Impact Learning & Monitor Analyst at UNDP

Job Identification: 2296
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Schedule: Full time
Grade: NOB
Contract Duration: 1 Year
Vacancy Type: Fixed Term
Practice Area: Management
Bureau: Regional Bureau for Africa

Background

• Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with an estimated population of 206 Million1 and an annual population growth rate of 2.6%2. By 2050, the country’s population is expected to have doubled, reaching more than 400 million and thereby becoming the third largest country in the world3. More than half of its population will be under the age of 30 years.
• At the same time, unemployment and under-employment are one of the key development challenges facing young people in Nigeria and undermining the prospects of the country to achieve its development aspirations and fulfil its potential as the continent’s largest economy.
•  According to the National Bureau for Statistics’ report of 2018, over 13.9 million youth are unemployed. The highest unemployment rate was recorded for youths between 15 – 24 years standing at 40.8%, followed by those aged between 25 – 34 years at 30.7%. Investing in Nigeria’s youth is therefore becoming more urgent than ever.
• In response to this complex development challenge, the Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other partners, seeks to invest in the next generation of leaders through the establishment of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (JFP) - a platform for empowering young Nigerian graduates with practical on-the-job skills and leadership competencies through a twelve-month paid placement opportunity.
• Under this programme, highly qualified recent graduates of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme will be provided with work opportunities within private sector organisations, the public sector, UN agencies and development organisations.
• The goal of the NJPF is to enhance these Fellows with professional and leadership capacities thereby enabling them to positively contribute to the social and economic development prospects of Nigeria. The enrolment of an initial 20,000 Fellows is envisaged followed by a scaling up of the programme in the coming years.
• The Jubilee Fellows Programme will expand opportunities for learning to work transitions for fresh graduates in Nigeria through placement opportunities, job market information, skills transfer and facilitated learning. It is designed as a partnership platform that brings together private and public sector actors – including learning institutions to co-create and deploy to scale a viable solution that enhances youth employability, entrepreneurship and retention of national talent.

Position Purpose

• To this end, UNDP Nigeria is seeking a qualified Impact Learning and Monitoring Analyst to provide technical leadership in the implementation of the Jubilee Fellowship program framework, plans and indicators to capture project performance results and provide effective, accurate and timely monitoring, evaluation and reporting of all project activities.
• The ILM Analyst will work with UNDP CO, JFP project team, and relevant partners to ensure that lessons learned are consistently identified and integrated into the program implementation to continuously improve the quality of interventions and outcomes.
• The ILM Analyst is responsible for documenting and disseminating program results with partners and leads impact evaluation activities.

Duties & Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of Crisis Prevention and Recovery Advisor (Jubilee Fellows Team Lead), the Impact Learning and Monitoring Analyst will be responsible for the following functions and tasks:

Summary of Key Functions:

• Support the coordination and planning of the JFP project outputs and results in collaboration with project team members, private sector host entities, Government partners and UNDP CO.
• Provide leadership in project monitoring and implementation to align with project goals and objectives
• Ensure effective management of the project evaluation process in accordance with UNDP evaluation policies, procedures and practices.
• Coordinate knowledge building and sharing activities amongst partners to enhance capacity development and improve project implementation.

Support the coordination and planning of the JFP project outputs and results in collaboration with project team members, private sector host entities, Government partners, and UNDP CO:

• Oversee the development and implementation of the Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) to capture project performance and results, including routine service delivery data reporting, baseline, and endline assessments, and all monitoring for process and outcome evaluations
• Develop and oversee data flow patterns for the program that will ensure timely data collection and reporting
• Ensure quality of data through data verification procedures, including routine data quality audits
• Coordinate progress of project activities and outputs within the project to ensure synergies within components.
• Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation plans in coordination with component coordinators and other relevant project staff.

