UNDP Jobs - 69551- Consultancy: Gender and Evaluation Expert(s): asse

Consultancy: Gender and Evaluation Expert(s): assessment of UNDP’s evaluations using UN System-wide Action Plan for Gender Mainstreaming (SWAP) Evaluation Performance Indicators

Location :

Home-based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

09-Dec-2016

Application Deadline :

01-Dec-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English French Spanish

Expected Duration of Assignment :

5 to 20 working days, between 9 December and 23 January 2017

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 UN System Wide Action Plan on Gender Mainstreaming (UN-SWAP) introduced in 2011 an accountability framework for gender mainstreaming in the UN system. The UN-SWAP consists of a set of 15 common system-wide performance indicators, clustered around six broad functional areas of (1) Accountability, (2) Results-based Management, (3) Oversight, (4) Human and Financial Resources, (5) Capacity, and (6) Coherence, Knowledge and Information Management. All UN entities are to self-assess and report on their implementation of the plan. The oversight element of the UN-SWAP includes three performance indicators, including one dedicated to evaluation that is linked to meeting the gender-related UNEG Norms & Standards and demonstrating effective use of the UNEG guidance on integrating gender in evaluation. The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of UNDP has to report on UNDP’s performance against the evaluation performance indicator. This requires assessing a sample of at least 30 evaluations against performance criteria, in line with the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) UN-SWAP Evaluation Performance Indicator Technical Note as revised in August 2014. The UNDP IEO is therefore seeking one to three consultants to carry out the assessment of at least 30 evaluations (in English, French and Spanish). The number of consultants engaged and number of evaluations assigned to each will depend on language.

Duties and Responsibilities

Review and become familiar with the UN-SWAP Evaluation Performance Indicator Technical Note and relevant UNEG documents (such as UNEG Norms and Standards, UNEG guidance note on integrating human rights and gender equality and other UNEG documents mentioned in the Technical Note) (Expected input: 1 day).
Undertake a meta-review/evaluation of a set of randomly selected evaluations produced during 2016 and uploaded on the Evaluation Resource Centre (ERC), in accordance with the guidance contained in the UNEG Guidance Document entitled “UN SWAP Evaluation Performance Indicator Technical Note (August 2014)”. The UNDP IEO will select the evaluations for review. The first two reviews will be shared with the UNDP IEO for feedback, after which the remaining reviews will be undertaken by the consultants. For each evaluation, fill in the UN-SWAP evaluation scorecard for each evaluation assessed (score for each criteria and explanation as to the rating) using a template to be provided by the UNDP IEO. (Expected input: It is expected that the consultant will be able to assess 2 evaluations per working day).
Prepare a short paper summarizing findings related to the evaluability of gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEEW) aspects of the interventions assessed, the extent to which gender-responsive stakeholder analyses are undertaken, the capacity of the evaluation teams to conduct gender-responsive evaluations, the extent to which management responses to the evaluations address GEEW issues raised in the evaluation, and any other observations arising from the review. (Expected input: ½ - 1 day).

Deliverables:

Assessment (in English) of two evaluations, using the scoring sheet provided, to be discussed with the UNDP IEO and adjusted as necessary.
Assessment of the remaining evaluations assigned, with scoring and comprehensive explanations for the scores given, in the template provided by the IEO, by 13 January 2017, revised as necessary after feedback from the UNDP IEO, by 20 January 2017. The assessments will be written in English, regardless of the language of the evaluation report.
Short paper (2-3 pages, in English) with observations, based on the evaluations reviewed and to the extent information is available, on the evaluability of GEEW aspects of the interventions assessed, the extent to which gender-responsive stakeholder analyses were undertaken, the capacity of the evaluation teams to conduct gender-responsive evaluations, the extent to which management responses to the evaluations address GEEW issues raised in the evaluation, and any other observations arising from the review, by 20 January 2017.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Demonstrated grasp and understanding of gender issues, in general, and preferably in the UN system
Strong analytical skills, including ability to rapidly analyze and integrate diverse information with a discerning sense for quality of data;
Good mastery of information technology required for organized presentation of information.
Development and Operational Effectiveness:
Ability to maintain confidentiality;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude; Proven organizational skills and ability to handle a large volume of work;
Strong oral and written communication skills.

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling UN values and ethical standards, including UNEG norms;
Acts as a team player and exercises diplomacy, tact and politeness;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Master’s degree or higher in the social sciences, humanities, public policy, international relations, natural sciences or other field relevant to UNDP’s work.

Experience

At least 7 years of experience in gender programming, monitoring and evaluation in the UN and international system. Familiarity with UNDP and its programme evaluation a plus.
Experience in gender evaluation and techniques of undertaking meta-review and synthesis of evaluation reports.

Language

Fluency in English is essential
Fluency in or the ability to easily read French and Spanish a significant advantage. Priority will be given to candidates with the necessary experience and able to work in two or all three languages (English, French and Spanish)

The following documents should be combined into one (1) single pdf document and uploaded onto the UNDP Jobs site (the system only allows upload of one document):

A detailed CV or P11 entailing comprehensive past work / assignment details and working languages;
A brief cover letter outlining a general, proposed approach to meeting the requirements specified in the ToR;
A financial proposal in the form of a daily rate.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.