Monitoring and Evaluation Senior Officer (Access to Justice and Grant Management) – Retainer, Multiple positions, LICA-9

South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)
The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops, and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia, and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia – 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines. EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: SEMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia, EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Lao PDR, EAPMCO Philippines, and EAPMCO Cambodia.

In 2022, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 95.7 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.

The Multi-Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight, and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the Multi-Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.

UNOPS in the Philippines
Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines provides expert support to ensure sustainable project management, procurement, and infrastructure activities in projects. With funds from the European Union (EU), UNOPS supports the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme (GOJUST2) through procurement, logistics, and grants management to push forward the justice reform agenda of the Philippine government through innovations and interventions; as well as providing grants to civil society organizations to improve access to justice of marginalized groups. In Support to the Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme, UNOPS is working with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Government to strengthen the capacities of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to ensure a smooth transition, also with funds from the EU. In the health sector, UNOPS works with the DOH / ADB in the HEAL project (Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19).

UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners, focusing mainly on a portfolio of projects and programs in the infrastructure, logistics management, procurement in health, rule of law, and governance sectors.

Project Background Information – GoJUST II

The Governance in Justice Programme Phase II or GOJUST II is a program of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines with support from the European Union. It builds on from its predecessor program and generally aims to contribute to inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development through improved access to justice for all. Specifically, it aims to develop more responsive and accountable justice services. The justice system is composed of different actors. Reforms must be undertaken in a coordinated and cohesive manner to ensure efficiency and sustainability. The center of any justice sector reform program is the improvement of the lives of the people. In order to achieve this, GOJUST II employs a four-pronged approach: justice sector strengthening, effective justice institutions, access to justice and evidence-based research.

Justice sector coordination is undertaken by the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) co-chaired by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of Justice and the Secretary for the Department of Interior and Local Government. GOJUST II will support the strengthening and institutionalization of the JSCC as well as the strengthening of the individual justice sector institutions, to ensure complementarity and compatibility of reform measures. Local sectoral coordination mechanisms through the Justice Zones will allow GOJUST II to pilot reform measures at the local level. GOJUST II will also support CSOs and law schools to increase access to justice for vulnerable groups. Finally, GOJUST II will promote evidence-based research that could inform policy-making and future programming.

Particularly on increased access to the justice system for vulnerable groups, including women which is GOJUST II’s Key Result Area (KRA) 3, GOJUSTII established a grant facility which UNOPS manages in collaboration with the British Council which provides technical assistance to the GOJUST II.

GOJUST II’s KRA 3 will seek to empower women, poor and people living in vulnerable situations to recognize their grievances and problems as legal issues and to seek effective remedies for disputes. For people to be able to seek redress, they must know their rights and understand the different pathways for seeking justice. To this end the project will work with media, legal service NGOs, paralegals and other facilitators to create legal and rights awareness and provide direct legal services on issues involving land rights, rights of women, including victims of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV), rights of indigenous peoples, children, youth, prisoners, those with disabilities and LGBTI people. The project will identify strategic collaborations with media, arts and culture platforms for popular engagement on these issues. Based on the British Council’s comparative experience in the use of arts and culture for peacebuilding, interventions will be conflict sensitive and locally led, focusing on tangible outcomes such as confidence building and self-expression as part of legal empowerment.

Aside from grant management and administration, UNOPS is responsible for the provision of logistical and administrative support, which may include the organization and facilitation of training, workshops, seminars and study tours; procurement of goods and services; small works; and, communication and visibility.

Role Specific
As of January 2024, which is already midway in the implementation of the programme, GOJUST has already committed the grant funds to 29 organizations who are implementing 32 grants, and it is expected that there will be no more new grants that will be issued till the end of the project. The main focus of the work from now till the end of the program period will be monitoring, evaluation, coaching, and capacity building for the grantees currently on board.

