Monitoring & Evaluation (Research and Learning) Advisor

UNOPS -Somalia Country Office

(SOCO) is recruiting this position through an Emergency Recruitment process ( EPP).

This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity to help shape UNOPS' efforts to support the expansion of affordable, accountable and effective policing in Somalia.

Somalia has seen important progress in recent years, but these gains and the political settlement that underpin them remain extremely fragile. Following the collapse of the rule of law during the country's decades-long conflict, Somalia's National Security Architecture remains extremely weak and a source of deep contestation and rivalry. Non-state armed groups, including Al-Shabaab, but also clan-affiliated militias, continue to exercise significant authority over the political and security landscape. Allegations of serious human rights abuses by state and non-state armed groups are a major escalatory factor in the country's unrest and fundamentally undermine stabilization and peacebuilding efforts. Customary and Shari'ah-based judicial systems have similarly gained strength and legitimacy. Their role within Somalia's formal judicial system remains ill-defined and the capacity of statutory courts is extremely low. Across this justice ecosystem, marginalized groups, including women and minority clans, are often denied access to fair settlement of disputes, posing a significant threat to the sustainability and inclusivity of ongoing peace efforts. Somalia additionally faces new pressures that are likely to exacerbate existing tensions and grievances. Climate change and associated floods and droughts perpetuate high levels of displacement and the country's chronic humanitarian crisis. In many communities, traditional livelihoods no longer present a practical or sustainable source of income. Rapid urbanization means that different communities are increasingly converging on and competing for the limited resources of cities and towns. Background on Somalia Security and Justice Programme - SSJP IIThe Monitoring & Evaluation (Research and Learning) Advisor (Retainer, Home-Based) is to provide technical advice and support for an estimated USD $100 million, eight-year security and justice reform programme in Somalia, referred to as Somalia Security and Justice Programme (SSJP) II. The objective of SSJP II is to enable Somalis to benefit from improved security and access to justice through inclusive approaches that enjoy broad based understanding, support and both elite and public confidence. The programme will seek to enhance resolution of specific security and justice problems identified as priorities by Somalis in target locations, while also leveraging learning, social and political influence effectively to catalyze wider programmatic, policy and systemic change. SSJP II recognizes the critical role that improved security and justice outcomes, delivered through approaches that enable informed and inclusive dialogue and negotiation, have in establishing the foundations to lasting peace and political settlements in Somalia. The total anticipated budget available for the programme is USD $100 million covering a duration of eight (8) years. The programme will work initially in 2-3 urban and peri-urban communities in South West State and Jubaland, with the option to expand to other Federal Member States (FMSs) and/or to Somaliland in outer years, as additional funding becomes available.

Under the overall and direct supervision of the SSJP II Technical Lead, the Monitoring & Evaluation (Research and Learning) Advisor, Retainer will advise and support UNOPS on the overall strategic and technical direction for SSJP-II's adaptive MERL approach. They will lead and support reviews of the programme's theory of change, and support the programme to ensure that evidence and learning from monitoring, evaluation and research informs the programme's understanding of causal pathways, and is reflected in the adaptations to the programme's approach. S/he will additionally be available to quality assure Implementing Partners' own monitoring systems and data. They will support the development of an integrated learning agenda, and advise UNOPS on how to direct monitoring, learning and research activities in such a way that addresses the programme's learning priorities. S/he will support the identification of capacity and learning requirements among partners, and may be drawn upon to support the Technical Lead and Programme Delivery Lead to deliver appropriate responses that build partners' long-term technical and organizational capacity. Finally, s/he will support UNOPS to establish and foster an enabling and authorizing environment in which the programme as a whole actively reflects on learning and evidence from monitoring, evaluation and research and adapts its planning, design and delivery approach in response.

The Monitoring & Evaluation (Research and Learning) Advisor, Retainer will perform the following specific duties and responsibilities:

1. Theory of Change (TOC): Lead the facilitation and articulation of SSJP II ToC, ensuring that the design builds on evidence of what works in Somalia and globally, and provides clarity on the pathways to change new programme activities would follow.

Review the available programme documentation and evidence to inform facilitated ToC workshops and engagements.
Recommend an approach through consultation with the Director of Security and Justice and other senior SSJP II members of staff.
During the programme design phase, prepare and facilitate virtual ToC engagements with UNOPS' SSJP core team members to refine and complete the ToC. Complete a draft narrative ToC and recommend changes to the ToC visual diagramme to reflect discussions. This process should include refined impact, outcome, and output statements; clear articulation of assumptions, risks and timelines; and interrogation of the available evidence and interdependencies for pathways to change.
Support and facilitate ongoing interrogation and refinement of SSJP II ToC with UNOPS' core team and programme partners to reflect learning and evidence and to inform programme design.

2. Monitoring and Evaluation: Support and advise UNOPS on the development and delivery of SSJP's (NABADDA SOOMAALIYA) MERL framework and associated tools and processes to ensure they are coherent and cohesive, enable and facilitate evidence-based adaptation, and can be used to generate reliable data concerning progress towards defined targets and objectives.

Provide technical guidance and support to UNOPS for the development and implementation of SSJP II MERL framework, and the tools and processes that support it.
Support UNOPS in the drafting and evaluation of Terms of Reference for the procurement of MERL services for SSJP II.
Support, advise and mentor (as needed) UNOPS MERL Specialist on adaptive MERL approaches, practice-based learning; and monitoring and evaluation of progress towards transformative gender and social inclusion.
Provide technical quality assurance and advice for Implementing Partners' own monitoring systems and data, as needed Support, as needed, capacity development of Implementing partners in their ability to design, implement and meaningfully use adaptive MERL systems and tools, including to measure progress towards transformational change in gender and social inclusion.

3. Learning and Adaptation: Support development and delivery against SSJP II learning agenda, to contribute to evidence-based adaptation and an expanded evidence base for security and justice programming.

Support identification of programme-wide learning priorities and a strategy to address those.
Support, as needed, programme partners to access and utilize evidence from the programme MERL approach to inform decisions on programme design and delivery and to produce high quality and impactful learning products.
Advise the SMT on the development of processes, which enable technical team members to make use of MERL data generated by the programme to inform the development and evolution of programme's implementation approaches.
Contribute, as needed, to the external communication of learning and evidence generated by SSJP II.

A. Education

Master's Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political Science/Security Management/Development Studies, Education, Information Technology (ICT), Law or other relevant discipline is required.
Bachelor's Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political Science/Security Management/Development Studies, Education, Information Technology (ICT), Law in combination with additional two ( 2) years is acceptable in lieu of the advance degree.

B. Work Experience

A minimum of seven ( 7) years' or more experience in designing, delivering or advising on Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) for development programmes in fragile and conflict-affected environments is required.
At least two ( 2) years of experience on adaptive programming approaches and tools to support evidence-based adaptation is required;

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