Background
UNDP’s Evaluation Office
UNDP’s Evaluation Office (EO) works to enhance the development effectiveness of UNDP to help men and women build a better life. EO strengthens accountability and learning through evaluation and partnerships. The UNDP Evaluation Policy established EO as an independent unit to support the UNDP Administrator in his substantive accountability function and to contribute to organizational learning. EO provides systematic and independent assessment of results, effectiveness and impact of the substantive activities of the programme, including the special purpose funds under the Administrator’s responsibilities. EO conducts strategic, thematic, programmatic and country level evaluations. It assures the quality and use of UNDP evaluations by establishing norms, standards and guidelines and by knowledge sharing and networking. The Office advances innovation in development evaluation through a global partnership.
Evaluation Advisor in Environment and Energy
The UNDP strategic plan, 2008-2011, identifies four key result areas in the Environment and Sustainable Development focus area:
- mainstreaming environment and energy
- mobilizing environmental financing
- promoting adaptation to climate change
- expanding access to environmental and energy services for the poor
An Environment and Energy Group (EEG) in the Bureau for Development Policy (BDP) works together with UNDP’s regional bureaux and country offices, in delivering these results. A small team of high level technical and managerial staff in New York, together with technical staff distributed in six regional centres around the world provide support to the environment and energy programmes in UNDP’s 166 country offices.
In order to ensure that environment and energy concerns are effectively mainstreamed into UNDP’s broader evaluation practice and to address some of EEG’s specific evaluation requirements, such as those of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) required by a partnership protocol, and to ensure the independence of the evaluation function, EEG funds one full time senior staff member in EO.
The Evaluation Advisor reports directly to the Deputy Director of EO. The Deputy Director of EO will periodically consult with EEG Management regarding the priorities of the Evaluation Advisor. The Evaluation Advisor’s functions are carried out within the mandated independence of EO. The Evaluation Advisor is a senior member of the EO team with managerial, supervisory and task management responsibilities.
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Conducting Thematic Evaluations on Issues Related to Environment
· In line with EO’s process for strategic and thematic evaluations, the Evaluation Advisor will initiate and manage strategic and thematic evaluations that focus on issues related to environment emerging from UNDP’s strategic plan
· Lead UNDP’s participation in joint evaluations with external partners, notably the GEF Evaluation Office, and provide advice and inputs to external evaluations, such as the GEF Overall Performance Study and Country Portfolio Evaluations
· Advise EEG regarding the results of such evaluations and any lessons or management or operational issues that should be addressed
2. Mainstreaming Environment and Energy into UNDP Evaluation Practice
· Ensure the incorporation of environment and energy concerns into all EO policy and practice. This includes ensuring that EO’s thematic and country level evaluations systematically assess whether appropriate environmental issues have been sufficiently considered and effectively addressed
3. Providing Independent External Assurance of Evaluation of EEG Programmes
· Liaise with external partners, such as the GEF Evaluation Office, GEF Secretariat and the Evaluation Units of other agencies, regarding evaluation policies, expectations, obligations and good practices, and, as appropriate, agree on standards and requirements
· Provide independent quality assurance of EEG evaluation work including validating consultant qualifications, and reviewing project and programme terminal evaluation reports for submission to external partners, such as the GEF Evaluation Office, as required
· Provide technical advice and guidance to EEG related to EEG programme and project level evaluations. This may include, inter alia, checklists for evaluations, choosing consultants, dealing with findings and preparing management responses
· Maintain a roster of qualified external evaluators who meet good practice standards for evaluation of various kinds of environment programmes and projects
4. Knowledge and Learning
· Disseminate to country offices, regional offices and HQ units lessons learned related to environment from completed evaluations, assessments of development results (ADRs), outcome evaluations and other country level programmatic and project evaluations
· Keep abreast of ‘best practice’ in evaluation policy and methodology pertaining to international development cooperation; including maintenance of liaison with evaluation management of other UN agencies, donor agencies and professional evaluation societies
5. Additional functions as an Evaluation Advisor in Environment and Energy
· Participate in formulation and ongoing review of evaluation policy and guidelines within UNDP
· Prepare EO presentations, briefing materials, position papers, methodological issue papers and discussion documents relating to environment
· Represent EO in designated operational and policy fora
· Contribute to preparation of Administrator’s annual report on evaluation to the Executive Board
· Liaise with the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) on issues related to evaluation approaches, methodologies, joint evaluations etc.; participate in UNEG meetings as appropriate
Competencies
Corporate:
- Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards
- Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Functional:
- Demonstrated excellence in independent evaluation practice
- Autonomous, able to maintain independence and neutrality in the face of strong challenge
- Highly refined and objective observational, investigative and analytic skills
- Orally persuasive
- Exceptional writing ability
Leadership:
- Strong operational experience and decision-making skills
- Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience
- Knowledge and expertise in UNDP’s programming processes;
- Proven ability to lead a practice area and drive for results with a strong knowledge of results-based management and budgeting.
Managing Relationships:
- Demonstrated well developed people management and organizational skills
- Strong ability to manage teams; creating an enabling environment, mentoring and developing staff
- Excellent negotiating, partnering and networking skills
Managing Complexity:
- Demonstrated ability to integrate knowledge of operational issues with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives
- A sound global network of institutional and individual contacts
Knowledge Management and Learning:
- Ability to support the development of knowledge products for the practice area
- Promotes knowledge management and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example
- Seeks and applies knowledge, information and best practices from within and outside of UNDP on all operational issues
- Provides constructive coaching and feedback
Judgment/Decision-Making:
- Mature judgment and initiative
- Proven ability to provide strong operations direction in practice area
- Independent judgment and discretion in advising on handling all operational issues and providing solutions
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree in relevant social or natural sciences, such as environmental studies, geography, sociology, or economics.
- Professional training in evaluation.
Experience:
- Minimum of 10 years of progressively more responsible experience in programme and project evaluation.
Language Requirements:
- Fluent in English with exceptional writing skills. Working knowledge of other UN languages is an asset.