Job Description

Please note that this vacancy is only open to eligible staff members who have been individually notified of their eligibility to apply for positions advertised in the Accelerated Posting Compendium.

June 12, 2026

A (least hardship)

Family

PR3

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-05-26

Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Officer is responsible for the generation and use of rigorous credible evidence on UNHCR’s results and the situation of the people we serve for the purposes of planning, results reporting and advocacy. S/he ensures consistency in monitoring methodologies, supports coordination of evaluations, and promotes the use of assessment and monitoring data for decision-making. The M&E Officer supports the Planning Coordinator and Results Managers and collaborates closely with Information Management colleagues in operations. S/he works closely with Monitoring colleagues and Evaluation colleagues in the Regional Bureau and Headquarters as well as DIMA colleagues and Economists in the Regional Bureau.

The incumbent works with the operation’s multi-functional team (MFT), ensuring support to and effective participation of relevant stakeholders during the Plan for, Get and Show phases of UNHCR’s results-based management cycle and operations’ multi-year strategy. Externally, as directed by the supervisor, the incumbent engages with individuals with whom UNHCR works and represents UNHCR on M&E-related matters, e.g. UNCT Technical M&E working group, and counterparts in other organizations or at the working level in national governments, such as national statistics offices.

The incumbent reports to a Senior Monitoring & Evaluation Officer where available, or another senior staff who assumes the role of Planning Coordinator. S/he may supervise a team of both professional and support staff.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

• Support the Planning Coordinator in developing, budgeting, implementing, reviewing and refining multi-year M&E plans as part of the multi-year strategy, leveraging integrated M&E tools and approaches.
• Guide Results Managers in selecting and developing relevant indicators, defining means of verification, as per guidance, and in setting baselines, targets and reporting progress. Drive coherent results chains for the operation’s strategy and review planned indicators and monitoring activities ensuring accurate use of indicators and related data including systematic documentation of methodology, calculation and use to enhance data-driven decision-making.
• Deliver expert technical advice to ensure harmonized data collection methodologies, including for disaggregated and high-quality quantitative and qualitative data to measure progress of the operation’s strategy. Enable consistent practices across the operation in collaboration with Results Managers, Information Management, and other data functions, as per applicable guidance and quality standards, including for secondary data review as well as qualitative and quantitative primary data collection activities.
• Coordinate key primary data collection exercises such as assessments, implementation monitoring and results monitoring activities including Results Monitoring Surveys (RMS), working across the multi-functional team while proactively pursuing streamlined processes and exploring integration opportunities.
• Foster participatory approaches to assessment, monitoring, evaluation and reporting and evaluation by promoting engagement of communities and partners.
• Ensure coherence in M&E frameworks, tools and practices by coordinating with stakeholders across donor-driven and multi-partner initiatives – such as United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCF), Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP), and Regional Refugee Response Plans (RRP) – and represent UNHCR in relevant external fora to better capture UNHCR and partners’ support to results for forcibly displaced and stateless people.
• Advise senior management on evaluation needs and ensure compliance with evaluation standards and coverage norms; lead technical quality assurance.
• Facilitate development of Management Responses and track implementation.
• Act as focal point for HQ and bureau colleagues on evaluation planning and implementation.
• Manage and organize evidence bases to support timely evaluations and reporting.
• Facilitate joint review and analysis to translate data into actionable insights to support senior management and the MFT in effective data use for evidence-based programming, reporting, and advocacy. Contribute to strategic moments of reflection and adaptive management practices within the country operation – in the context of both UNHCR's longer term planning and emergency preparedness and response.
• Design and deliver M&E training and learning initiatives for UNHCR staff and partners. Promote continuous improvement through reflection, knowledge exchange, and innovation. Integrate M&E into operational plans and ensure production of rigorous M&E outputs.
• Ensure that monitoring and evaluation processes comply with UNHCR’s policies ( UNHCR Policy on Planning for, Getting and Showing Results, UNHCR/HCP/2023/05, and the UNHCR Evaluation Policy, UNHCR/HCP/2022/03), procedures and guidance (including the Programme Handbook), as well as ethical considerations, data protection standards, and applicable UN regulations and rules.
• Supervise and mentor M&E staff across different levels. Foster a collaborative, technically sound team environment.
• Stay informed about global and regional developments and the specific country context, including challenges posed by the political environment, wider UN and humanitarian/development issues, and institutional developments.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Sociology International Relations International Development Economics

Statistics Public Health or other relevant social sciences fields of education or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses

HCR Results_Based Management - UNHCR;

Research and Evaluation Methods - Other

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Experience in planning and implementing, monitoring systems and managing and/or conducting independent evaluation in United Nations system in international development and/or humanitarian contexts. Experience in setting up monitoring systems and rolling out M&E frameworks that form part of and align with corporate results-based management. Experience in managing a variety of internal and external stakeholders in a cross-cultural professional environment.

