UNDP Jobs - 55232- Individual Consultant

Individual Consultant - Meta Review Evaluation

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

20-Apr-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

22 working days

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

UNDP in Asia and the Pacific is striving to become more results-oriented and evidence-based. It has done this by strengthening RBM capacity in Country Offices and improving reporting on results, as evidenced by the two latest results reports for 2008-12 and 2013-14.

To stay relevant in a fast-changing development landscape, UNDP in Asia-Pacific seeks to improve accountability for results and increase efficiency and effectiveness. This means proactively aligning UNDP Country Programmes with the key outputs and priorities of the Strategic Plan, using a robust method and in-depth consultation for diagnosing any amendments needed. It also means demonstrating more clearly how UNDP’s efforts contribute towards broader national outcome-level change. This requires improving the collection of evidence for designing, monitoring and evaluating UNDP programmes. Furthermore, it means improving the quality of programmes, through scaling up innovations and successful pilot projects to achieve broader impact.

Evaluations are important tools for helping UNDP learn from past experience, and better understand what types of development intervention work well, and in what contexts. Evaluations should promote evidence-based decision making and should drive organisational learning.

Assessments of Development Results (ADRs) are an important type of independent evaluation conducted by the Independent Evaluation Office. The scope of an ADR spans over one of two programme cycles (5-10 years) and therefore contain a wealth of useful information about the effectiveness of the organization in the region. ADRs are programme evaluations that assess the attainment of intended and achieved results as well as UNDP contributions to development results at the country level. Their scope includes UNDP responsiveness and alignment to country challenges and priorities; strategic positioning; use of comparative advantage; and engagement with partners.

There is a wealth of information contained in the ADRs that can inform the design of new programmes and the strategic positioning of UNDP. ADRs can also provide information on UNDP’s results and contribution to outcome level change in the Asia-Pacific region. This information has been under-utilized.

Twenty-two ADRs have been conducted in 19 of UNDP’s 24 Country Offices in the region since 2005.

There are a number of other project and outcome evaluations for Country and Regional Programmes available from 2005-2014. Project evaluations assess the efficiency and effectiveness of a project in achieving its intended results. They assess the relevance and sustainability of outputs as contributions to medium-term and longer-term outcomes.

This meta-analysis and review is intended to provide a systematic review of UNDP’s contribution across the Asia-Pacific region using the reliable evaluation evidence available. It seeks to show where UNDP can demonstrate its contribution to national outcomes; where UNDP has been effective, where it has not been effective and why. It will use qualitative and quantitative evidence available.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within the expected outputs and deliverables noted below, this consultancy is primarily intended to identify quantifiable and verifiable results that can be reported by UNDP that contribute towards outcome level change in countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It is also intended to enhance learning on the efficiency and effectiveness of UNDP in achieving those results.

The consultant will report to the Strategic Planning Advisor in the Strategic Planning and Oversight Unit in RBAP New York. The consultant will also liaise with the Independent Evaluation office and the Development Impact Group of BPPS, the Bangkok Regional Hub and Country Offices where necessary.

Expected outputs:

Develop a methodology for conducting the meta-review based on available learning regarding meta-reviews of evaluations and an understanding of sources of qualitative and quantitative data that are available in the ADRs;
Conduct a desk review of all available ADRs within Asia-Pacific region during the time period 2005-2014. Also review a number of the large project evaluations for strategically important or large-delivery interventions;
Document all quantifiable results referred to in the evaluations that provide verifiable evidence of the change that resulted from UNDP’s contribution, including at the country level, where available;
Examine and aggregate, where possible, common trends in UNDP response and strategic positioning in country;
Review the total evidence of UNDP’s contribution to development results across our Country Offices to analyse UNDP’s aggregate contribution at the regional level;
Identify common areas where UNDP has been ineffective in the region and the reasons for this ineffectiveness. As part of this, assess whether evidence exists, including in the management responses to evaluations, that UNDP has learned from these mistakes and improved its effectiveness as a result;
Identify some of the key lessons that are repeated across the evaluations on improvements that can be made to UNDP’s strategic positioning, efficiency and effectiveness in the region.

Expected deliverables:

We are looking for a brief report that captures:

Conclusions on UNDP’s region-wide contribution to development results based on quantifiable evidence cited in the evaluations. This is backed up by a excel sheet documenting the key country level results;
Main findings on where UNDP can improve its strategic positioning, efficiency and effectiveness in the region, if relevant, by Country Typology;
Recommendations on how UNDP can enhance learning from its evaluations in RBAP;
Presentation of key findings and recommendations to RBAP colleagues in Bangkok, New York and COs, as relevant.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Strong organizational and research skills;
Excellent analytical, communication, and writing skills;
Excellent interpersonal skills;
Experience working collaboratively in a team structure in a multicultural environment;
Respect for diversity: understanding of the United Nations system, operations and structures, particularly those related to capacity development and/or post-conflict contexts;
Work under minimum supervision and tight deadlines.

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrate integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP's values and ethical standards;
Promote the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN/UNDP;
Display excellent cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Post-graduate degree in development studies, statistics or relayed field.

Experience:

7 years of experience in data analysis, RBM and evaluation methods;
Experience working with data analysis software packages (e.g. STATA, SPSS);
Experience working with a UN agencies or Evaluation office would be an advantage.

Language:

Must have fluency in spoken and written English.