Remote Consultancy: Humanitarian Performance Monitoring Consultant, Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (62 days)

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Background
The humanitarian context in Europe and Central Asia is continually evolving. COVID-19 has spread widely across the region and all countries (except Turkmenistan) have reported cases and deaths. As of 23 November, the region (excluding Italy) has recorded over 3.4 million confirmed cases and close to 70,000 deaths. Moreover, refugees and migrants continue to arrive in Europe. While the COVID-19 pandemic initially curtailed arrivals in 2020, easing of related border controls brought increasing numbers of people into Europe who are expected to remain into 2021. Some 68,000 refugees and migrants (25 per cent children) arrived in Europe between January and October 2020. UNICEF in ECAR has mobilized its expertise, leadership, staff, and resources to strengthen timely, effective, and predictable delivery of support to children and families in the region. In 2021, much of UNICEF’s humanitarian action in ECA region will be implemented under two regional Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeals i.e. ECA Regional COVID-19 HAC and Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe HAC.

In on-going humanitarian situations, strong performance monitoring is a core accountability and is essential to support effective response. In 2020, ECARO established, simplified and harmonized humanitarian programme monitoring and reporting systems for country offices engaged in the COVID-19 and Refugee and Migrant HAC responses. In particular, the RO coordinated production of a monthly regional sitreps and established a robust Humanitarian Programme Monitoring (HPM) system to systematically collect, analyze, quality-check and reflect programme results for the COVID-19 and Refugee Migrant HAC responses in the region. The Regional Office will need to maintain ongoing technical support and guidance to the CO’s for 2021 COVID-19 and Refugee and Migrant humanitarian HAC response planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting.

In 2021, within the framework of Regional COVID-19 and Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe HACs and building on 2020 experience, the office will sustain the regional HPM mechanism to systematically monitor and report on programme results through quarterly regional situation reports. The system will enable robust decision-making, results monitoring, resource mobilization, and donor reporting, including through the regional situation reports.

Purpose
Within the framework of regional Humanitarian Action for Children appeals for 2021, the consultant will support the Regional Office to maintain a functional HPM system that meets the monitoring and reporting requirements. In particular, the system will enable decision-making, results monitoring, resource mobilization, and donor reporting, including through contributing to the regular Regional Sitreps. Specifically, she/he will support RO Emergency section, in collaboration with RO Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation section, in implementing a robust, quality assured monitoring and reporting mechanism for the country offices and the region.

2021 Reporting Schedule
In 2021, the Regional Office intends to follow a quarterly reporting schedule for both the regional COVID-19 and Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe HACs, with the following tentative reporting schedule:

Reporting Round	CO Results reporting Due	RO Quality Assurance Due	Release of Regional/R/M Sitreps
Quarter 1 (Round 1)	07 April 2021	08 – 16 April 2021	21 April 2021
Quarter 2 (Round 2)	07 July 2021	08 – 16 July 2021	21 July 2021
Quarter 3 (Round 3)	07 October 2021	08 – 18 October 2021	21 October 2021
Quarter 4 (Round 4)	07 January 2022	10 – 18 January 2022	21 January 2022

Main Responsibilities and Tasks
– In support of the above-mentioned reporting schedule, the incumbent will support the effective implementation of the HPM system, specifically through the adaption and application of corporate and regional HPM tools and approaches. This will entail:
– Maintaining a dynamic regional HPM package with technical guidance and good practices, in consultation with RO programme sections and relevant HQ divisions (DPAM, EMOPS);
– Providing technical support and guidance to country offices, including clarifications on the indicator definitions, data collection methodologies and monitoring and reporting approaches;
– Providing guidance and support to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan country offices in setting-up their own HPM system;
– For each reporting round, reviewing CO data inputs including verification and cross referencing of data with the previous reporting rounds, checking for in-consistencies, anomalies, and outliers etc.
– Identifying, documenting and follow-up with the relevant RO advisors/sections on issues emanating from each reporting round;
– In coordination with RO programme teams, undertaking follow-up with COs to ensure accurate, quality and timely data reporting in the regional/ corporate data collection system,
– Generating HPM table for placement in the regular regional sitreps, including adding relevant footnotes to explain any discrepancies (significant or no changes in results, over-achievements, under-achievements etc.
– Producing quality HPM and information management products and their updates for use in the Regional Sitreps, COVID-19 resource platform, donor proposals and other regional documents.
– Updating HPM dashboards on the regional COVID-19/HPM share point site. Any other tasks related to the subject areas of data collection, monitoring and reporting that may be requested by the supervisor

Deliverables	Deadlines	Expected days
Orientation/handover with the current RO HPM consultant and technical support to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with their HPM set-up	31 January	5 days
Quarterly update of the regional HPM package, comprising of indicators guidance and good practices	15 March; 15 June, 15 September, 15 December	8 days (2-days x 4)
Follow-up and support to country offices in the HPM data entry for the four reporting rounds	07 April; 07 July, 07 October, 07 January	8 days (2-days X 4)
Quality assurance of CO data inputs, including data verification, clean-up and follow-up with country offices	16 April, 16 July, 18 October, 18 January 2022	28 days (7-days x 4)
Generation of HPM table for regional sitrep and HPM share point site	21 April, 21 July, 21 October, 21 Jan 2022	4 days (1-day x 4)
Regular updating of HPM page of the Regional COVID Resource Platform with fresh content, including links for data reporting and dashboards.	22 April, 22 July, 22 October, 22 Jan 2022	4 days (1-day x 4)
Lessons learnt and recommendations for sustaining the regional HPM monitoring system	25 January 2022	5 days
Total		62 days

Minumum Qualifications and Competencies
– Advanced university degree in relevant subject
– A minimum of 5 years’ experience with either the UN and/or NGO on M&E, Information Management, humanitarian performance monitoring, reporting.
– Excellent knowledge of MS Excel (pivot tables and functions);
– Proven technical expertise for managing data capture and storage, for analysing diverse datasets, and presenting information in understandable tables, charts, graphs and reports;
– Proven skills in using data visualization software’s (Tableau, Power BI).
– Fluency in English (verbal and written). Good written and spoken skills in the language of the humanitarian operation and knowledge of another UN language an asset.

Estimated Duration of the Contract
Total of 62 working days from (from 4 January 2021 to 31 January 2022)

Payment Schedule
Quarterly, starting on 30 April 2021

Nature of Penalty Clause in Contract
If the final reports and documents are not submitted according to the deliverables stated in this TOR, the payments will be withheld.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines (fees reduced due to late submission: 20 days – 10%; 1 month -20%; 2 months -30%; more 2 months – payment withhold). All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

 

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.