Desirable

Demonstrated experience in collaborating with UN development or humanitarian actors, frameworks and coordinating mechanisms. Experience in working with Government and institutions. Experience in data management and statistics, including surveys and indicator management. Experience with organisational change processes. Experience with UN programming. Experience in strategic planning processes and in coordinating and drafting strategies and plans, in particular on protection and solutions, advocacy, or partnership building.

Functional Skills

EL-Monitoring and Evaluation;

PG-Results-Based Management;

PG-UNHCR's Programmes;

EL-Evaluation design and methodologies;

PG-Surveying and data collection methodologies and practices;

DM-Data Collection and Analysis;

PG-RBM tools (theory of change, results frameworks);

PM-Project Monitoring;

TR-Facilitation - Virtual and face to face;

EL-Partnership with government and other partners in monitoring and evaluation projects;

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

Empowering and Building Trust

Judgement and Decision Making

Strategic Planning and Vision

Cross-Functional Competencies

Analytical Thinking

Change Capability and Adaptability

Planning and Organizing

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Essential attributes:
- Solid professional experience in monitoring and evaluation and demonstrated experience in result-based management
- Strong technical expertise in data analysis, indicator development, and production of high-quality analytical reports that effectively support evidence-based decision-making
- Strong project management skills, including planning, prioritization, and delivery under tight timelines
- Strong experience in data governance, data quality assurance, and data protection, including compliance with UNHCR standards and ethical use of data
- Have proven experience in designing and implementing monitoring systems, using data collection tools and appropriate digital platforms, including integrated information management systems

Desirable attributes:
- Experience in emergency or complex operational contexts
- familiarity with advanced analytical approaches, including the use of data visualization tools or large-scale data processing techniques
- Expertise in innovative data approaches
- Exposure to multi-country or regional coordination environments
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both French and English

French

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa (RBWCA), based in Dakar, oversees UNHCR operations in eight countries with an established presence: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.

As part of a regional realignment, the Multi-Country Offices (MCOs) in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal were closed on 31 December 2025. Five standalone country offices –Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal and Togo, – became fully operational on 1 October 2025 as National Offices. The Multi-Country Office (MCO) Cameroon covers Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tome et Principe. The remit of the RBWCA has also expanded to include the Republic of Congo (under MCO Cameroon as of 1 October 2025), further consolidating oversight across West and Central Africa.

The Bureau is accredited to regional intergovernmental bodies, including ECOWAS and ECCAS, and engages closely with UN regional entities. With both Anglophone and Francophone countries, the region requires bilingual, context-specific engagement across diverse political and operational environments.

The West and Central Africa region is currently home to over 21.9 million forcibly displaced and stateless persons, including IDPs, refugees, asylum-seekers, and returnees. Major concentrations are found in Chad, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and the DRC, where conflict, intercommunal violence, and human rights violations continue to drive new displacement.

Humanitarian needs continue to rise due to expanding armed conflict in the Sahel, political instability, and the regional impact of the Sudan crisis, which has generated large refugee inflows into Chad and CAR. The region is also a major crossroads for mixed movements, requiring a route-based approach (RBA) along the central and western Mediterranean routes and the Sahel–North Africa axis.

While some voluntary repatriation and spontaneous returns occur, large-scale solutions remain limited. UNHCR prioritizes long-term solutions beyond return – including socio-economic inclusion, transition to national systems, and strengthened access to services – in protracted and fragile contexts.

Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) together illustrate the growing convergence between humanitarian response, national system-strengthening, and development in West and Central Africa. Chad hosts more than 1.3 million refugees and operating at the limits of humanitarian capacity, making it a defining test case for UNHCR’s shift toward inclusion in national systems, development-anchored solutions, and reduced parallel structures. CAR, meanwhile, sits at the crossroads of the Sahel, the Great Lakes, and the Sudan regional crisis, with cyclical displacement and volatile border zones continuing to strain the absorption capacity of its institutions. Through the CAR Solutions Support Platform and cross-border coordination with Chad, Cameroon, DRC, ROC, Sudan and South Sudan, UNHCR is helping shape a more predictable framework for voluntary returns, community-based reintegration, and stabilization in areas of repeated displacement, in addition to advancing on local inclusion and integration in neighbouring asylum countries. Together, Chad and CAR underline the Bureau’s strategic move toward situation-based engagement, reinforced regional cooperation, and investment in national systems as the foundation for long-term solutions.

