Senior Programme Monitoring Officer at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

The Senior Programme Monitoring Officer may work in a field operation or as part of a Regional Bureau or in a division. The incumbent typically reports to the Assistant or Deputy Representative or the Representative or the Senior Programme Coordinator of the Bureau or other senior staff. S/he will closely coordinate and cooperate with other senior programme colleagues. S/he may receive indirect guidance from other sections and units relevant to the country programme(s) or to global quality assurance standards. UNHCR Manual, UNHCRs Results-based management and protection principles, UN and UNHCR financial/budgetary rules and regulations and UN and UNHCR wide reforms and developments globally and in a given country context will guide the work of the Senior Programme Monitoring Officer. S/he is also expected to stay abreast of the challenges posed to the country by the political context, the UN and humanitarian reform and institutional developments. S/he is expected to work closely with evaluation colleagues on the generation of evidence on UNHCR¿s performance, impact and effectiveness. The incumbent may supervise a team of both professional and support staff. Externally the incumbent acts as adviser or representative of the Organization with authority to discuss monitoring related issues and seek common ground on which to recommend solutions based on predetermined guidelines provided by higher authority. Contacts are predominantly with persons on subject matters of importance to Organization's programmes (e.g. counterparts in other organizations or at working level in national Governments). The incumbent is expected to work in line with the multi-functional team (MFT) approach as defined within the Program Manual, ensuring the participation of relevant stakeholders in all phases of the Program Management Cycle.

Duties

• Develop and manage the operation¿s monitoring portfolio and ensuring consistency and coherence of UNHCRs monitoring activities, in conjunction with evaluation planning:  
• Set up and manage UNHCR¿s approach, systems and tools for monitoring protection, assistance and solutions results (impact, outcomes, outputs) together with relevant teams and ensure a results based monitoring culture throughout the operation and the operations management cycle. Collaborate and work in partnership with evaluation colleagues in these areas. 
• Ensure the development of sound Theories of Change and related Results Frameworks, the measurability of multi-year protection and solutions strategies and annual plans and appropriate measurement tools and indicators. Contribute to evaluation planning for Results Frameworks.
• Ensure that monitoring system are in place, including  for projects, and that indicators are tracked and analysed and provided regularly to senior management to guide programme and management decisions.
• Guide teams in data collection methodologies, data sources, management and analysis, including qualitative and quantitative data, in close collaboration with evaluation, data and IM staff.
• Advise and ensure coherence on monitoring standards, plans, tools, indicators and resources across UNHCR and project partners and that protection and solutions principles, including age, gender and diversity and data protection, guide all monitoring actions.
• Provide advice to senior management on monitoring findings and possible course-correcting actions, keep track of management decisions and follow-up actions and communicate monitoring findings to key stakeholders. Partner with evaluation colleagues where possible to ensure that there is coherence and consistency between evaluation findings and monitoring findings, and that advice to Senior Management is coordinated.
• Guide and train UNHCR and partner staff in UNHCRs results based management monitoring standards and procedures.
• Cooperate and coordinate with partners and stakeholders to facilitate coherence of monitoring approaches across multi-partner initiatives and engage in UN fora on monitoring (UNDAFs, HRP, RRP etc.), in collaboration with Evaluation colleagues.
• Establish processes to link monitoring to the operation¿s evaluation and risk management plan. 
• Guide, in partnership with Evaluation colleagues,  innovative solutions for monitoring and facilitate lessons learning within the operation, UNHCR in the region and globally, and among other stakeholders and contribute to UNHCRs global community of practice on monitoring;  
• Seek advanced technical support and collaborate with regional and headquarters monitoring and evaluation advisors/officers for overall coordination of priority monitoring activities.
• In bureaux, work with Evaluation colleagues to determine thematic areas or projects for decentralized evaluations.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

• For P4/NOD 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education 

• International Relations; Business Administration; Social Science; Economics or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses 

• Programme Management;  

Relevant Job Experience

Essential:

• Experience in planning, monitoring and reporting in an international development and/or humanitarian context.  
• Experience in setting up systems and rolling out monitoring frameworks.
• Experience in results-based management, including Theories of Change.
• Experience in managing a variety of internal and external stakeholders in a cross-cultural professional environment. Demonstrated experience in strategic planning processes and in coordinating and drafting strategies and plans, in particular on protection and solutions, advocacy, or partnership building.

Desirable:

• Demonstrated experience in collaborating with UN development or humanitarian actors, frameworks and coordinating mechanisms. Solid experience in working with Government and institutions. Experience in data management and statistics, including surveys and indicator management. Experience with organisational change processes. Experience with UN programming.