The Programme addresses three main levels:

• Establishing a Policy Dialogue Platform at the central government level to mobilize EU expertise to facilitate policy formulation, improve city-to-city collaboration through supporting the development of a National Circular Economy Strategy and Roadmap, extend the dialogue to promote renewable energy/energy efficiency, and to apply the dialogue’s outcomes;
• Working with local government units (LGUs) where EU expertise will support to define and implement circular economy, climate change, and energy policies with a human rights and gender-responsive perspective, outreach and support of local business and civil society, and support less advanced LGUs;
• Enhancing engagement of the private and financial sectors into the circular waste economy creating better conditions for private sector investment by supporting business-driven waste reduction strategies and circular solutions in the production process.

The Programme has 4 specific objectives:

S01: Improved circular economy and climate change policies and reduced GHG emissions

S02: Enhanced practices of the circular economy by the LGUs in collaboration with the private sector and civil society sector, with a focus on youth and gender equality

SO3: Enhanced engagement of the private and financial sectors in circular, waste-reduction economy

SO4: Increased energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment

UNDP is responsible for the implementation and execution of SO2 with the purpose of enhancing the capacities and practices of local government units (LGUs) on circular waste economy in collaboration with private and civil society organizations (CSOs), with focus on youth and gender equality.

Key results expected at the end of the Project include:

• Reduced volume of waste generated and sent to landfills in partner LGUs
• Greenhouse gas emissions reduced and avoided (tonnes of CO2eq) from reduced waste and implementation of circular economy initiatives
• At least 20 LGUs have established circular economy models, including introduction of source separation and collection systems for wastes recycling, diversion, repurposing and other CE initiatives
• Additional number of organizations applying CE and sustainable consumption and production practices in partner LGUs
• Additional jobs (including green jobs) created across the circular economy value chain, disaggregated by gender and groups
• At least 10 LGUs in which nationally defined green procurement criteria have been applied
• About 15 LGUs that feed their NDC reporting with improved gender and youth sensitive data on co-benefits of CE

The above results shall be achieved through the following Outputs:

Output 1: Improved capacities of LGUs and stakeholders to design, implement and monitor resilient and inclusive circular economy strategies

Output 2: Gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSl)- responsive local policies and regulations designed and applied to enable circular and green growth opportunities and practices

Output 3: Public and private financing effectively mobilized to implement gender responsive and inclusive CE strategies and programmes

Output 4: Enhanced community innovation and demonstration projects applied to address priority CE solutions in partner LGUs

Output 5: Enhanced CE behavior and practices of LGUs, private sector, communities and local stakeholders

Output 6: Informal sector, grassroots, civil society organizations, women, youth, and marginalized sector capacitated and integrated into the CE value chain.

Output 7: CE-related knowledge management, MERL, GEDSI and safeguards in place to strengthen and replicate CE uptake in the Philippines

The Project shall be implemented in partnership with LGUs. A total of 20 Tier 1 LGUs will be supported directly, while 40 LGUs will be supported with targeted assistance on a demand-driven basis. Out of Tier 1 LGUs, 10 LGUs have been identified:

• Baguio City
• Pasig City
• Caloocan City
• Quezon City
• lloilo city/Metro lloilo
• Ormoc City
• Del Carmen municipality/Siargao islands
• Island Garden City of SamaI
• Davao City
• Puerto Princesa City/Palawan

The remaining Tier 1 cities will be identified suring the first year of implementation.

UNDP Philippines takes overall responsibility and accountability for the delivery of the project outputs. It will be accountable for managing the project, including the monitoring and evaluation of project interventions, achieving project results, and for the effective use of resources, in compliance with UNDP rules and regulations, policies and procedures. These include relevant requirements on fiduciary, procurement, environmental and social safeguards, and other performance standards.

The day-to-day implementation of the project will be led by a Project Manager within a Project Management Unit (PMU) responsible for ensuring that the project achieves the expected targets to the required quality standards and within the specified time and budget allocations. The Project Manager will be supported by a Deputy Project Manager, Project Assistant, technical staff and pool of contractors and consultants to carry out the deliverables of the project.

UNDP is seeking a MERL Specialist to lead the monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning activities of S02: enhanced practices of the circular waste economy by the LGUs in collaboration with the private sector and the civil society sector, with focus on youth and gender equality. The MERL Specialist will work with a team of UNDP specifically assigned to work on this programme, including the Project Manager, Deputy Project Manager, project team, consultants, LGU Hub Coordinators, CO Communication team, and others partners such as the EU, GIZ, IFC, Expertise France, LGUs, and relevant CSO and private sector organizations.