This position of M&E Senior Officer for Access to Justice and Grants Management will be reporting directly to the Senior Project Manager of GoJUST II, and to the GoJUST2 Senior Adviser for Access to Justice of the partner organization, the British Council, for strategic advice and over-all cohesion with the results framework and the robust implementation of Result Three in relation to the three other result areas. The ME Senior Officer will also coordinate with the GoJUST2 Programme’s Lead on MEL.

The position requires traveling to various locations where the grantees are implementing their activities, in all the island groups of the country, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Project Manager of GoJUST II, , the Senior Officer’s prime responsibilities will be in the following areas:

Results Based Management

• Provide ongoing technical guidance and support , verify and report back on the various grants for access to justice, their activity, output, and outcome-level results.
• Flag and follow-up where planned results are not being achieved, and the reasons for these – working with the rest of the UNOPS/ British Council team and others as appropriate. Monitoring of data, qualitative information and report writing, specially on the narrative reports, grantee monitoring sheets, and other related databases which requires technical data on results based on the log frame.
• In liaison with the MEL Lead and the PMO-Grants, recommend refinements to the monitoring systems to track project activities and outputs related to grants for access to justice.
• Utilize and analyze monitoring and evaluation statistical data to understand the overall progress in reaching project outcomes.
• Support the reporting of program data to enable timely and effective decision-making and planning, iIncluding the reporting of findings and recommendations during the monitoring and site visits of the grantees, in various locations of the country.
• Keep a record of field monitoring and issues being raised and progress, through the field monitoring visit templates.
• Address directly or flag issues that restrict the ability of partners to deliver their programme and provide guidance to the grantees in consultation with the Senior Adviser and the PMO Grants.

Evaluation

• Provide feedback and analysis on the relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of project interventions to the needs of the community.
• Provide information to the PMO-Grants and the MEL Lead on the contribution of the grantees’ work to access to justice in general, and an agenda for evaluative studies, as appropriate
• Analyze the grantee project implementation quality and outcomes, and partners’ compliance with all relevant standards and safeguards.

Capacity Building and Learning

• Conduct feedback sessions to grantees on the fieldwork findings, agree on remedial action and monitor the implementation of the action plan.
• Provide focused technical coaching and/or training to grantee staff and partners to cover identified gaps, directly or in coordination with other members of the GOJUST team or other resource persons.
• Coordinate and facilitate monitoring visits by other relevant stakeholders, such as the communications team, other senior advisers and other staff of GOJUST whenever necessary.
• Conduct field work and use a range of participatory tools to check on grantee project quality and outputs against sector standards, other global and regional standards and in line with the agreed programme standards.

Perform other duties as required.

Competencies

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master´s equivalent) in law, public administration, social justice, development studies and/or other disciplines relevant to development work to assist the vulnerable sectors in their justice needs, with a preference for law, justice and grant management related discipline, is required.
• A bachelor’s degree in the above fields with additional at least two 2 years of solid experience on Access to Justice programs/projects may be accepted in lieu of the master’s degree.

Experience:

• Two years of relevant experience related to law and justice programming, legal assistance to vulnerable groups, legal aid work, monitoring and coaching of CSOs in their justice work, and grant management for civil society organizations is required.
• Experience in the multi-sectoral development field with a focus on law, justice, legal aid and related discipline preferably with International Organisations, UN, International NGOs and/or donors is desirable.
• Substantial donor and grants management experience is desirable.
• Experience in defining problems, collecting data, establishing facts, and drawing valid conclusions is a distinctive asset.
• Experience in G-Suite applications or Microsoft Office is desirable.

Language:

• Fluency in both written and spoken English is required.
• Fluency in Filipino is required
• Knowledge of other regional dialects is desirable.

Contract type, level and duration

• Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
• Contract level: ICS-9/LICA-9
• Contract duration: 12 month Retainer contract with the maximum of 100 working days

NOTE:

• The selection of the candidate will be done through a desk review process.
• The selected candidate shall perform in this role as a Retainer

Additional Information

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.