Background

The applicants who have already submitted their applications with the job announcemet 81870 , do not need to re-apply

Although the Government of Albania has been successfully implementing important political, social and economic reforms, Roma and Egyptian face direct and indirect barriers in accessing public services, stemming from some eligibility criteria they cannot comply with, lack of information or understanding of administrative procedures, as well as stigma and frequent discriminatory attitude from the majority population. Long-term exclusion, treatment by the majority population and the relationship with government institutions has affected the living conditions of Roma and Egyptians. Studies show that the level of poverty among Roma is twice as high as the majority population. Regardless of their recognition as minority, Roma are both marginalized and socially excluded communities.

The "Economic and Social Empowerment for Roma and Egyptians- a booster for social inclusion" (ESERE) project is funded by the European Union and aims to further improve the social inclusion of most vulnerable communities consisting of Roma and Egyptians in Albania, with focus in the regions of Tirana, Durrës, Shkodra and Berat. The project’s purpose is to promote the economic and social empowerment of Roma and Egyptian communities in Albania by standardizing an innovative and integrated new approach at the policy and programming level and to provide integrated social inclusion models at sub-national level focusing in the regions of Tirana, Durrës, Shkodra and Berat.

This will be achieved by facilitating the horizontal and vertical communication and cooperation of the different stakeholders, including the target groups, at the national and sub-national/local level and implementing innovative tools, new models in flagship initiatives for increasing employment and vocational training opportunities, improving access to basic social services, strengthening institutional capacity, and establishing supportive mechanisms for those who live under severe circumstances. In the long term, this aims to lift the Roma and Egyptian families out of poverty and support their sustainable inclusion in the Albanian society and labour market.

The project is composed based on four (4) project objectives formalized in four (4) work packages, introduced below.

Objective 1 – Increased employment and skills development opportunities accessed by Roma and Egyptian women and men reduce the employment gap between R&E communities and the majority of the population.

Objective 2 – Community Led Local Development (CLLD) for R&E inclusion at the local level through integrated, inclusive and sustainable development.

Objective 3 – Procedures, models, tools and guidelines established and made operational based on the Integrated Approach and a Behavioural Change Model to support better access of Roma and Egyptian communities to basic equitable, inclusive and decentralised services and to foster a tolerant and inclusive society in Albania.

Objective 4 – The National Action Plan for Roma and Egyptian Integration in the Republic of Albania, 2015-2020, supported for implementation, monitoring and evaluation at the national, regional and local level.

All of the above will be supported by a comprehensive communication and visibility strategic plan. The methodology selected is based on hands-on support to active participation in community development activities and businesses required and selected by the beneficiaries. Through this methodology it has been calculated that the impact will be stronger and the interest of different stakeholders higher and more sustainable in the long term.

Duties and Responsibilities

The object of this evaluation is to analyse ESERE Project process of implementation, the impact and changes that have occurred within beneficiaries and systems, identify problems and constraints that have been encountered, identify important lessons to be learnt and make recommendations for the implementation of future projects.

The evaluation shall be based on the standard evaluation criteria including relevance, level of achievement of project objectives, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability (as defined by OECD), as well as human rights-based approach and results-based management (as applied by the UN). The evaluation aims at the followings:

1. Measure to what extend the ESERE project has fully implemented the activities, delivered outputs and attained outcomes and specifically measuring development results;
2. Generate substantive evidence based knowledge, by identifying best practices and lessons learned and make recommendations for improved future assistance in the relevant area.

More specifically the evaluation will:

1.       Analyse the project’s design quality and internal coherence (needs and problems it seeks to solve); 

2.       Analyse the sustainability of project interventions; 

3.       Provide feedback to the participating agencies and national counterparts on the soundness (defined as relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability) and impact of their approach in the project;

4.      Evaluate project impact of implemented actions, contained in the Work Plans and Programme Logframe;

5.      Ensure gender sensitive evaluation criteria is used and gender equality considerations are integrated in the evaluation. 

6.      Based on the analysis conducted over the experience of ESERE, extract general lessons learned and recommendations for future interventions; 

7.      Provide the donor with information on impact of their specific support through the project, to social inclusion of Roma and Egyptian communities in Albania

The evaluation will also focus on how the human rights- based approach applied, has influenced the achievement of the outputs and outcomes and to provide recommendations for planning and formulation of the future replication of the project in other areas. 

