Job Description
- Vacancy Announcement No: JR128059
- Job Title: Joint Resilience Programme (JRP) Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer
- Contract Type/Grade: Consultant level II
- Duty Station: Mogadishu, Contract Duration: Months (Renewable)
- Date of Issue: October 29, 2026, | Closing Date: November 12, 2026
BACKGROUND: The Joint Resilience Programme (JRP 2.0) is implemented jointly by WFP and UNICEF in Somalia. It uses an integrated, area-based approach across nutrition, education, school feeding, WASH, health, food systems, livelihoods, social and behaviour change, and government capacity strengthening. The programme seeks to improve the resilience of households, communities, and government systems to economic and climate-related shocks. JRP 2.0 focuses on three linked outcomes: stronger human capital through integrated basic services and foundational education; improved food security and livelihoods through productive assets, income generation and strengthened food systems; and stronger government and community systems through enhanced coordination, oversight, and implementation capacity.
The JRP Crisis Modifier complements the main JRP 2.0 programme with rapid, integrated support intended to protect resilience gains during drought. It combines humanitarian assistance and early recovery support across food security, nutrition, livelihoods, WASH, health, and education. The Crisis Modifier monitoring approach is intended to follow relevant households across baseline, midline and endline points to assess whether and how assistance contributes to stabilization, prevention of negative coping, protection of productive assets and resilience gains, recovery, and transition or reconnection to longer-term resilience programming.
The JRP Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer will provide dedicated technical leadership for monitoring, evaluation, research, evidence generation, reporting, learning, and knowledge management for both JRP 2.0 and the JRP Crisis Modifier. The MEL Officer will support WFP and UNICEF programme teams to generate reliable evidence, strengthen accountability, promote adaptive management, and demonstrate results to government, communities, management, and donors.
- A particular focus of the assignment during the coming implementation cycle will be to: strengthen the JRP’s ability to monitor and generate timely evidence to inform and support the effective concurrent implementation of JRP 2.0 and the Crisis Modifier, including demonstrating the added value of the Crisis Modifier;
- generate a focused body of evidence and learning to inform programme adaptation, strategic engagement, and advocacy; and support evidence-based analysis and dialogue on the sustainability and transition of JRP-supported services, systems, and investments.
- strengthen the JRP’s ability to move beyond routine indicator reporting towards understanding what is working, for whom and under what conditions, and translating this evidence into implementation, programme, and strategic decisions.
The MEL Officer will report to the JRP Coordinator with close technical and working lines to the designated WFP and UNICEF monitoring and evaluation focal points and will work closely with WFP and UNICEF technical teams at country and area office levels.
Key Responsibilities
1. Joint MEL leadership and coordination:
- Lead the development, implementation, and periodic updating of a joint JRP monitoring, evaluation, and learning workplan covering JRP 2.0 and the Crisis Modifier.
- Coordinate monitoring and evidence activities across WFP and UNICEF, maintaining clear roles, common standards, agreed timelines and consistent technical approaches, while ensuring alignment with the joint programme priorities and the respective corporate requirements of both agencies.
- Serve as the technical focal point for JRP monitoring, evaluation, research, learning, and evidence use, and support programme governance and technical review meetings.
- Coordinate and collaborate with relevant government counterparts, programme teams, field offices, cooperating partners, third-party monitors, research firms and research/academic institutions, and other stakeholders in the planning, implementation, and use of JRP monitoring, evaluation, and evidencegeneration activities.
2. Results framework and routine performance monitoring:
- Update, maintain and operationalize the joint results measurement framework, indicator reference sheets, monitoring plan, reporting calendar, and performance tracker for the JRP 2.0 and the Crisis Modifier, ensuring coherence between the two monitoring streams where relevant.
- Ensure indicators, targets, disaggregation, data sources, and responsibilities are clearly defined and aligned with programme commitments and WFP and UNICEF requirements, while ensuring that monitoring remains responsive to agreed programme learning, donor’s priorities and evidence needs.
- Consolidate and analyze monitoring findings across sectors, locations, agencies, and implementation partners, highlighting progress against workplans and targets, gaps, risks, and required management action, and identifying cross-sectoral and implementation issues requiring joint programme attention.
- Develop and operationalize approaches to monitor programme integration and convergence, including the layering and sequencing of interventions, referral pathways, continuity of services, and household and community exposure to different JRP intervention packages.
- Develop or refine practical monitoring tools, guidance notes, standard operating procedures, and dashboard specifications.
- Produce periodic analytical monitoring products that synthesize key findings, identify implementation and performance issues, and support timely programme response and management action.
- Support regular review of monitoring findings with JRP coordination and technical teams to identify implementation bottlenecks, emerging risks and required corrective actions, and track follow-up on agreed actions.
3. Assessments, surveys, and evaluations:
- Plan, manage and provide technical oversight for baseline, midline, and endline assessments, including methodologies, sampling, questionnaires, field protocols, analysis plans, and reports.
- Coordinate data collection exercises and the work of field enumerators, third-party monitoring providers, and contracted research firms.
- Ensure mixed-method approaches are fit for purpose and that quantitative and qualitative evidence is triangulated.
- Apply appropriate analytical approaches to assess the JRP’s contribution to observed changes, including longitudinal, comparative and contribution-analysis approaches where methodologically feasible, and triangulate findings with qualitative and contextual evidence.
- Support independent evaluations, reviews, studies and operational research, and track implementation of agreed recommendations.
- Ensure findings are validated with relevant stakeholders and presented in accessible formats for decision-making.