The Sahel continues to face violence, challenges to humanitarian access, and limited essential services, while the spill over into the Coastal States has transformed the crisis into a broader regional challenge. Despite this volatility, governments have demonstrated renewed political will through the Sahel+ strategy and the Lomé Dialogue, creating opportunities for coordinated approaches to asylum, border governance, protection data, and mixed movement management. UNHCR’s situational approach in the Sahel centres on delivering life-saving emergency assistance, strengthening protection and advancing solutions, and social and economic inclusion for the forcibly displaced, supported by a route-based framework that links countries of origin, transit, and destination. The Sahel thus represents both one of the deepest protection crises in the region and a critical entry point for state-led, regionally anchored solutions that reinforce resilience, inclusion, and social cohesion.

The DRC, recent addition to the RBWCA’s remit and immediately a regional priority, represents one of the most complex additions to the Bureau’s portfolio, with nearly 6 million IDPs and over 1.2 million Congolese refugees hosted in neighbouring states (primarily Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania). The country also hosts over 510,000 refugees from the region.

UNHCR’s role in the DRC extends beyond humanitarian response to support key regional peace processes, and the Tripartite framework between DRC, Rwanda and UNHCR.

The global funding landscape is driving a shift from broad programme-based models to more projectized, donor-aligned delivery. The Bureau is adopting project-based management, with new SOPs defining roles along the project cycle, strengthened accountability and contribution-tracking, and enhanced M&E to demonstrate results.

Capacity building on project management, proposal writing, donor compliance, and risk management will be rolled out. A regional oversight mechanism, standardized templates, and regional proposal packs will support quality and alignment. Strategic prioritisation of proposals will be essential to avoid overload.

The Bureau will also diversify partnerships – including national partners, development actors, ECOWAS, and emerging donors – to reinforce sustainability and avoid overly ambitious or politically sensitive commitments, particularly in complex contexts such as the DRC.

The position of Monitoring and Evaluation Officer is part of DIMA section. The incumbent should coordinate closely with other units in the Bureau (Evaluation, Protection, External Engagement, Operations Coordination, …), promote collaboration and diversity in a multicultural environment and contribute to a positive work environment.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer plays a key role in ensuring the quality, effectiveness, and accountability of programmes implemented in the region, contributing to evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement. Responsibilities include designing and implementing monitoring frameworks, analyzing programme performance data, preparing reports, and providing recommendations to improve programme delivery. S/he will be expected to undertake field missions to remote field-locations, some of which may have challenging living and working conditions as well as security constraints.

Living and Working Conditions:

The entire United Nations system in Dakar will soon relocate to a common UN house in Diamniadio, approximately 40 km from the main city. Candidates applying for positions based in Dakar should consider this move. Arrangements are being made for staff transportation and teleworking schedules to ensure acceptable working conditions.

As the capital of Senegal, Dakar has a population of over one million and offers reasonable medical facilities, providing both general and specialist care in line with international standards. Dakar is classified by the United Nations as an "A" family duty station, indicating access to all basic services and most recreational activities and facilities.

Living conditions are comfortable, and essential services are readily available.

While the asylum practices in West Africa are generally generous, the operational and political environments present unique challenges for the UN, and particularly for UNHCR. The region hosts a variety of political and UN coordination mechanisms, requiring significant time and effort to ensure that UNHCR remains relevant. Key structures include the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, led by a Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), the Regional UNDG, and regional offices for WFP, UNICEF, OCHA, UN Women, FAO, among others. Donors also have regional platforms in West Africa.It is planned that the entire United Nations system in Dakar will relocate to a common UN house in Diamniadio, approximately 40 km from the main city. Staff who choose to live in the the city would face a substantial commute. Arrangements are being made for staff transportation and teleworking schedules to ensure acceptable working conditions. Candidates applying for positions based in Dakar should consider this accordingly.

As the capital of Senegal, Dakar has a population of over one million and offers reasonable medical facilities, providing both general and specialist care in line with international standards. Dakar is classified by the United Nations as an "A" family duty station, indicating access to all basic services and most recreational activities and facilities.

Living conditions are comfortable, and essential services are readily available.

While the asylum practices in West Africa are generally generous, the operational and political environments present unique challenges for the UN, and particularly for UNHCR. The region hosts a variety of political and UN coordination mechanisms, requiring significant time and effort to ensure that UNHCR remains relevant. Key structures include the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, led by a Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), the Regional UNDG, and regional offices for WFP, UNICEF, OCHA, UN Women, FAO, among others. Donors also have regional platforms in West Africa.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Bachelor of Arts: Economics, Bachelor of Arts: International Development, Bachelor of Arts: International Relations, Bachelor of Arts: Public Health, Bachelor of Arts: Sociology, Bachelor of Arts: Statistics

Certifications

HCR Results_Based Management - UNHCR, Research and Evaluation Methods - Other

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Change capability & adaptability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Strategic planning & visions, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Accelerated Posting Compendium 2026 - Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance