National M&E Specialist

Job Title: National M&E Specialist (NPSA10)

Organization: UNDP

Job Identification: 13430

Location: Phnom-Penh, Cambodia

Apply Before: 09/16/2023, 07:59 PM

Job Schedule: Full time

Grade: NB5

Vacancy Type: National Personnel Service Agreement

Practice Area: Nature, Climate and Energy

Bureau: Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific

Contract Duration: 1 Year

Education & Work Experience: Master's Degree - 5 year(s) experience

Required Languages: Khmer and English

Vacancy Timeline: 2 Weeks

Mobility required/no mobility: no mobility required

Job Description

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories. 

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 

Over the past two decades Cambodia has realized exceptional rates of economic growth averaging over 7% prior to the pandemic, with persistent declines in poverty and rapid improvements in human development. Yet Cambodia faces several development challenges. Pressures stemming from Cambodia’s rapid progression as a Middle-Income Country (MIC) have tended to be resource and carbon intensive, resulting in environmental challenges and natural resource depletion. For example, forest coverage has been declining for decades, and from 2010 to 2018 shrank from 57 percent to less than 47 percent of national territory. 

To sustain Cambodia’s vital ecosystems and environment, the Government has implemented environmental governance reforms. These include new policies and legal frameworks, jurisdictional reforms resulting in the creation of protected landscapes that cover 7.4 million ha of land (41% of the country), a new draft Environment and Natural Resources Code, decentralization of natural resource management functions and a moratorium on new economic land concessions. 

In May 2019, the World Bank approved a new IDA loan (US$ 50.66 million) for Cambodia for the Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Ecotourism Project (CSLEP). The IDA component became effective on 1 November 2019, and the expected closing date is 31 December 2025. The Project Development Objective is to improve protected areas (PAs) management, and to promote ecotourism opportunities and non-timber forest product (NTFP) value chains in the Cardamom Mountains-Tonle Sap landscape. 

The project has five components: 

• Strengthen Capacity for PAs Landscape Planning and Management; 
• Strengthen Opportunities for Ecotourism and NTFP Value Chains; 
• Improve Access and Connectivity; 
• Project Management, Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation; 
• Contingent Emergency Response.

Building on the ongoing collaboration with the MoE and the World Bank teams, UNDP will provide technical assistance to ensure a robust “Cambodian Environmental Management Information System” (CEMIS) and a data management system, development and operationalization of sustainable financing mechanisms, and effective Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of project activities

Duties and Responsibilities 

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Analyst and closely coordinate and collaborate with an international technical specialist and the programme team, the National M&E Specialist will perform the following functions: 

• Providing top quality advice and strategic guidance for effective implementation and results-based management of both projects according to project objectives and stated results as well as with UNDP policies and procedures; 
• Providing advisory support in monitoring and evaluation of the project to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of both project activities and results; 
• Acting as liaison person for national and sub-national, NGOs, project teams, relevant line ministries, provincial departments and other stakeholders; 
• Providing back-up technical and coordination support to the country office for the design of sustainable financing mechanisms.

Providing top quality of advice and strategic guidance for effective implementation and result-based management of both projects according to project objectives and stated results as well as UNDP policies and procedures: 

• Ensure that project activities are fully aligned with the national REDD+ programme in the target areas; 
• Advise the project teams in planning, developing strategies and implementation plan for the FCPF and CSLEP project; 
• Advise the international technical specialist, National Project Manager, the chair of the secretariat and project team in management and monitoring the project work progress and ensure timely delivery of project outputs; 
• Provide effective communication, coordination and cooperation between the members of the project's management team and technical team in planning, monitoring and implementation process; 
• Conduct staff capacity needs assessment against the project outcomes and draft terms of references for technical consultants and sub-contracts and support the project manager in recruitment of contracted project partners;
•  Support the international technical specialist and the National Project Manager in preparation of quarterly and annual technical work plans for project activities;
•  Support the international technical specialist and the National Project Manager in preparation of quarterly and annual technical progress reports to FA, UNDP, and PEB according to their respective reporting guidelines; 
• Prepare project board meetings and take lead in ensuring that recommendations made by the board be implemented; 
• Contribute to project audit and spot checking exercises and prepare management responses to the comments; 
• Provide strategic guidance to the National Project Managers in organising and conducting effective stakeholder meetings in line with the work plan; and 
• Work closely with UNDP Country Office in providing overall quality assurance for the projects based on UNDP rules and procedures.

