International Consultant – Monitoring and Evaluation, Seconded to African Union Commission (AUC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (260 working days for Non-Ethiopian Nationals only)

UNICE is looking for a professional consultant who will provide technical support to the department of Health and Humanitarians Affairs’ Health systems Diseases and Nutrition Division, to improve the quality of data and information that is available and used on Health, Nutrition, Population and Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Adolescents Health. A specific focus of this position is an effective Planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the division’s priority plans, programs and strategies in line with AU and donor funding.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, a Balanced Diet!

Ethiopia is situated in the Horn of Africa and is the second most populous country on the continent with an estimated population of 115 million. It borders six African countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and covers 1,104,300 square kilometers. Approximately 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures with Middle Eastern and African cultures evident in the religious, ethnic, and language composition of its people.

Over the past two years, children and their families across Ethiopia faced multiple and complex emergencies, such as the conflict in the northern Ethiopia and the drought, which resulted in millions of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. UNICEF has programmes in Child Protection, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Social Policy, and Education and serves over 15 million children in Ethiopia. Join UNICEF Ethiopia to contribute to improving the lives of children and women.

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Background:

The African Union, a Pan-African continental body headquartered in Addis Ababa, is charged with spearheading Africa’s rapid integration and sustainable development by promoting unity, solidarity, cohesion, and cooperation among the peoples of Africa and African States, as well as developing a new partnership worldwide.

The mandate of the Health Systems Diseases and Nutrition division is to oversee policy and strategy development and delivery on implementation of AU decisions. Further it responds to vital generic health issues related to health policy and delivery systems, nutrition, population and other related public health issues and challenges that require a concerted and coordinated approach at a continental level. The HSDN division plays a leading role in policy development, advocacy, coordination, monitoring and evaluation and resources mobilization in the given thematic areas under Health, Nutrition and Population.

Agenda 2063 of the African Union was adopted by the 24th Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa in January 2015 under Assembly/AU/Dec.565(XXIV). The agenda embodies the aspirations of the African people, framed in a collective ambition thus: “The Africa We Want in 2063”. Strategic Objective 3 of Agenda 2063 ensures a healthy life and promotes nutrition.

Agenda 2063 of the AU is operationalized through a series of five Ten-Year Implementation Plans, with the first plan straddling 2014 to 2023 and the second spanning 2024 to 2033. The second decade of Agenda 2063 places emphasis on acceleration of implementation, building on the first that primarily focused on convergence.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Monitor, evaluate and prepare reports based on analysis of the statutory implementation of existing policies, frameworks, commitments, and plans of action that have been adopted.
• Ensure that AU’s resources are efficiently allocated and used based on data and evidence on expected impact, assessed needs, priorities, and gaps.
• Provide technical inputs for development of continental M&E framework and harmonization of indicators for the AU policy frameworks including but not limited to Maputo Plan of Action and Abuja Call as recommended by the Executive Council and Assembly.
• Support management of AU data and reporting platforms such as STATAFRIC, Health Stat and AMERT.
• Develop and strengthen monitoring, and evaluation procedures and tools to facilitate tracking of all project activities, expenditures, and progress towards achieving the project outputs. Further support development of monitoring and impact indicators for the project success.
• Support the AUC in preparing annual project reviews and planning workshops and assist the Head of division in preparing project reports.
• Coordinate the development of strategic plan and annual project planning practices of the division and compilation of periodic activities implementation reports in line with the set targets and KPIs.
• Coordinate with other AU Directorates including Strategic Planning, Programming budgeting and finance and Partnerships Management and resources mobilization to ensure effective tracking of division’s plan and funds.
• Preparation of all division reports and assist in preparing other departmental reports

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone:

• Standardize Data Collection Tools: Develop and employ standardized data collection instruments and protocols to ensure uniformity and minimize variations in data quality across regions and teams.
• Rigorous Data Validation: Establish robust validation mechanisms, including data cross-checks and comparisons with historical data, to identify and correct inconsistencies early in the data collection process.
• Commission Reports for 2025: Prepare and submit annual reports documenting achievements, challenges, and recommendations in line with the African Union’s strategic health goals for the year.
• Strategic Plan and Program Budgeting for 2025: support the development of a comprehensive strategic plan for the health sector, accompanied by a detailed program budget for 2025. The plan should align with the AU’s broader health objectives and outline the allocation of resources for key health initiatives.
• Monitoring and Evaluation Procedures: Establish robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) procedures and tools to track project activities, expenditures, and progress toward achieving project outputs. This includes regular tracking and reporting mechanisms to ensure project alignment with defined health targets.
• Preparation of Division Report: Compile a report detailing the achievements, challenges, and outcomes of the Division’s health-related activities over the year. The report should serve as a key document for internal review and future planning.
• Preparation of Department Report: Prepare a department-wide report highlighting the progress, results, and strategic direction of health-related programs for 2025, providing an overview of accomplishments, lessons learned, and future objectives.
• Monthly Division Coordination Report: Collaborate with strategic planning, finance, and other departments to produce a monthly coordination report. This report will provide updates on the Division’s progress, budget utilization, and coordination efforts across different teams.
• Update AU Data and Reporting Platforms: Regularly update AU data platforms such as STATAFRIC, Health Stat, and AMERT with relevant health data and progress reports, ensuring that key health indicators and statistics are reflected accurately in regional reporting tools.
• Capacity Building for Member States on STATAFRIC: Organize and facilitate capacity-building workshops or training sessions for AU Member States on the health component of STATAFRIC, enhancing their ability to collect, analyze, and report health data effectively.
• Quarterly Status Report on AMERT: Prepare and submit quarterly status reports on the update and progress of AMERT, highlighting improvements, data collection progress, and areas needing further support.
• Final Consultancy Report

Deliverables/Outputs:

1. First Draft of Data Collection Tools (21 days)
2. SOPs for data validation and validated version of Data collection tools (22 days)
3. Annual Report for the Commission (22 days)
4. Strategic Plan and Program Budgeting for 2025 (21 days)
5. SOPS for M&E available (22 days)
6. Division Report prepared and approved (22 days)
7. Department Reports Prepared and approved (21 days)
8. Monthly coordination meeting Reports (23 days)
9. AU data and reporting platforms Updated (23 days)
10. Capacitary building Reports for member states (19 days)
11. Quarterly Status report on AMERT (23 days)
12. Summary Consultancy report (21 days)

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in the Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Health policy-related work with focus on Public Health in either/or both at national and international level,
• At least 3 (three) years of experience in the fields of Strategic Planning, Program Management and Monitoring Evaluation within an international organization, with reference to the African context.
• Knowledge of and experience working with multilateral or intergovernmental organizations in Africa is preferred. 
• Computer knowledge is a must especially in MS-Excel and Statistical Data software’s.
• Experience in the UN system and knowledge of UNICEF’s work is highly desired.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, OFFICE BASED.

Please note that applications submitted without a fee rate will not be considered.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

Core Values:

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

 UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates and persons with disability are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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:  

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. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.