Rwanda Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator at UN Women Rwanda: (Deadline 31 January 2023)

I.  Position Information

Job Title: Rwanda Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator

Department: Economic Empowerment

Reports to (Title/Level): UN Women Rwanda Country Representative

Application Deadline: 31^st January 2023

Grade: NO-A

Duration: 1 March 2023 – 29 February 2024 (renewable)

II. Organizational Context

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women jointly implements the Joint Programme “Accelerating Progress towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment” (JP RWEE) together with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The JP RWEE is a global initiative with an overarching goal to secure rural women’s livelihoods, rights and resilience in the context of sustainable development. Specifically, the programme has 4 integrated goals; it seeks to Improve food security and nutrition; Increase income to sustain livelihoods; enhance women’s participation in decision-making; and enable a more gender-responsive policy environment for the economic empowerment of rural women.

The first phase of this programme was jointly implemented from 2014 to 2021 by the FAO, IFAD, UN Women and WFP in Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Nepal, Niger and Rwanda. The programme reached almost 80 000 direct beneficiaries and over 400 000 indirect beneficiaries during the first phase of implementation. The programme has recently begun implementation of a Phase 2 in Nepal, Niger, the Pacific Islands, Tanzania, and Tunisia from 2022-2027, with support of Norway and Sweden through the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund. The programme seeks to further scale up this proven holistic programme model to new locations and has secured funding for expansion to Rwanda through a direct grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The implementation of the JP RWEE in Rwanda is overseen by a National Steering Committee, consisting of senior government officials and representatives of the four participating UN agencies and government representatives. Implementation of the programme is monitored and supported by a Technical Working Group, consisting of technical focal points of each of the four agencies. A Programme Management Unit including a National Coordinator and a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator oversees the management and implementation of the programme and its M&E system in Rwanda and collaborates closely with the Global Coordination Unit.

The MEAL Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring the implementation of the M&E system across  JP RWEE Rwanda under the guidance of the GLOBAL MEAL specialist for the Joint Programme “Accelerating Progress towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment” (JP RWEE) in Rwanda and under the guidance of the UN Women Global MEAL specialist. The MEAL Coordinator is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the M&E system across the JP RWEE in Rwanda. She/he will work in close collaboration with the technical focal points and M&E officers of the four participating agencies to ensure the implementation of the approved M&E plan. She/he will provide leadership and technical support on M&E and carry out training in response to identified needs and gaps. She/he will liaise closely with the global M&E Specialist and UN Women Programme Specialist to ensure the technical quality of the M&E system for the JP RWEE in Rwanda. She/he will also participate in and contribute to global level learning forums to enable cross fertilization and the sharing of good practice on a wider scale, as well as participating in coordination processes organized by the Global Coordination Unit as required. The MEAL Coordinator is based within UN Women and collaborates closely with the National Coordinator and the four participating agencies.

The MEAL Coordinator reports to the UN Women Rwanda Country Representative through the Programme Management Specialist, and also has accountability to the JP RWEE National Coordinator and the global M&E Specialist. She/he will work in close cooperation with the UN Women Programme Specialist. She/he will liaise closely with the participating agencies to ensure high quality M&E is in place for the programme and will be expected to assume the responsibilities as listed below.

 III. Functions

• Conduct research and analysis related to food systems, food security and nutrition, climate-resilient agriculture and decent work and entrepreneurship in the context of sustainable development and gender-responsive green/blue economies;

 IV. Key Performance Indicators

• Quality implementation of monitoring, learning and evaluation workplans
• Quality and timely programme monitoring and evaluation
• Quality and timely results-based management reporting
• Quality contributions to stakeholder training and capacity building

 V. Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative indicators in relation to food security and nutrition, livelihoods, women’s empowerment and gender equality (including participation, leadership and gender transformation);
• Good knowledge of data collection tools, including baseline and endline surveys (e.g. food security and nutrition survey tools, household surveys, Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index);
• Good training and capacity building skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong understanding of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues and concepts in relation to rural development and poverty alleviation;
• Familiarity with the sustainable development goals, including SDG5.

 VI. Recruitment Qualifications

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, international development studies, gender/women’s studies, environmental studies, statistics, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Experience in gender analysis tools and approaches is an asset.
• Familiarity with national statistical systems is an asset.

Experience:

• 5 (suggested) years minimum experience in monitoring and evaluation of integrated development programmes, of which a minimum 2 years should include women’s economic empowerment programming;
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of  and of quantitative and qualitative indicators relating to multi sectoral programmes including food security and nutrition, livelihoods, women’s empowerment and gender equality;
• Experience of conducting baseline and endline surveys;
• Experience in developing and carrying out training and capacity building;
• Experience in providing technical guidance (including the development of guidance material);
• Experience of working on partnership programmes with multiple stakeholders.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda is required.
• Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset.

Application Instructions

• All interested and qualified Candidate can send their application documents to: [email protected] not later than 31st January 2023. Only pre-selected candidates will be notified.