Under the overall guidance and supervision of Project Manager, the MERL Specialist is responsible for the successful management and implementation of the project through regular monitoring of progress, identification of issues needing attention and corrective actions and undertaking baseline and evaluation studies.

The duty station for the MERL Specialist will be in the PMU/Philippines Country Office, following working hours and weekends. Movements for meetings, consultations and field mission will be rules and regulations and advisories in the Philippines .
The MERL Specialist has overall responsibility for the monitoring, evaluation, learning and results reporting activities for the project based on the final approved project work plan, to include:

• Theory of Change
• Results and indicators table
• Results monitoring tool
• Periodic results reporting tool
• Risk Monitoring

Overall guidance and support to Project Management Unit on MERL institutionalization:

• Set up and maintain a database and dashboard for the management of the indicator framework and online archiving of MOVs/evidences. In collaboration with data providers, identify data sourcing methods, develop monitoring tools, and agree on all aspects of budget, frequency, reporting, etc.;
• Lead the collection and documentation of baseline information and provide monitoring data to key project management processes;
• Customize internal and external systems for team and partners to systematically and
• efficiently capture MERL data and information, including meta data and verifiable supporting documentation, in line with MERL requirements;
• Guide project staff in the reporting of project activities and undertake quality assurance of project activities.
• As required, support the development by each assembly of their own performance management/monitoring systems in accordance with their strategic and operational plans.
• Lead the preparation of timely and quality corporate and regular reports to donor, Project Management Unit, overall GEPP programme and other partners as may be required;
• In close coordination with the UNDP Communications Team and the Results and Quality Team, systematically document and disseminate project results and lessons.

Development of Project MERL Plan based on MERL Framework: Produce the project’s MERL Plan in accordance with the project’s MERL Framework.

• Guide and coordinate the review and analysis of the project results table including:
• Provide technical advice for the revision/updating of performance indicators.
• Ensure realistic intermediate and end-of-project targets are defined and collected.
• Identify sources of data, collection methods, who collects data, frequency, and cost of collection
• Establish a standardized MERL system with a common platform for use of team and partners in submitting/sharing data on activities and outputs.
• Ensure gender equality, disability rights, and social inclusion (GEDSI) is integrated in the MERL framework and in results reporting
• Leading and coordinating project evaluations, including baseline survey, mid-term, and end-of-program evaluations to assess program impact and effectiveness, prepare terms of reference, and support contract management.
• Contribute to the development of Annual Work Plans, set annual targets, update project risks, and prepare a detailed MERL budget and calendar of MERL activities.

Implementation of Project MERL framework:

• Oversee and execute MERL activities as per the Annual Work Plan, with particular focus on results and impacts as well as on lesson learning.
• Prepare a quarterly results tracker with key activities, indicators, baseline and targets under four result areas to obtain quarterly progress towards attainment of the annual results
• Undertake regular visits to the field to support implementation of MERL and to identify where adaptations might be needed.
• Prepare draft TORs and evaluation questions for reviews and evaluations and support the monitoring and follow-through of evaluation recommendations, in accordance with UNDP guidance.
• Ensure that project’s results are well captured in the UNDP’s corporate platforms: Integrated Work Plan, ROAR, Annual Business Plan, Strategic Plan reporting, Quantum Results Module, Transparency Dashboard, etc.

Facilitate Capacity Development

• Provide advice, support and recommend assistance to project management in regard to monitoring and evaluation, performance management/ monitoring and results reporting.
• Organize and provide training in MERL for project and counterpart staff and primary stakeholders with a view to developing local MERL capacity
• Recommend and develop strategies to measure the performance of the Project Team and support them to implement mechanisms for the collection verification of performance data

Lesson Learning

• Work with the Project Manager and the Deputy Project Manager, support the design and implementation of a system to identify, analse, document and disseminate lessons learned.
• Document lesson learned by the project with a focus on result, impact and outcomes, and present these at lease every 6 months.
• In coordination with the Communications Officer, collect case studies to illustrate challenges, progress and innovation in the project’s work with the Project Team. These should include a GEDSI perspective.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

2030 Agenda: Engagement and Effectiveness

• Effectiveness: Performance and data analysis and sharing lessons

Business development

• System Thinking: Ability to conduct problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider  how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Management

• Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience -Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Digital & Innovation

• Digital learning & development: Knowledge of digital learning methods and ability to design and develop digital learning programmes