Providing advisory support in monitoring and evaluation of the project to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of both project activities and results: 

• Advise the National Project Managers and contracted partners in the review of the progress outputs against the project targets; 
• Contribute to the consolidation of knowledge and lessons learned and disseminate good practices; 
• Support the Project Coordinator Consultant of the MoE to prepare necessary project management related documents to service providers and WB, ensure the works plans include implementation and financial targets, review technical reports from service providers and other stakeholders and consolidate them before sending to WB 
• Provide capacity building support to the MoE for 1) the design and setup of the M&E system, which will be part of the project management information system and connect the M&E system to CEMIS to manage data effectively and 2) setting up data sharing systems and organizing the workflows and flow of information between line ministries, the three NGOs, MoE departments and teams, and between national and subnational levels (MoE, PDoE, PA); 
• Provide advice on refinements of baselines, indicators and data collection methods and developing M&E technical guidelines and manuals; 
• Collaborate with the M&E team on the development and tracking of sub-indicators and milestones of relevance, e.g. related to jobs (e.g. average annual earnings of beneficiaries, number of wage employed beneficiaries), economic data on forest cover, etc.; and 
• Provide advices and inputs in the general preparation and delivery of work plans, budgets and work packages in accordance with the policies and procedures of UNDP guidelines for National Implementation, Guide on measures to mainstream gender considerations in the project activities and in the monitoring and evaluation; 
• Conduct regular field visits with counterparts to monitor field activities and assist with the organisation of visits and supervision missions from the co-operating institutions; 
• Liaise with UNDP CO in the tracking, management and update of project risk and provide corrective recommendation where possible; 
• Provide inputs in developing an evaluation system and work with the work with the M&E team and the M&E consulting firm to carry out the mid-term and final evaluation of the projects; 
• Provide advice and inputs to the FA in drafting management responses to issues and recommendation raised by mid-term and final term evaluations

Acting as liaison person for national and sub-national, NGOs, project teams, relevant line ministries, provincial departments and other stakeholders: 

• Coordinate and promote effective collaboration with ministry line departments, NGOs/IOs, private sector and other development partners to support sub-national capacity development on issues related to community based sustainable forest management; 
• Coordinate the activities among the international technical specialist, REDD+ taskforce secretariat coordinator and consultants; 
• Liaison with the forestry partner projects, experts and other stakeholders and provide technical inputs for the development of guidelines, training materials and others as necessary; 
• Support coordination and promote effective collaboration with ministry line departments, NGOs/IOs, private sector and other development partners to support sub-national capacity development for M&E and sustainable financing and achieving project outputs 
• Provide advices on aligning FCPF project with the REDD Readiness Roadmap implementation and how the FCPF project can support national REDD+ implementation. 
• Build synergies and partnerships with key partners to ensure greater impact of the project; 
• Promote dialogues and inputs from development partners into key project outputs at the national and sub-national level; Liaise with the technical specialist in compiling lessons learned and policy implications.

Providing back-up technical and coordination support to the country office for the design of sustainable financing mechanisms: 

• Examine existing revenue sources and gaps for protected area management in the country; 
• Review options for sustainable finance mechanisms for funds to determine suitability for implementation in the country and for the CMTS landscape; 
• Support the MoE in reviewing existing economic valuation studies on specific ecosystems in CSLEP and in identifying key ecosystems to be targeted under sustainable financing options; 
• Support the MoE to identify and prioritize potential sustainable finance mechanisms and/or sources to mobilize financial resources and necessary policy and fiscal reforms and fiscal incentives to implement priority sustainable finance mechanisms and/or sources in the CMTS landscape; 
• Develop a draft inception report to present a set of preliminary action steps for priority sustainable finance mechanisms identified above; 
• Assist the MoE in the organization of consultation meeting(s) including preparation of presentation materials and background documents to discuss and select sustainable financing options and incorporate comments to the inception report; and 
• Provide technical support to the MoE for designing sustainable financing options for identified ecosystem services.

Competencies
 Core competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies: 

Business Direction & Strategy

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions • Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP

Business Management

• Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results
• Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• 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
• 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

Audit & Investigation

• Performance key concepts and techniques: Performance key concepts and techniques

Digital & Innovation

• Data analysis: Ability to extract, analyse and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision making

Required Skills and Experience 

Education:

• Master’s Degree in development studies, political science, public administration, or other development-related fields

Experience:

• At least 5 years of professional experience at national or international level in providing management advisory services;
• Hands-on experience in project and programme monitoring and evaluation; 
• Experience in natural resource management and forestry using participatory approach and community-based demonstrations would be desirable; 
• Working experiences with government agencies, NGOs and Donor agencies in Cambodia related to REDD+, biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management;
• Ability to develop constructive working relationships with clients and team members, and to understand the contexts and motivations of a range of stakeholders; 
• Understanding of Cambodia political and administrative system, in particular at National and provincial level; 
• Strong training skills and a strong commitment to participatory processes; 
• Excellent skills in communication, negotiation, and documentation and ability to work with multi-disciplinary and cultural team; 
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages for data analysis and technical reports; 
• Ability and willingness to work in remote areas.

Language Requirement:

• Working knowledge of Khmer and English (both spoken and written).

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders) 

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. 

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