Consultant Performance Measurement

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JOB TITLE:	Programme Policy Officer (Performance Measurement)
TYPE OF CONTRACT:	International consultancy
UNIT/DIVISION:	Gender Equality Office
DUTY STATION (City, Country):	Rome, Italy
DURATION:	11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

WFP envisions a world with zero hunger where everyone has equal opportunities, equal access to resources and an equal voice in the decisions that shape their lives, including as individuals within households, communities, and societies. To that end, the goal of the WFP Gender Policy 2022 is to ensure that WFP optimizes its presence, role, and capabilities, in partnership, to advance gender equality and empower women.

Four inter-connected priorities provide the updated policy’s foundation of gender best practices: enhanced and equitable participation; strengthened leadership and decision making; enhanced protection to ensure safety, dignity and meaningful access; and transformative action on social norms and structural barriers. Further, the policy sets out the following three objectives to address the gender inequalities that continue to exacerbate food insecurity and poor nutrition outcomes:

1. Achieve equitable access to and control over food security and nutrition – by broadening WFP’s assessment, implementation and monitoring activities to better respond to intrahousehold food distribution dynamics.

1. Address the root causes of gender inequalities that affect food security and nutrition – by challenging the barriers that influence the meaningful participation of all household members as agents of change

1. Advance the economic empowerment of women and girls in food security and nutrition – by using food and nutrition assistance as entry points to livelihood opportunities that increase equitable access to productive assets, financial services and technologies.

The Gender Policy 2022 was formally approved at the WFP Executive Board in February 2022, and its implementation is underway. The implementation includes several workstream, including revision of key corporate gender tools such as the Gender and Age Marker (GaM), the Gender Transformation Programme (GTP), and development of new Corporate Results Framework (CRF 2022-2025) gender indicators for piloting in 2023.

The Gender and Age Marker (GaM) is a corporate tool that codes – on a 0 to 4 scale – the extent to which gender and age are integrated into the design and monitoring of a WFP a Country Strategic Plan. It has a shared platform through which WFP Country Offices (CO) can calculate the GaM code that applies to their CSP – at the design phase (GaM D) and then during implementation monitoring (GaM M). The GaM is made up of four components: gender analysis, tailored activities, participation, and benefits. Each of these components has three sub-components1.

The Gender Transformation Programme (GTP) is described as ‘key’ to WFP delivering on its commitment to integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment into all of its work and activities, ensuring the different food security and nutrition needs of women, men, girls and boys are addressed. It supports integration of gender in programming, operations, and in the workplace through actions aligned with 39 benchmarks. Grounded in leadership and accountability, gender-transformative programming and organizational change, the GTP supports participating country offices to deliver intended gender equality outcomes in food security and nutrition.

The Corporate Results Framework (CRF) is the operational tool for implementing WFP’s new Strategic Plan (2022-2025), defining what the organization will deliver (programmatic outcomes and outputs) and how this will be achieved. The CRF, supplemented by the policy on country strategic plans, provides a performance and accountability framework for measuring WFP’s programme delivery and progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The CRF sets out the expected results and targets to be achieved by the entire organization.

WFP has a Sustainability Framework which encompasses standards for environmental and social sustainability and institutes a corporate environmental and social safeguarding approach to screening programme activities, with an associated accountability mechanism. These standards and safeguards address gender equality aspects and are currently aligned with the previous WFP Gender Policy 2015-2020.

WFP’ s strategic plan and saving lives, changing lives agenda cannot be realized without a strong performance management and results measurement framework and platform for cross-cutting priorities. While the CRF 2022-2025 further institutionalizes performance measurement across WFP, it does not offer clear guidance on translating the data collected into concrete actions that will positively influence food security and nutrition outcomes over the long run. As past organizational assessments, evaluations and annual reports have found, the organization would benefit from a performance management approach grounded in the principles of results-based management such that data collected directly informs future programming decisions thereby generating sustainable and inclusive results for the people with whom we work.

Within WFP, the cross-cutting priorities of protection and accountability to affected populations, gender equality and women’s empowerment, nutrition integration and environmental sustainability actively integrate the 2030 Agenda’s economic, social and environmental concerns. In synthesis, they span both programmatic and management dimensions and are relevant to all aspects of the nexus linking humanitarian and development work. All four of the cross-cutting priority areas are linked to a common performance management review, with overall coordination and guidance provided through the office of the Deputy Executive Director for Programme and Policy. One of the principal aims of the review will be to align and streamline the performance management systems and approaches of all of the cross-cutting areas, learning from best practices and adapting to best meet the needs of the field to manage and report on the integration of these cross-cutting priorities into the implementation of country strategic plans.

The Gender Policy 2022,, Strategic Plan and CRF 2022-2025 have laid the foundation for the Gender Equality Office to re-examine the effectiveness of its key corporate gender tools including the Gender and Age Marker, the Gender Transformation Programme, the Gender Toolkit and other materials intended to support gender mainstreaming design, implementation and monitoring across the organization This assignment, through 2023 corporate funding from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), WFP HQ Gender Equality Office is looking for a skilled international consultant to assess the adequacy of the GaM, GTP, and other gender tools for measuring WFP’s performance and progress on gender equality. The consultant will undertake an analysis of existing tools as compared to industry standards via a desk review, and key informant interviews or focus group discussions, in order to provide recommendations for improvement, including possible alternative approaches, in time to develop necessary tools and guidance materials for the third generation of CSPs (intended roll out in 2024).

