (RCM) services. 

• Support in the development, implementation, and updating of standard operating procedures for every aspect of the daily call center operations.

• Support in the development/updating of operator scripts, IVR messaging, and the design of telephone routing systems to ensure that callers are quickly able to obtain the information they require.

• Check and respond to out-of-hours messages, follow up on attempts to connect to the AIAIC during out-of-office hours.

• Support M&E office in shift scheduling and perform as acting supervisor when required.

• Demonstrate an ability to learn quickly, follow procedures, and act professionally at all times

• Be flexible in undertaking the duties and responsibilities attached to their job; incumbents may be asked to perform other duties which reasonably correspond to the general character of their job and their level of responsibility, including taking meeting minutes. 

a. Education

• Completion of secondary school is required. First-level university degree in project management, business administration, international relations or a related field is desirable but not required.

b. Work Experience 

• Minimum of 6 years of progressive responsible experience in Monitoring and Evaluation, Data Collection, Data Analysis, and reporting is required.

• Strong background in data collection, analysis and presentation of data is required.

• Working knowledge of Google suits and usage of computers and Microsoft Office software packages (MS Word, Excel especially) is required.

• Knowledge of and experience in gender sensitivity, gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, mine-risk awareness, active listening techniques, basic counseling techniques for distressed callers among other skills, referral pathways, and Accountability to Affected Populations is desirable.

• Experience working in a call center or other related field handling customer/team enquiries is desirable.

• Knowledge of new data analysis and visualization solutions such as PowerBI and Tableau is desirable.

c.  Languages

• Fluency (oral and written) in English is required.

• Pashto and Dari languages are highly desired.

Contract type: Local ICA

• 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.