Provide leadership in project monitoring and implementation to align with project goals and objectives:

• Design and implement a monitoring mechanism to monitor and ensure the timely implementation of all activities under each component of the Jubilee Fellowship including the development of performance indicators and success criteria for each component.
• Coordinate the implementation of different components of the Jubilee Fellowship in collaboration with the program team, private sector host entities, Government partners and the talent management team.
• Monitor financial expenditure of the project and ensure that financial delivery of the project is in accordance with the project plans.
• Support liaison with all relevant partners to determine the level of effectiveness of the activities and outputs of the project.
• Monitor risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Prepare presentations and briefings including performance monitoring charts and tables on all components of the project.

Ensure effective management of the project evaluation process in accordance with UNDP evaluation policies, procedures and practices:

• Lead efforts to monitor and evaluate project interventions, document results and provide feedback to stakeholders to guide decision-making.
• Prepare an evaluation plan to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the project and to ensure that activities and outputs result in positive outcomes.
• Carry out a quarterly informal and annual formal evaluation of the project in coordination with the project team, Jubilee Fellows, private sector host entities, Government partners, and talent management team.
• Integrate evaluation findings and feedback into project implementation activities to improve project outcomes.

Coordinate knowledge building and sharing activities amongst partners to enhance capacity development and improve project implementation:

• Identify and formulate lessons learned and recommendations to be integrated into project implementation efforts.
• Contribute to relevant knowledge networks and communities of practice, with a view to facilitating innovation and knowledge sharing mechanisms among countries and programmes.
• Liaise with the Communication team to finalize outreach, communication and reporting materials and packages to support for resource mobilization and general communication efforts.
• Liaise with the Communication team to develop and publish success stories of the Jubilee Fellowship on social media platforms as well as on the JFP digital platform.
• Coordinate the development and dissemination of quarterly reports in collaboration with project team members, UNDP CO, private sector host entities, and Government partners.
• Perform any other duties as required and requested.

Impact of results:

• The key results have an impact on the overall effectiveness and success of UNDP’s interventions and activities in achieving the country’s development and the SGDs.  
• Effective implementation of evaluation policies and strategies, as well as efficient management of the evaluation process, enhance the organization’s capacity and credibility to provide leadership and high-quality technical advice on the formulation of innovative programme strategies and projects which address specific needs of the country in the UNDP Practice Areas.
• As an active UNDP CO team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNDP and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his M&E duties, resulting in a positive impact on the overall success of UNDP’s programming to support the Jubilee fellows programme.

People Management:

• Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: None for now
• UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.  

Requirements
Education:

• Master's Degree or equivalent in Social Policy, Public Policy, Politics, Development Studies, Statistics, Political Science, International Relations or related field.
• A Bachelor's Degree with additional 2 years of qualifying experience may be considered in lieu of the Masters's degree.

Experience:

• 2 years (Masters Degree) or 4 years (Bachelors Degree) of progressively responsible experience in programme management, design, monitoring, and learning is required.
• Experience in monitoring and reporting on projects/programmes funded by multiple donors and with political sensitivity is desirable.
• Previous experience working within private sector institutions is desirable
• Experience in gender analysis and gender mainstreaming is desirable
• Expertise in analyzing data using statistical software is desirable.
• Strong inter-personal and teamwork skills.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, as well as experienced in the handling of web-based management systems.

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: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Adapt with Agility: Level 1: Open-minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
• Act with Determination: Level 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
• Engage and Partner: Level 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion:  Level 1: Appreciate/respect differences, be aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Functional & Technical competencies:

• Business Direction & Strategy - Business Acumen: Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome. Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks.
• Business Direction & Strategy - Negotiation and Influence: Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain an advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiate mutually acceptable solutions through compromise, and creates 'win-win' situations
• Business Direction & Strategy - Entrepreneurial Thinking: Ability to create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners and to develop service offers responding to client needs based on UNDP's organizational priorities and mandate.
• Business Development- Knowledge Generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
• Business Development- Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.
• Business Development- Partnerships Management: Ability to 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.
• Business Development – Integration within the UN: Ability to identify, and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work; knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in oral and written English.
• Knowledge of other official UN languages is an asset