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the general supervision and guidance of the Gender Equality Office Pillar 4: Planning, Strategy, and Capacity Building and second level supervision by the Deputy Director, the incumbent will fulfill these responsibilities:

• Comprehensive, high-level review and analysis of existing work and lessons learned from the implementation of GaM, GTP, and other gender tools as appropriate2 to assess their adequacy for measuring WFP performance and progress on gender equality against the Gender Policy 2022. This is to be done through document review, extensive consultations with the Gender Equality Office, Regional Gender Advisors, Country Office Gender Equality Officers/Advisors, and gender focal points (known as Gender Results Network members at WFP), other WFP HQ-based divisions and departments, as well as relevant sister-UN agencies and other development partners (as appropriate).

• Identify, develop, and document conceptual and logical links, and synergies (and/or lack thereof) between the GaM, GTP, and other gender tools including the work currently underway to develop new gender indicators for the CRF 2022-2025, the Sustainability Framework, and Protection performance management tools as a means of measuring performance and progress on gender equality against the WFP Gender Policy 2022. This should inform the following deliverables:

• Propose a refreshed ‘gender and age marker – design phase’ (GaM-D) approach that is more explicit regarding the specific gender commitments that the CSP will deliver over its lifecycle;

• Propose a refreshed ‘gender and age marker – monitoring phase’ (GaM-M) approach that will track progress on the explicit commitments made by the CSP, and measure results achieved – changes in gender dimensions over time that can be attributed to WFP programming – through quantitative and qualitative assessments;

• Validate and/or propose a refreshed GTP programme that embeds an accountability mechanism for designing and delivering on gender equality results beyond the cycle of the GTP, including consideration to other intersectional dimensions for analysis and programme integration where appropriate;

• Examine the CRF as a general mechanism for tracking results, alongside the ongoing gender-specific updates to the CRF, the gender pilot on individual level food security indicators, and the qualitative assessment pilot, to offer guidance and/or recommendations for the anticipated gender equality results measurement pathway(s);

• Propose a streamlined and integrated approach to measuring gender equality results including through integrating with other cross-cutting priorities approaches and reducing overlaps with other performance management and accountability mechanisms. This will involve coordination with accountability and performance measurement processes being pursued via concurrent workstreams on other cross-cutting areas such as, but not limited to, the environmental and social safeguards, protection and accountability to affected populations, and gender-based violence.

• Propose other tools and/or materials as appropriate, to guide WFP towards a more systematic tracking of gender equality results.

• Prepare a high-quality report detailing work done, process, and listing recommendations for improvement, including possible alternatives – in time for integrating into the third generation of CSPs.

• Within the first month of assignment, develop a concrete, measurable, and realistic plan of action for fulfilling above responsibilities (Inception Report).

• In carrying out above tasks, ensure recommendations and/or solutions proposed

• apply a people-centered lens; abiding with the ‘do no harm’ approach and providing the basis for WFP to systematically assess risks that might arise from implementation of its programmes and holding the organization accountable for the prevention of harm to people or to the environment that might be associated with the assistance it provides across humanitarian, development, and conflict-sensitive interventions

• ensure links with any corporate progress on intersectionality and social inclusion are explored, identified, and integrated into all the work, particularly in any recommendations for improvement, and

• ensure upcoming and ongoing changes to GaM, GTP, and CRF and other initiatives are fully considered

The incumbent will be expected to establish and maintain excellent working relations with all Gender Equality Office colleagues given the intersectional nature of the portfolio.

Capabilities

Core

Purpose: understand and communicate strategic objectives; be a force for positive change; make the WFP mission visible in everyday actions

People: look for ways to strengthen people’s skills; create an inclusive culture; be a coach and provide constructive feedback

Performance: encourage innovation and creative solutions; focus on getting results; be decisive

Partnership: connect and share across WFP units; build strong external partnerships; be agile and adaptable

Functional

Performance measurement and management, and gender equality related knowledge and skills, including:

• Robust knowledge of methodologies and approaches to monitor performance in gender equality taking into consideration WFP’s dual-track approach (gender mainstreaming complemented by targeted actions);

• Solid understanding of humanitarian and development frameworks, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly of SDG2 and SDG5 as well as how the work of WFP can contribute to achieving them

• Knowledge of current thinking and development in the field of results-based management and gender equality and women’s empowerment.

• Capacity development on gender; knowledge management

• Knowledge of effective facilitation and communication tools, and techniques.

• Strong writing skills

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:	Master’s degree in performance management (results-based management – RBM), statistics, gender equality studies, economics, social sciences, or related fields. A combination of a degree in performance management (RBM), statistics and gender equality studies will be considered an advantage.
Experience:	Minimum 9 years of relevant professional experience. Experience in conceptualizing, designing, implementing, and evaluating gender equality programme and/or project RBM systems. Experience in mainstreaming gender equality in food security and nutrition projects/programmes and/or with targeted gender equality food security and nutrition programmes/projects. Experience in protection, accountability to affected populations, intersectionality, and social inclusion. Experience in developing normative guidance on RBM for field staff, with focus on gender equality, protection, accountability to affected populations, intersectionality, and social inclusion, ideally from a food security and nutrition perspective. Previous experience working in an international organization and/or UN organization/WFP is considered an asset.
Knowledge & Skills:	Strong analytical skills, ability to express complex and abstract ideas in a manner suitable for different audiences. Creativity, willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work. Ability to work independently, in a timely and organized manner. Ability to work in a team and multi-task as needed. Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in multicultural settings that involve diverse stakeholders and opinions. Excellent writing skills, with good attention to detail.
Languages:	Excellent English communication skills, both in speaking and writing. Proficiency in another UN official language (French, Arabic, Spanish, Russian or Chinese).

VA no.481422

Posting NTE date: 15 March 2023

Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply. WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

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