Background

*The candidates who have previously applied to this position need not to reapply

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, peace and security.

The Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF 2016-2020) articulates the strategic orientation and collective assistance provided by the United Nations to Zimbabwe. In order to deliver more effectively on ZUNDAF Results Area 2 on Gender Equality, the UN in Zimbabwe is implementing the Joint Programme for Gender Equality (JPGE).

In line with the JPGE M&E Plan, a programme Mid-Term Review was conducted in May 2016 to assess the progress of the JPGE to date, and to provide recommendations for effective implementation for the remainder of the period.

In order to provide quality assurance for the PMF and ToC, UN Women, as the Administrative Agent of the JPGE, is looking to engage a consultant who can provide support in implementing these recommendations from the Mid-Term Review. It is thus envisioned that the consultant will review the draft updated PMF and ToC concurrently while conducting the Value for Money Assessment.

Assessment Objectives:

The purpose of this Value for Money Assessment is to review and assess the cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of JPGE interventions in Zimbabwe and give options for improving Value for Money for the JPGE to inform decisions for the programme in its final phases. It is recognised that a comprehensive Value for Money exercise can only be conducted at the end of programme in order to fully capture impact level results, however, the aim of this assessment is to find proxy indicators which can be assessed at this point in the programme so that sufficient guidance can be provided in the final year of the programme. The Value for Money assessment will additionally inform the design of future programmes.

The specific objectives of the assessment are:

• To estimate the financial and economic costs of implementing interventions under the JPGE model and cost structures, informed by the experiences of similar programmes;
• To establish the cost-effectiveness of national level and field level interventions;  
• To establish whether emerging risks and challenges faced in the programme implementation have affected the cost-effectiveness and efficiency;
• To identify any significant financial changes to the JPGE that would improve the programmes sustainability, and impact, including shifting resources to strategic activities if required;
• To recommend a plan to implement any value for money gains identified by the assessment;
• To conduct a quality assurance review of the JPGE PMF and ToC.

The Value for Money assessment will investigate potential areas that may yield substantial cost-effectiveness gains. The Value for Money assessment will consider how improved programming can be obtained through:

• Shifting resources between activities and/or organisations;
• Implementing changes proposed by the JPGE Mid-term review;
• Exploring alternative models for JPGE interventions;
• Reducing/increasing the current pace of implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of UN Women’s Country Representative and the direct supervision of the UN Women JPGE Coordinator, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Identify proxy indicators and present them to a technical committee;
• Establish the total cost of each intervention, its consequences and its cost effectiveness;
• Carry out a costing analysis of JPGE activities;
• Make recommendations based on the VfM assessment;
• Review the JPGE PMF and ToC. 

Deliverables:

• 1 Inception Report containing the proposed proxy indicators;
• 1 Draft VfM Report;
• 1 Final VfM Report;
• 1 Presentation of the VfM analysis;
• 1 Finalised JPGE PMF and ToC.

Costs will be reported at both the individual intervention level and intervention model level. Both economic costs and financial costs will be considered under this study*.

*Financial costs are those that have been actually paid in the running of these interventions. Economic costs go beyond what was actually paid (volunteers etc) and will help shed light on how much it actually costs to provide these services.

Timeframe for deliverables:

• 3 days: Document review and Stakeholder Consultations;
• 2 days: Compilation of a detailed VfM report;
• 1 day: Finalisation of the JPGE PMF and ToC;
• ½ day: Presentation of results;
• ½ day: Finalisation of report.

Competencies

Core Values/Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
• Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

• Well-informed about organisational efficiency and effectiveness;
• Experience conducting VfM assessments in Zimbabwe and the region;
• A strong understanding and preferably direct experience of programme/project management;
• Working knowledge of performing options appraisals, and institutional donor demands in relation to value for money;
• Strong M&E capacities, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning and issues of impact assessment;
• Strong knowledge of the gender equality situation in Zimbabwe, with a specific understanding of the areas of women’s political participation, women’s economic empowerment and workers’ rights, and accountability;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates exceptional ability to remain calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure and tight timeframes;
• Strong ability to work within the UN and government systems;
• Strong understanding of the national context in relation to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced degree in the Economics, Social Sciences, Development studies, or another relevant degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in programme/project management;
• Extensive experience in conducting VfM assessments in Zimbabwe and the region;
• Experience in Monitoring and Evaluation.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of the other UN working knowledge is an asset.