Monitoring & Evaluation Officer

Host entity: UNFPA

Volunteer type: National

Areas of expertise: Data science, information management, Artificial Intelligence, Gender, women's rights, Knowledge management, research, reporting

Application deadline: 23/08/2026

Mission and objectives

UNFPA’s mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is
safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The Agency promotes gender equality and
empower women, girls and young people to take control of their bodies and their futures. We
work with partners in more than 150 countries to provide access to a wide range of sexual and
reproductive health services. Our goal is ending unmet need for family planning, preventable
maternal death, and gender-based violence and harmful practices including child marriage and
female genital mutilation by 2030.

Assignment context

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
In Sierra Leone, the UNFPA Country Office (CO) works closely with the Government and other partners to implement the 8th Country Programme Document (CPD). To ensure high-quality delivery and accountability, the M&E unit provides critical oversight, data analysis, and reporting support across all thematic areas, including Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), Gender/Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and Population Dynamics.

UNFPA seeks candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Under the overall supervision of the Country Representative and direct oversight of the Head of Programme, the UNV Specialist-M&E works directly under the technical guidance of the Programme Coordination Specialist in the UNFPA Country Office. The UNV Specialist- M&E will provide technical and administrative support to ensure the effective implementation of the Country Office’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (MER) framework. The incumbent will contribute to effective results planning, monitoring, reporting, communication and evaluation of programmes and projects. He/She will assist in data collection, tracking programme and project performance, support conducting monitoring visits, manage data systems, and support strengthening the capacity of UNFPA implementing partners.

Task description

Under the overall supervision of the Country Representative and direct oversight of the Head of Programme, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV ) Specialist - Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) works directly under the technical guidance of the Programme Coordination Specialist in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA ) Country Office. The UNV Specialist - M&E will provide technical and administrative support to ensure the effective implementation of the Country Office’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (MER) framework. The incumbent will contribute to effective results planning, monitoring, reporting, communication, and evaluation of programmes and projects. He/She will assist in data collection, tracking programme and project performance, support conducting monitoring visits, manage data systems, and support strengthening the capacity of UNFPA implementing partners.

The UNV Specialist - Monitoring and Evaluation will perform the following duties:

1. Results Planning: - Provide technical inputs to programme formulation to ensure results are properly defined.


. Provide technical input for the development of Results and Resources Plan
. Provide coordination and facilitation support in the development of quality M&E frameworks including the cost-controlled monitoring and evaluation plan of the country programme
. Provide relevant inputs to the formulation of United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), more specifically common country analysis, strategic prioritization, results framework, and joint work plans
. Provide inputs to develop annual and multi-year results plans
. Support developing implementing partner (IP) workplans to operationalize the Country programme results
. Provide inputs for developing field monitoring plans and quality assurance processes
. Promote the use of evaluation results for evidence-based planning and programming


2. Monitoring: - Provide technical inputs to the monitoring and tracking of results against country/regional level targets and the UNFPA Strategic Plan.
. Provide inputs to conduct the annual review of projects and programmes
. Provide input for monitoring work plans in collaboration with programme staff
. Support field monitoring and coordinate with programme team and promote the use of monitoring visits recommendations
. Support collecting and analyzing data and evidence, including higher-level indicators and oversee regular data quality checks
. Active participation and provision of relevant inputs for joint united nations joint results groups and other joint monitoring mechanisms
. Lead on Quarterly Monitoring of milestones and work plan progress reports
. Contribute the implementation of the assurance plans including the spot checks

3. Results reporting and results communication: - Facilitate the reporting of results to internal (Senior Management) and external audiences.

. Design, standardize, and deploy mixed-method data collection protocols (including household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and post-intervention evaluations) across UNFPA’s core thematic areas: Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), Gender/Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and Population Dynamics.
. Establish routine data-verification workflows and conduct physical and remote data quality spot-checks with implementing partners to ensure data accuracy, completeness, and consistency before entry into corporate databases.
. Ensure that all collected datasets are systematically disaggregated by sex, age, geographical location, and disability status to align with UNFPA's commitment to leaving no one behind.
. Create and distribute simplified, user-friendly data reporting templates for non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and ministry focal points to streamline decentralized data harvesting
. Synthesize quantitative indicators using statistical software (e.g., SPSS, Stata) and conduct qualitative thematic coding of field feedback to evaluate the direct impact of UNFPA interventions
. Convert complex monitoring datasets into clear, concise analytical reports, trend projections, and dashboard visualizations that pinpoint program bottlenecks and suggest immediate strategic course corrections.
. Plan, coordinate, and lead monitoring field visits to program sites across Sierra Leone’s districts to cross-reference reported desk statistics with on-the-ground project delivery and beneficiary experiences.
. Serve as the primary custodian of the Country Office's monitoring databases, ensuring that all statistical systems are secure, continually updated, and optimized for real-time decision-making by senior leadership

4.Evaluation- Provide technical support to the Country Office (CO) in the implementation of the UNFPA Evaluation Policy in the Country Office


. Support the development and implementation of costed evaluation plan in the country office, including an annual update and regular monitoring of implementation of planned evaluations

. Participate in interagency and coordination work on M&E at country level, including support to UNSDCF evaluations

. Participate as member in UNFPA M&E network

. Promote use of evaluation findings and recommendations in programme formulation and organizational decision making

. Support efforts to enhance UNFPA internal and national capacity development on M&E.

5. Expected Outputs: Key performance indicators

. Timely and quality support to the programme team and implementing partners in line with work plan
. Quality and timely systems for tracking/monitoring
. Timely submission of accurate and quality reports
. Quarterly field monitoring reports submitted with actionable recommendations.
. Timely input provided for the UNFPA Annual Report and donor reports.
. Mid-Year and Annual IP Review meetings successfully held.
. Monitoring and data collection needs for all projects in the CO fulfilled as required

Skills and experience

● At least 3 years of relevant experience in monitoring and evaluation, data collection, or programme management.
● Experience in planning and implementing project monitoring activities with stakeholders is required.
● Experience with Results-Based Management (RBM) is highly desirable.
● Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, youth organizations, and authorities at different levels.
● Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
● Ability to synthesize programme performance data and produce analytical reports
● Good analytical and report writing skills
● Good computer skills, including statistical software and database software Planning, goal setting, prioritization, and organizational skills

Competencies and values

-Integrity: Demonstrates the values of the United Nations and UNFPA.

-Professionalism: Knowledge of M&E methodologies and ability to work under pressure.

-Accountability: Takes ownership of tasks and meets deadlines.

-Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues across different thematic units.

-Respect for Diversity: Ability to work in a multicultural environment.

Living conditions

Freetown is a vibrant, hilly city, with a population of just over one
million. Set on a peninsula, you can see the sea from almost any
point in the city, and you are never far away from some
spectacular beaches for swimming and surfing. The general
security situation is peaceful, and the overall Security Level in
Sierra Leone is classified as Low (Level 2) as per the UN security
management system. Crime is classified as moderate, with
incidents primarily related to property thefts, house break-ins
and robberies. Freetown is categorized as a family duty station.
There are good communication services, including mobile and
internet services, available at a fair price. Local and regional
banks deal in both local and foreign currencies. ATMs are
available, and credit cards are accepted in some establishments.
However, this is generally a cash economy
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