Background

Re-Advertised - Candidates who previously submited an application do NOT need to re-apply.

These terms of reference guide the services sought by the UN-Women Independent Evaluation Service (IES) for an Evaluation Synthesis Consultant to support a synthesis of UN system evaluations related to Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5). UN-Women regularly undertakes evaluations and syntheses to enhance accountability, inform decision-making, and contribute to learning. At UN-Women, Corporate evaluations and syntheses are conducted by UN-Women’s Independent Evaluation Service (IES), that is part of the Independent Evaluation and Audit Service (IEAS).

At the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda and in the midst of the pandemic recovery, there is an opportunity to take stock of learnings regarding SDG 5 through a synthesis of UN system evaluations. Across many UN agencies, there have been numerous evaluations related to SDG 5 since the start of the 2030 Agenda; however, no synthesis has yet been prepared that compiles, triangulates and brings together the evidence and lessons from these evaluations.

This exercise is a joint exercise conducted with the UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF (independent) evaluation offices and will be carried out in collaboration with the 5P synthesis that is being initiated by the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Alongside the 5P synthesis, the synthesis of evidence on SDG 5 is an opportunity for UN agencies who implement SDG 5 programming to engage in an inter-agency process to enhance coherence, lesson learning and accountability on SDG 5 work in a coordinated, coherent and holistic manner.

The consultant reports directly to the Synthesis Team Lead (Evaluation Specialist, IES) and will also engage regularly with the joint Management Group to share and brainstorms ideas, exchange feedback and updates on progress towards the completion of a final synthesis report.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Synthesis Team Lead and in collaboration with other synthesis team members and the Management Group, the Evaluation Synthesis Consultant will utilize their expertise to provide thematic and technical direct inputs into the synthesis deliverables (including the inception report, evaluation mapping, preliminary findings presentation and final report), tool development, consultations with stakeholders, and other synthesis processes. The Synthesis Team Lead in collaboration with the Management Group will be responsible for assigning responsibilities to the Evaluation Synthesis Consultant and other team members. 

The synthesis must adhere to the revised UN-Women evaluation policy, the IEAS charter, the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation, and it should apply and incorporate the criteria of UN-Women’s Global Evaluation Reports Assessment and Analysis System (GERAAS) standards to the highest degree possible. The Evaluation Synthesis Consultant will be responsible for adhering to the UNEG Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation and will be asked to sign the Pledge of Ethical Conduct in Evaluation.

From the commencement of the contract, the Evaluation Synthesis Consultant’s responsibilities will include:

• Support the inception phase of the synthesis and the development of the inception report
  • Develop methodology and data collection tools
  • Identify sources of UN system evaluations
  • Develop and test evaluation selection criteria
  • Integrate stakeholder feedback into the final inception report
• Data collection - evaluation mapping and descriptive analysis
  • Collect and compile UN system evaluations related to SDG 5 using multiple sources
  • Screen evaluations against selection criteria
  • Descriptive mapping and categorization of sample evaluations
  • Document lessons learned in the mapping and descriptive analysis process to inform further synthesis initiatives
• Undertake synthesis and analysis
  • Analyze evaluation reports against key synthesis questions
  • Participate in team analysis meetings
  • Develop preliminary findings and support the development of materials for a preliminary findings workshops, including creating presentations and data visualization
  • Participate in the preliminary results workshops with internal and external stakeholders/reference group members
• Support the drafting of the draft and final evaluation synthesis report and annexes
  • Draft quality text for full findings, conclusions, recommendations, and other sections of the report and annexes through iterative analysis, technical inputs and quality assurance reviews
  • Incorporate stakeholder feedback into the draft report and develop responses for the Audit of Comments.
  • Document lessons learned throughout the evaluation synthesis process to inform future evaluation synthesis initiatives
  • Support dissemination of findings through UNEG and other platforms

Deliverables:

• Inception report with data collection tools
• Evaluation mapping report
• Preliminary findings presentation and workshop
• Draft synthesis report
• Final synthesis report and presentation
• Brief lessons learned document regarding the synthesis process

Timeframe:

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Required Skills and Experience

• Advanced university degree in Evaluation, Gender Studies, International Development or a related field.
• At least 10 years of experience conducting or supporting synthesis of evaluation results, systematic reviews and/or academic literature reviews related to gender equality.
• Substantive knowledge and experience in gender equality programming and policies in the areas of SDG 5 targets.
• Experience synthesizing corporate evaluations, thematic evaluations, and/or impact evaluations related to gender equality and SDG 5 an asset.
• Experience developing and executing methodologies for evaluation synthesis, including the creation of quality criteria to screen and select evaluations.
• Experience supporting or leading thematic or corporate evaluations related to SDG 5 an asset, particularly within the United Nations.
• Experience with software to support evaluation synthesis/literature reviews preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in the areas of gender equality and women’s empowerment, gender mainstreaming, and gender analysis. Experience supporting, conducting, or synthesizing gender responsive evaluations.
• Strong understanding of the UN system, UN reform processes, UN programming at country level and the sustainable development goals preferred.
• Excellent analytical, facilitation and communications skills and the ability to engage and negotiate amongst a wide range of stakeholders required.
• Ability and willingness to work as part of a collaborative team.

Language:

Fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.

Payment Plan:

A lump sum consultancy fee based on UN-Women standard consultancy rates will be paid in four tranches upon satisfactory certification of the following deliverables:

• First tranche to be paid upon completion and acceptance of the inception report (30%),
• Second tranche to be paid upon completion of the preliminary findings presentation (30%)
• Fourth tranche to be paid upon completion and acceptance of the final report (40%)

Re-Advertised - Candidates who previously submited an application do NOT need to re-apply.