Job Opportunity for Research & Evaluation Specialist at UNICEF in New Delhi

For every child, An Advocate…

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of a nation.

Evidence is at the heart of UNICEF’s work in India and critical to achieving UNICEF’s equity strategy. With the dynamic economic and political changes in India, the evidence function within UNICEF is becoming more important. Over the past few years, UNICEF’s evidence function has grown substantially in response to increased expectations from Government and other partners, who increasingly look to UNICEF as the knowledge leader on issues related to children. In order to provide sufficient technical and managerial support across all the programmatic sectors UNICEF works in, we are looking for a Research & Evaluation Specialist as part of the newly created Evidence Unit in UNICEF India. Under the leadership of the Chief Evidence (Data, Research and Evaluation) (P-4), the Research & Evaluation Specialist will support the effective design and conduct of research and evaluation functions.

How can you make a difference?

Under the Research and Evaluation Specialist (P-3), the Research & Evaluation Specialist provides technical and operational support to the overall planning, design, and implementation of the country office Plan for Research, Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation (PRIME), where appropriate across State offices, between agencies and with national and international stakeholders and collaborators. The Research & Evaluation Specialist is responsible for contributing to the design and effective conduct and uptake of evaluations, social data monitoring, and research in accordance with UNICEF’s mission, guiding principles, standards, commitments, regulatory framework (including policies, procedures and guidance), as well as professional norms and standards.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks: 

Plan for Research and Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation (PRIME)

Ensure that the Country Office and national partners use a well-prioritized and realistic plan of research, monitoring and evaluation activities that will provide the most relevant and strategic information to manage the Country Programme toward achieving expected results and towards coping with potential and actual emergencies.

▪ Prepare PRIME and regularly track progress and report to senior management. Enhance the culture of evidence generation and use and make professional contributions to and provide technical assistance for the planning and establishing of major research, monitoring and evaluation objectives, priorities, and activities in UNICEF’s multi-year and annual PRIME exercises.

▪ Support the development of UNSDCF M&E&R Plans.

▪ Identify the M&E&R objectives, priorities, and activities required for effective CO and partner Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans. In humanitarian response situations, adjust the prevailing PRIME plan in accordance with M&E&R guidance for emergency situations. Likewise, adjust the PRIME in accordance with the transition through the stages of transition and recovery.

▪ Identify gaps in knowledge and work with sector specialists to ensure these are addressed in planned evidence activities. Facilitate cross-sectoral collaboration in research and data collection activities.

▪ Provide technical support to ensure that a set of programme performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary in the context of the multi-year and annual PRIMEs and associated office-wide management plans and work plans.

▪ Consolidate E&R plans within required systems and documentation, including the PRIME planning software and in the costed evaluation plan that accompanies the country programme documentation for consideration by the Executive Board. Monitor progress and support CMT, AR, MTR and other review moments that lead to plan revisions. Provide input to management reports, including relevant sections of the annual reports.

Evaluation

Ensure that UNICEF-supported evaluations are designed and implemented to established UN quality standards, and the results are disseminated in a timely fashion to stakeholders in order to improve programme performance and contribute to wider learning.

▪ Guide the office and partners to identify priority evaluation topics in accordance with the coverage guidelines of the UNICEF Evaluation Policy, and in accordance with the commitments contained in UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and in the agreed country programme.

▪ Support development of national policy or policies (e.g. by sector) on evaluation by public, civil, and private partners. Support country-led evaluations of policies and programmes and the consideration of the results by partners. These country-led exercises may examine aspects of the UNICEF-government programme of cooperation or may look at entirely national efforts.

▪ For UNICEF-supported evaluations, guide UNICEF programme specialists and programme partners to formulate Terms of Reference and evaluation designs of high quality. Manage the recruitment of appropriate and highly qualified consultants.

▪ Lead the overall day-to-day management as the designated Evaluation Manager on evaluations in collaboration with programme specialists and partners.

