UNDP Jobs - 45250- Call for Expressions of Interest: Consultants and

Call for Expressions of Interest: Consultants and Experts to Evaluate UNDP's Support to MDGs

Location :

Home-based with mission travel as necessary

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-May-2014

Application Deadline :

20-Apr-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 months

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 UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) is conducting a thematic evaluation on the role of UNDP in supporting national achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The objectives of the evaluation are:

To assess the roles played and results achieved by UNDP in support of the achievement of MDGs;
To identify the factors, decisions and strategies that may have affected UNDP’s contribution and performance in supporting the achievement of MDGs; and
Based on the above, to provide strategic recommendations for similar work in the future.

The IEO is seeking the services of several evaluation experts to carry out the evaluation. The contracts are expected to commence in mid-May 2014 for a duration of 6 months.

Duties and Responsibilities

The present call for expressions of interest is for individual international consultants who will undertake the evaluation and draft the final report. The selected candidates will review relevant documentation and carry out interviews at UNDP headquarters in New York and in a sample of countries to evaluate the roles played and results achieved by UNDP in support of the achievement of MDGs and to assess the extent to which UNDP support to MDGs has contributed to their national achievement.

The assignment involves both home-based work and limited international travel. The type of activities the consultants might be assigned includes: (i) document review; (ii) conduct of country case studies of UNDP work related to MDG achievement (including supervision of national consultants, as appropriate); (iii) case studies of specific UNDP initiatives in supporting MDGs at global, regional and national levels; (iv) analysis of evaluation evidence collected from different sources; and (v) report writing and editing.

The UNDP initiatives proposed for evaluation are focused predominantly on upstream policy advice, advocacy, awareness raising, and progress monitoring.

Competencies

Expertise in development economics and/or related international development fields;
Knowledge of international development policy agenda, particularly the MDGs and post-2015 agenda;
Capacity to work in teams with limited supervision;
Strong communication skills and writing abilities;
Capacity to develop frameworks and methodologies to complete the assignment;
Ability to organise and analyse complex multi-country data sets; knowledge of QCA advantageous; and
Capacity to withhold judgment until after thorough analysis of facts, and to separate facts from personal interpretation and inclinations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

A master’s degree in economics or relevant social science field.

Experience

At least 15 years of international development experience;
Significant evaluation experience, having participated in complex evaluations of development programmes; and
Previous work in the area of MDGs advantageous.

Language

Fluency in English;
Fluency in French and Spanish advantageous.

Submission Details

Applicants are invited to submit their CVs through the UNDP Jobs website and include their expected daily rate for this consultancy.

Only short-listed candidates shall be contacted. This call for expression of interest does not entail any commitment on the part of UNDP, either financial or otherwise.