UNDP Jobs - 34450- International Expert Advisory Board on Evaluation

International Expert Advisory Board on Evaluation

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Feb-2013

Application Deadline :

25-Jan-13 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year initially, then subject to review

Languages Required :

English French Spanish

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 years to 31 Dec 2015 (on-call assignments)

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The Evaluation Office of the UNDP conducts evaluations to assess the contributions made by UNDP at country, regional and global levels. These evaluations are led by UNDP Evaluation Office staff and include international and national consultants. The Evaluation Function of UNDP is decentralized, with country, regional and headquarters offices also responsible for carrying out evaluations of programmes and projects which the UNDP Evaluation Office then reviews for quality. The Evaluation Office programme of work includes a variety of related evaluation activities, including the development of guidance documents, and membership in the UN Evaluation Group.

The UNDP Evaluation policy, revised in 2011, makes clear that the UNDP Executive Board is the custodian of the Evaluation Policy, and ensures the independence of the Evaluation Office. The Director of the Evaluation Office has the final say on the content of all evaluation reports issued by the Evaluation Office.

To ensure that the quality of evaluations is maintained over the long term, including oversight of its independence, an Evaluation Advisory Panel is being established, comprised of evaluation and other relevant experts, and which reflects the wide areas of expertise, as well as geographic diversity, of UNDP.

The Evaluation Advisory Panel is being established to provide support and advice to the UNDP Evaluation Office, in keeping with its objective to produce high quality evaluations that help to enhance UNDP performance and results. This shall include support on strategy, methodology and communications. There will be an agreed annual work plan for the PANEL, against which targets and progress will be monitored by the Evaluation Office.

The UNDP Evaluation Office website includes additional background on its focus, operations, and previous evaluations. Included on the site is the UNDP Evaluation Policy which details the evaluation function and activity responsibilities:

http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/accountability/evaluation/overview.html

Duties and Responsibilities

This constitutes a consulting assignment, providing independent, well-documented, written advice to the UNDP Evaluation Office in order to help the UNDP Evaluation Office address the complex methodological challenges and credibility associated with evaluating UNDP contributions to the achievement of development results. Panel members will be asked periodically to:

Recommend improvements to the overall coherence and consistency of the UNDP Evaluation Office approach, work programme and methodologies.
Review key deliverables, including guidance covering methodologies and procedures, and specific evaluation documents: terms of reference, draft and final reports.
Advise the Evaluation Office on ways to raise its prominence, including improvements to knowledge sharing platforms and dissemination strategies.

For detailed information, please refer to the link below to the UNDP Procurement site where you can download the Terms of Reference (TOR).

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Panel members are expected to be familiar with the role of multilateral organizations such as the UN or UNDP in development. The panel will be configured to ensure that the UNDP EO can draw on the methodological expertise of panel members for conducting both qualitative and quantitative evaluations, as well as expertise on knowledge management and dissemination strategies. Advisory panel members will be selected to ensure a wide range of knowledge and expertise that is pertinent to evaluating UNDP, including knowledge of development issues such as poverty alleviation, democratic governance, environment and sustainable development, and crisis prevention and recovery, as well as cross-cutting issues such as women’s empowerment and South-South cooperation.

Core Competencies:

Advisory panel members are expected to demonstrate and safeguard the highest ethical standards, integrity and sound judgment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

The minimum requirement for Panel Members is to have earned a Master’s Degree, with a Doctoral/Phd degree as an advantage. Academic fields may include, but are not limited to: government, sociology, anthropology, economics, statistics, business, geography and related social science disciplines.

Work Experience:

At least 15 years of experience in research and development–related work is required, including senior management level positions in government, academic institutions and/or other development-related organizations. All candidates should possess some experience in managing international policy and programme evaluations.

Language:

Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in French and Spanish are desirable.

Note: Please click on the link below to access additional information and documents for the proper submission of offers/bids in accordance with UNDP procurement rules and regulations.

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=10364