Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations

The Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) works to ensure that countries and stakeholders respond to the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. OCB provides a cross organizational coordination role on these issues and is the focal point to major multilateral environmental agreements including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Office also assists FAO Members in their responses towards the interlinked challenges of food security, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation including through facilitating access to climate and environmental financing such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In addition, OCB hosts the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme, the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as well as FAO’s work on environmental safeguards and leads the Programme Priority Areas on Climate Change (PPA BE1) and Bioeconomy for Sustainable Food and Agriculture (PPA BE2). 
OCB hosts the FAO–Global Environment Facility (GEF) Coordination Unit. GEF is a global funding mechanism for five environmental conventions. The Unit supports eligible countries in accessing GEF resources. FAO’s global GEF portfolio has grown rapidly and currently exceeds USD 1.6 billion, with more than 230 approved projects, mostly implemented through the Operational Partnership Implementation Modality (OPIM). With this growth, comes increasing demand for project portfolio monitoring and implementation support, as the GEF prioritizes enhanced efficiency in the project cycle phases and links resources availability to projects’ achieving key milestones within hard deadlines. Project and portfolio monitoring involves designing appropriate M&E systems and frameworks at the project, programme, and portfolio levels; ensuring compliance with GEF policies and requirements; supporting timely project progression through GEF and FAO cycles and milestones; and maintaining alignment with FAO’s strategic priorities.
Under the GEF Evaluation Policy, all GEF-funded full-size projects must undergo a Mid-Term Review (MTR), and all mid- and full-size projects and programmes must undergo a Terminal (final) Evaluation (TE). Both MTRs and TEs of FAO projects funded by the GEF are executed by independent evaluation specialists. MTRs are managed by the projects’ Budget Holders, supported by the Monitoring and Reporting Team of the FAO GEF Coordination Unit; TEs may be managed by either the Office of Evaluation or by the Budget Holder of project or programme.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will report to the Budget Holders of FAO GEF projects, or to the Policy Monitoring and Liaison Team Leader of the OCB GEF Coordination Unit.

Technical Focus

Through this call for expression of interest, FAO aims at identifying both experienced evaluators and Monitoring & Evaluation specialists, ideally with experience on FAO’s technical areas of work and any of the GEF focal areas (namely: biodiversity loss, chemicals and waste, climate change, international waters, and land degradation, food systems, forest management, and sustainable cities).

The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will be responsible for leading or contributing to the design of M&E systems and/or to conduct Mid-Term Review (MTR) or Terminal Evaluation (TE) of GEF project(s).

Tasks and responsibilities

Specific responsibilities regarding MTRs and TEs include:

•     Review relevant background documentation made available by the designated evaluation / review manager and project team, including the project document, the project’s log frame, progress and final reports, workshop and technical reports, among others as listed in the MTR or TE terms of reference. 
•     Conduct specific research or data collection and analysis in preparation of the evaluations, including literature review, meta-analysis of existing studies and evaluation reports, and extraction and analysis of project or financial data.
•     Review, complement and expand as appropriate the methodology described in the MTR or TE terms of reference, prepare data-collection and analysis instruments and tools (such as questionnaires, focus group discussion and individual interview scripts, surveys, and other technical instruments and tools as appropriate etc).
•     Draft and finalize the MTR or TE inception report, including an MTR or TE matrix, theory of change and stakeholder analysis, and data collection plan and mission schedule.
•     Collect primary data through literature and monitoring data review, as well as through interviews and meetings (face-to-face or virtual) with relevant FAO officers in headquarters and/or Project Coordination Unit, and during country visits with key stakeholders including the government, FAO Representatives, external partners, project teams, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, academia, research institutes and ultimate beneficiaries, as appropriate, as described in the MTR or TE terms of reference and detailed in the inception report.
•     Analyse, triangulate, validate, and present to relevant stakeholders the evidence collected to identify key findings and preliminary conclusions that respond to the MTR or TE’s issues and questions, and formulate preliminary recommendations in line with the findings and conclusions.
•     Prepare all deliverables planned according to specifications provided in the terms of reference of the MTR or TE and detailed in the FAO–GEF guides and annexes.
•     Prepare first and second drafts of the MTR or TE report; integrate comments received, as appropriate, from relevant internal (FAO) and external (partners) stakeholders.
•     Finalize of the MTR or TE report, including inputs from team members of the MTR or TE team into the final version, as needed.
•     Contribute content to knowledge products to disseminate the MTR or TE process and/or its results, such as summaries, presentations, videos or other formats, as required.
•     Conduct additional related work, as required.

Specific responsibilities regarding project, programme and portfolio monitoring include:

•     Design or review M&E frameworks and / or systems at project, programme or portfolio levels.
•     Monitor and update GEF project’s key milestones and KPI data in databases and dashboards along projects lifecycles.
•     Provide data quality assurance reviews for PIF’s- and Project Document/budget submissions to the GEF.
•     Provide capacity development, support and best practice advice to all stakeholders, both inside- and outside the GEF Unit, to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the project cycle.
•     Engage as PTF member in PTF meetings and advise on how to ensure compliance with GEF and FAO requirements.
•     Monitor GEF projects pipeline.
•     Monitor and update GEF project’s key-milestones data in FAO corporate database FPMIS and in FAOGEF portfolio data dashboard during the project’s lifecycle.
•     Participate in project design to support formulation of projects and programs results frameworks and M&E systems.
•     Participate to projects and programs supervision missions.
•     Conduct support missions to regional and subregional offices to provide capacity building and in-person support.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advanced university degree in evaluation, social sciences, economics, statistics, natural resource management, development studies, or related fields.
•     For Consultants/PSA Cat C, a minimum of one year; for Consultant/PSA Cat B, a minimum of five years; and for Consultant/PSA Cat A, a minimum of ten years of relevant experience in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning. 
•     Working knowledge (Proficiency - level C) of English

FAO Core Competencies

•     Results Focus
•     Teamwork
•     Communication
•     Building Effective Relationships
•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Extent and relevance of experience in designing, implementing and backstopping monitoring and evaluation systems for agriculture related and natural-resource management international development projects, programmes, and/or portfolios.
•     Analytical skills and ability to write clear and concise reports in English. 
•     Knowledge of FAO and GEF work/procedures, or other UN agencies, is an asset.
•     Limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of one of the other languages of the Organization (Arabic, French, Chinese, Russian, Spanish).  
•     Relevant experience in supporting, designing, planning and/o conducting development evaluations with a focus on the environment-human nexus.
•     Proven ability to deliver clear and concise evaluation reports and presentations, as demonstrated through at least 2 writing samples of evaluation or research conducted, along with a brief justification/rationale for the writing samples selected. Only short-listed candidates will be requested to provide these documents. 
•     Experience in applying the United Nations Evaluation Group guidelines, norms and standards is an asset.
•     Proficiency in using statistical software, especially Excel, R, Stata, SPSS, SAS or similar (preferably open-source) software is an asset.

Selection Criteria

•     Proficiency in using Excel