The MER Analyst is responsible for supporting oversight, capacity building, and knowledge management to strengthen project quality assurance, risk management, and Social and Environmental Screening (SES) across the Country Office portfolio.

A. Implement and participate in the design of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, systems, and tools, and as applicable, conduct programme quality assurance in keeping with corporate policies:

• Support project managers in designing the results-based management, monitoring and evaluation frameworks and plans in line with UNDP Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP) with appropriate tracking tools. Help in ensuring the application of UNDP social and environmental safeguards as applicable;
• Serve as the Programme focal point for the provision of overall technical and policy advisory support on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and results-based management (RBM) requirements and activities to the project and project manager, project team concerned with monitoring and evaluation, and consultants and/or members of evaluation teams;
• Advocate the adherence to UN/UNDP policy positions on monitoring and evaluation, results-based management, and quality assurance, as applicable, and ensure their mainstreaming into all aspects of the project interventions. Provide guidance on the systematized, effective application of RBM, M&E and quality assurance tools throughout the full project cycle from the design to implementation, reporting and during the timely closure of projects;
• Support the mapping of business processes and elaboration of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in programme and project oversight. Act as custodian for evaluation quality assurance checklist to ensure quality check from the TOR formulation to final evaluation report and timely implementation of the recommendations;
• Provide input to project’s annual planning processes that includes the Integrate Work Plan and Project Annual Business Plan; and participate in defining targets and indicators to ensure consistency with the approved project document and with UNDP POPPs;
• Ensure gender equality, disability inclusion, and Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principles are an integral part of UNDP programmes and operations and that these considerations are fully mainstreamed into programming and reflected in programme/project design, monitoring, reporting and evaluations in line with the UNDP Gender Equality and Disability Inclusion Strategies, UNSDG Operational Guide for Country Teams on LNOB, and available regional guidance.

• Coordinate implementation and application of efficient and evidence-based results monitoring and, as applicable, quality assurance work for project implementation and delivery. Advise the project management team on delivery implementation challenges and provide support in resolving obstacles and bottlenecks;
• Develop templates for project and work plan monitoring and quality assurance visits. Collect reliable and coherent data to assess project progress and results. Provide regular updates to the project team using latest M&E and IT tracking tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the monitoring processes;
• Ensure consistent maintenance and monitoring of relevant scorecards and quality assurance tools such as the Social and Environmental Safeguards. Provide support to the management and coordination of third-party monitoring and/or any other data collection interventions in the country office;
• Analyze requirements and synthesize proposals for the planning, preparing, and managing project evaluations and other types of evaluations. Draft and revise Terms of Reference (TOR) for specific project monitoring and evaluation missions and/or desk evaluations/reviews. Participate in consultant and evaluation team selection and provide technical feedback on evaluation inception reports and draft evaluations and budget oversight. Draft and review management responses to the evaluations;
• Consolidate evaluation findings, lessons learned, and recommendations to be disseminated in learning events and channeled into decision-making processes. Analyze and synthesize monitoring and evaluation reports and other data sources to assess the project’s effectiveness and impact. Follow up on the project team’s implementation of audit and evaluation recommendations;
• Contribute to the establishment of statistics database and dashboards.

C. Support capacity building and facilitate knowledge building and sharing on monitoring, evaluation and results-based management project:

• Organize learning, training, and capacity building activities on monitoring and evaluation, RBM, data collection and survey methods, gender mainstreaming with the project team. In close collaboration with relevant teams in the CO, contribute to development and delivery of training packages to strengthen partners’ capacities in  project monitoring and oversight;
• Support the identification, synthesis, documentation, and dissemination of key lessons learned and good practices derived from monitoring and evaluation activities on what works, what does not work, revised theories of change to identify innovative ideas for their scaling or replication;
• Provide sound contributions to local and global knowledge networks, communities of practice, and other knowledge management mechanisms. Proactively participate in UNDP regional and international fora on relevant thematic areas (including engaging in thematic discussions, contributing with analytical papers, etc.);
• Contribute to the implementation of Evaluation Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy.

D. Reporting and Documentation:

• Support the development of project annual reporting (PIR), Country Office annual report and review reports from Implementing Partners and any other relevant stakeholder;
• Work closely with the project team to ensure that lessons learned from project evaluations are documented properly;
• Develop and maintain accurate information in a project database, as well as accurate and timely electronic files on deliverables;
• Undertake the quality control of project’s implementing strategies and approaches.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting Analyst under the general supervision of the DRR and collaborates closely with the Project Teams and the UNDP Sierra Leone country office, particularly the M&E team.

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: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Business Direction and Strategy:

• System Thinking
  • Ability to use objective 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: 

• Portfolio Management
  • Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment.
• Monitoring
  • Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
• Evaluation
  • Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks;
  • Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Development:

• Knowledge Generation
  • Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.

Partnership Management:

• Relationship Management
  • Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness:

• Effectiveness
  • Programming principles & standards and development effectiveness principles.