Project Analyst

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Job Description

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) leads efforts to combat poverty, inequality, and climate change globally, operating in 170 countries. In Afghanistan, UNDP has focused on resilience, governance, gender equality, and health for over 50 years, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to support the Afghan people’s aspirations for peace and sustainability. Following the August 2021 power shift, UNDP is implementing projects to prevent humanitarian catastrophe and stabilize the economy.

In addressing displacement issues affecting millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and refugees, UNDP employs targeted area-based programming that integrates community development plans. These plans enhance access to resources, basic services, and social cohesion while promoting women’s economic empowerment and regional business development.
In partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNDP launched the Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme (ACRP). This joint initiative aims to mitigate the effects of climate change and displacement, focusing on building resilient livelihoods, enhancing agricultural productivity, and improving market access. It specifically addresses the socioeconomic impacts of the poppy ban and prioritizes the inclusion of women and persons with disabilities.
The ACRP will coordinate interventions through activity sequencing and geographic targeting, leveraging the expertise of all partners. Beneficiaries will include communities affected by the poppy ban, with efforts aligned with the UN Strategic Framework for Afghanistan (UNSFA). The initiative will enhance connections with national and international networks, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), through a newly established counternarcotics working group.
The Project Analyst/Monitoring and Evaluation officer will oversee data collection and results reporting to ensure project implementation meets its goals.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Analyst – (M&E) will work under the guidance of Project Manager and direct supervision of Project Specialist, working closely with M&E Specialist under CBARD Project.
Under the guidance of Project Manager and direct supervision of Project Specialist, working closely with M&E Specialist under CBARD Project, the Project Analyst – (M&E) under ACRP promotes results-based management and a programme effectiveness approach by leading the implementation of innovative and effective monitoring and evaluation frameworks, systems, and tools. The Project M&E Analyst provides leadership on M&E and reporting practices under the project. Where relevant the Project M&E Analyst will also support programme quality assurance and developing relevant systems. The Project Analyst – (M&E) promotes a collaborative, efficient, client-focused, evidence-based, and portfolio management approach.

Specifically, the scope of work will cover the following functions:

Design of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, systems, and tools, and conduct programme quality assurance in keeping with UNDP corporate policies.
Ensure efficient monitoring, reporting, evaluation, and results-based management.
Support capacity building and facilitate knowledge building and sharing on monitoring, evaluation and results-based management in CO.
Coordinate and act as the lead/focal point for the gender mainstreaming and formation and implementation of robust grievance redressal mechanism.
Coordinate with PQA, DEU and policy units to provide inputs on various requirements related to the project performance, monitoring and reporting, etc.

Design of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, systems, and tools, and conduct programme quality assurance in keeping with UNDP corporate policies.

Lead 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 UNDP focal point for the provision of overall technical support on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and results-based management (RBM) requirements and activities to project manager/Specialist.
Ensure adherence to UNDP policies 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 life from the design to implementation, reporting and during the timely closure of project.
Support the mapping of project interventions 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 inputs to annual planning processes that include the Annual Work Plan and participate in defining targets and indicators to ensure consistency with approved project document.
Contribute to joint planning and reporting processes, by coordinating UNDP’s adherence to agreed standards with participating UN agencies and implementing partners.

Ensure efficient monitoring, reporting, evaluation, and results-based management.

Develop templates for project and work plan monitoring and quality assurance. Collect reliable and coherent data to assess project progress and results. Provide regular updates to project teams using latest M&E and IT tracking tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the monitoring processes.
Collate reports from participating UN agencies and implementing partners and prepare consolidate reports analyzing progress and results of projects.
Ensure consistent maintenance and monitoring of relevant 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.
Draft and revise Terms of Reference (TOR) for specific project/thematic/sectoral monitoring and evaluation missions and/or desk evaluations/reviews. Participate in evaluations 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 effectiveness and impact of the project. Follow up on implementation of audit and evaluation recommendations with project teams.

Advise the senior management team on delivery implementation challenges and provide support in resolving obstacles and bottlenecks.
Contribute to the establishment of statistics database and dashboards.
Ensure that weekly progress reports are submitted by the implementing partners, synthesized, consolidated, and submitted to project management on regular basis.
Ensure that monthly progress and quarterly and annual reports are submitted by the implanting partners and ensure that progress is updated in Quantum on regular basis during the lift of the project.
Ensure that monitoring and oversight visits are conducted on regular basis and issues are captured and reported pertaining to quality and quantity for all project activities.

Support capacity building and facilitate knowledge building and sharing on monitoring, evaluation and results-based management in CO.

Organize learning, training, and capacity building activities on monitoring and evaluation, RBM, data collection and survey methods, gender mainstreaming. In close collaboration with project team, 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.
Contribute to the implementation of Evaluation Knowledge Management and Learning Strategy

Coordinate and act as the lead/focal point for the gender mainstreaming and formation and implementation of robust grievance redressal mechanism.

Ensure gender equality, disability inclusion, and Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principles are an integral part of project and that these considerations are fully mainstreamed and reflected in project design, monitoring, reporting and evaluations in line with the UNDP Gender Equality and Disability Inclusion Strategies, UNSFA and TCPS.
Ensure the gender action plan is developed and mainstreamed in all project activities, simultaneously ensure that all the partners have their own separate gender action plans aligned with the project scope. Continuously monitor their plans and prepare conciliated progress sheets and narrative reports.
Formulate the grievance redressal mechanism at the project level to ensure the transparency and accountability in all phases of the project activities. Also, ensure that responsible parties have GRM mechanism is in place, monitories and tracked. Continuously monitors the GRM databases and flag the issues of serious nature to management, IRMU.

Coordinate with PQA, DEU and policy units to provide inputs on various requirements related to the project performance, monitoring and reporting, etc.

Ensure to collaborate with PQA and DEU to adhere with various requirements including reporting against TCPFS and UNSFA frameworks.
Preparation for the audits by consolidating all the project documents and responding to their queries.
Product ad-hoc reports, presentations, and documents where and as required.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Public Policy, Research, Political Science, Development Studies, Public Administration, or Social Sciences is required, or
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in Economics, Public Policy, Research, Political Science, Development Studies, Public Administration, or Social Sciences, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Minimum 2 years (with master’s degree) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in M&E, programme and/or team management working with quality assurance instruments, results-based management models, and multiple stakeholders is required.
Proven technical knowledge of the results-based management cycle and monitoring and evaluation.
Proven experience in designing monitoring and evaluation systems and designing development projects or integrated portfolios.
Proven ability to work with quantitative and qualitative data, and appropriately use qualitative data /information collection tools in innovative ways.
Knowledge and experience of working on developing and/or implementing M&E frameworks.
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
Experience in designing, implementing and/or managing assessments and/or data collection exercises/processes.
At least two (2) years of working experience with UN organizations at the local or international level.
Experience conducting applied research projects and reporting on findings.
Experience with EU or other donor funded programs/projects.
Certified Monitoring and Evaluation Professional (CMEP) or any other certification in M&E.