4. JRP Crisis Modifier monitoring:
- Refine and operationalize the Crisis Modifier theory of change and associated learning questions, clarifying and testing the expected pathways from emergency assistance to stabilization, early recovery, protection of resilience gains and transition or reconnection to longer-term JRP resilience programming.
- Operationalize the Crisis Modifier monitoring framework and longitudinal panel design, following relevant household cohorts from pre-assistance baseline through midline and endline.
- Monitor stabilization, food consumption, dietary diversity, coping strategies, access to basic needs and services, livelihood protection, protection of resilience gains, recovery capacity, and transition from emergency assistance to early recovery and resilience programming.
- Analyze results by cohort, district, sex, age, and other relevant vulnerability characteristics, while maintaining data protection and ethical standards, and taking account of exposure to shocks and relevant contextual changes.
- Assess how Crisis Modifier interventions interact with and reinforce the main JRP across food security, nutrition, health, WASH, education, and livelihoods, including whether and how the Crisis Modifier protects existing resilience gains and complements longer-term JRP investments.
- Produce timely analytical updates after each monitoring round and identify practical programme adjustments.
5. Data, Evidence, Learning and Capacity:
- Facilitate the development and operationalization of a jointly prioritized JRP evidence and learning agenda, in consultation with the JRP Coordinator, WFP and UNICEF M&E and technical teams, relevant government counterparts and other stakeholders. The agenda will identify priority learning questions, evidence gaps, appropriate methodologies, data requirements, analytical products, and timelines to support adaptive management, strategic engagement, and demonstration of resilience results.
- Review and refine the JRP theory of change, as required, and operationalize a resilience evidence framework linking the Programme’s pathways and assumptions to the agreed learning questions, evidence needs, and analytical approaches.
- Lead or technically support priority analytical and evidence products identified through the agreed evidence and learning agenda. Indicative areas may include evidence on the contribution and added value of integrated JRP programming to resilience outcomes; longitudinal evidence on the Crisis Modifier and protection of resilience gains; analysis of the value and return on investment of resilience programming, where methodologically feasible; analysis of the catalytic role of JRP financing; and evidence on sustainability, transition pathways and future financing requirements for JRP-supported services, systems and investments.
- Generate high-quality evidence and knowledge products for external audiences, particularly KfW and BMZ.
- Produce concise, high-quality evidence pieces for relevant decisionmakers and external audiences, translating monitoring, assessment, and learning findings into clear messages on JRP results, resilience gains, Crisis Modifier outcomes and learning, lessons learned and strategic investment needs.
- Ensure data quality, consistency, security and compliance across all monitoring and reporting processes.
- Maintain integrated datasets, indicator databases, metadata, and audit trails.
- Analyze and visualize programme result through dashboards, reports, and knowledge products.
- Develop and implement an evidence and learning plan, translating findings into programme improvements.
- Apply ethical, conflict-sensitive, gender-responsive and inclusive monitoring standards.
- Strengthen the capacity of WFP, UNICEF, government, and partner staff through training, coaching, and practical tools.
- Manage knowledge, documentation, and transition processes to strengthen national ownership and sustain programme results including generating and synthesizing evidence to inform decisions on sustainability, transition pathways, and future financing requirements.
6. Other duties
- Perform other related duties required to support effective monitoring, evaluation, evidence generation, learning, and reporting for JRP 2.0 and the Crisis Modifier.
Skills and Qualifications
Education: Advanced University Degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Statistics, Economics, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Health, Agriculture, International Development, or other related fields, OR First University Degree with additional years of relevant work experience and/or training/courses.
Academic qualifications with a focus on monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, research, programme performance measurement, development effectiveness, or other closely related disciplines are highly desirable.
Experience: At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience with an Advanced University Degree, OR First University Degree with a minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in monitoring and evaluation, research, evidence generation, programme performance management, or other related fields. Experience in managing complex assessments and surveys, including methodology design, sampling, fieldwork quality assurance, data analysis, evaluation, and reporting, is highly desirable. Experience working in humanitarian, resilience, nutrition, social protection, or multi-sectoral programmes is required.
Experience with joint United Nations or donor-funded programmes, and collaboration with WFP, UNICEF, government counterparts, or other development partners is an added advantage.
Language Proficiency: Fluency (level C) in English. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second UN language is a plus.
Knowledge & Skills:
- Strong command of results-based management, theories of change, indicator design, mixed-method research, data quality assurance, evaluation, and evidence use.
- Advanced quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and at least one statistical software package such as R, Stata, SPSS, or Python.
- Experience with digital data collection platforms such as MODA/ONA, KoboToolbox, and ODK.
- Experience using data visualization and reporting tools such as Power BI and Tableau.
- Strong report writing, facilitation, presentation, communication, coordination, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to communicate complex technical findings in clear, plain language and translate evidence into practical, actionable recommendations.
- Knowledge of ethical research practices, data protection, safeguarding, gender and social inclusion, conflict sensitivity, and accountability to affected populations (AAP).
This position is open to qualified international candidates. The candidates must be nationals of a country other than the country of assignment. Female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply. WFP Somalia offers female friendly spaces in the workplace.
How to Apply
Apply online through the WFP careers portal (Workday): wd3.myworkdaysite.com/recruiting/wfp/job_openings/job/Mogadiscio-Somal
Interested and qualified candidates are requested to submit online applications through Workday using the links below:
- Internal Applicants: Click here!
- External Applicants: Click here!
Applications that do not meet the above requirements will be disregarded. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
WFP seeks applicants of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. WFP is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.
Selection of candidates is made on a competitive basis.
WFP does not charge any application fees to candidates.
Deadline
Deadline: 12 November 2026
Riyo Jobs is not the employer; apply directly to WFP.