▪ Coordinate the external review of key deliverables according to the Standard Operating Procedure of the office, by engaging an Evaluation Reference Group, an external review agency and colleagues in the regional office.

▪ Upload completed evaluation reports to EISI, UNICEF’s global Evaluation and Research Tool to allow global sharing and final quality review, and track management response actions in coordination with programme specialists. 

Research

Ensure that UNICEF-supported research is designed and implemented according to established UNICEF policies and procedures, and the results are disseminated in a timely fashion to stakeholders in order to improve programme performance and contribute to wider learning

• Facilitate research quality assure processes at the CO level in accordance with the UNICEF Policy on Research. Ensure that the Standard Operating Procedures outline the quality assurance process for research and that checklists, guidance and other tools are available to research project managers from all sectors.

• Technically support UNICEF programme specialists and programme partners to formulate Terms of Reference for high quality research projects.

• Review the Terms of Reference for upcoming major research projects and drafts of research reports.

• Coordinate with the peer review process of major research projects and coordinate feedback to Supervisor/CMT/stakeholders to ensure quality and compliance with the UNICEF Policy on Research and country office research priorities.

• Assist with the recruitment and selection of appropriately qualified research consultants, ensuring that the selection process is in compliance with UNICEF standards for performance, accountability, transparency and ethics.

• Coordinate research project managers from all sectors with the development of a multimethod communication plan to disseminate research findings to intended audiences via user-friendly methods.

• As part of Country Office Reporting, upload completed research reports to EISI, UNICEF’s global Evaluation and Research Tool to allow global sharing and final quality review.

• Ensure all research follows the ethical principles and standards outlined in the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation and Data Collection and Analysis. 

Evaluation and Research Capacity Building

Ensure that the research, monitoring and evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – government and civil society – are strengthened enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead research, monitoring and evaluation processes.

• Promote the awareness and understanding of the shared responsibility of R,M&E function among all staff members through communication, training, learning and development activities organization wide.

• In close collaboration with partners, ensure that an R,M&E capacity building strategy for UNICEF/UN staff national partners and institutions exists in the context of the RPIME or UNSDCF M&E plan. Pay attention so the capacity needs of national partners such as professional evaluation associations will be strengthened by involvement in evaluation processes and possibly through specific capacity building initiatives.

• Collaborate to implement capacity building strategies as a joint commitment with other developmental partners. Utilize a range of appropriate skills building strategies including self-learning, seminars and workshops and practical experience in order that UNICEF and UN staff have the basic knowledge and skills in understanding and applying new R,M&E policies, tools, methods to fulfil their responsibilities. Similarly, design and implement strategies suited to the skills needs of national partners.

• Actively seek partnerships with knowledge institutions for the identification of capacity gaps and development of strategies to address them.

Coordination, Networking and Knowledge Management

Ensure that the UNICEF office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF Research, Evaluation and Evidence developments in a way that both contributes to and benefits from organizational learning on effective delivery of results for children

• Collaborate with Regional Programme Planning, Evaluation & Research Advisers, HQ Evaluation Office, Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring and Office of Research-Innocenti for overall coordination of priority research, monitoring, evaluation and research activities, especially those of regional scope requiring the coordinated effort of multiple countries.

• Partner with the Regional Advisers to ensure that current and accurate evidence are included in regional reports, multi-country studies, and knowledge sharing networks.

• Undertake lessons-learned reviews on successful and unsuccessful evaluation and research practices and experience at the national level, and ensure they are shared as appropriate. Similarly, pay attention to knowledge networks to identify innovations and lessons learned that may be relevant for the CO and partners to improve their evaluation and research function. 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social sciences, statistics, development studies, planning or relevant field.

Experience:

A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in programme development and managing monitoring, research and evaluation activities. Experience in field work required.
At least one instance of exposure to emergency programming, including preparedness planning will be an asset. Active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme will be an asset.
Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.