The conclusions and recommendations generated by this evaluation will be addressed to its main users, participating agencies: the Project Management Committee, EU Delegation to Albania and other partners involved in the project implementation.

The consultants will work under the direct supervision of UNDP ESERE Project Manager and in close cooperation with the project team based in Tirana, Durres, Shkodra and Berat.

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

Evaluation methodology is framed around standard evaluation criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability) plus two guiding principles for UN work (human rights based approach and results-based management).

The Evaluator will use methodologies and techniques as determined by the specific needs for information, the questions set out in the TOR, the availability of resources and the priorities of stakeholders. In all cases, the Evaluator is expected to analyse all relevant information sources, such as annual reports, programme documents, internal review reports, programme files, strategic country development documents and any other documents that may provide evidence on which to form opinions. The Evaluator is also expected to use interviews as a means to collect relevant data for the evaluation.

The methodology and techniques to be used in the evaluation should be described in detail in the inception report and the final evaluation report, and should contain, at a minimum, information on the instruments used for data collection and analysis, whether these be documents, interviews, field visits, questionnaires or participatory techniques.

The evaluation will follow the Standards and Norms of United Nations Evaluation Group, UNEG Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation, 2008, UNEG/FN/ETH (2008).

3. Description of Tasks and Responsibilities

Working under the supervision of the UNDP Project Manager (referred to as evaluation focal points), the International Evaluation Expert (team leader) will work jointly with a National Evaluation Expert (team member) and lead  the performance of the following tasks:

• Carry out desk-top review of relevant documents and reports (project document, Annual Work Plans, Project Results Framework, Phasing out Matrix, Annual Progress Reports, and other related documents to be provided by the project team);  

• Lead the preparation of the inception report, containing the evaluation methodology and tools as well as the detailed calendar of actions, elaborated in consultation with the evaluation focal points;  
• Lead the field work (survey/ interviewing process of data gathering) in the regions of Tirana, Berat, Durres and Shhkodra to conduct meetings and hold key interviews with stakeholders;  
•  Based on discussions and interviews, develop “Most Significant Systemic and Case Based Stories” of the project to be included as an annex in the evaluation report; 
• Submit draft final evaluation report (gender sensitive), in cooperation with the national consultant ,as agreed upon in the evaluation schedule and reporting terms in English, including recommendations for future project replication;  
• Incorporate recommendation received from the Evaluation Focal Points and submit final report;  

Expected deliverables:

The evaluator is responsible for submitting the following deliverables:  

Work plan – within 2 days of the start of the assignment. The Consultant will submit the work plan which will include a detailed approach and methodology and schedule. In particular, the work plan will require a clear approach to data collection and work organization to examine the project in its full scope.

Preliminary findings and draft evaluation outline (inception report) – within 6 days of the start of the assignment, the Consultant will share a draft report. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate progress on the assignment and adherence to the TORs, and will identify any evaluation issues that may need further clarification before completion of the assignment.

Presentation of findings – within 8 days of the start of the assignment a presentation of findings and preliminary recommendations to key stakeholders will be carried out. The purpose of this session is to provide opportunity for initial validation and support further elaboration of the evaluators’ findings and recommendations.

Final evaluation report – within 4 days of receiving the consolidated comments from projects’ stakeholders, the Consultant will submit a final document that addresses relevant comments and provides comprehensive reporting on all elements of the assignment. This report will be submitted to the evaluation contact points for clearance.

As a minimum, the Evaluation Report (draft or final, gender-sensitive) shall include the following components (the exact structure of the report may be influenced by the project components and components of the Evaluation TOR): Executive Summary; Introduction (Project outline; Methodology; Analysis; Findings; Best Practices and Lessons Learned; Recommendations; Relevant Annexes, for example: a. List of people interviewed; b. List of acronyms; c. Evaluation work plan and TOR; d. List of key reference documents as well as annexes of a. Most Significant Change Stories; b. Power point presentation of the main findings and recommendations;

Summary of the report - a three-page summary of the Project Evaluation Report should be provided in addition to the fully fledged evaluation report.

Competencies

Corporate and Core Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’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;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
• Communication - Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.
• Planning & Organizing – Develops clear goals in line with agreed strategies, identifies priorities, foresees risks and makes allowances accordingly.
• Organizational Awareness - Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
• Teamwork - Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Accountability – Takes ownership of all responsibilities and delivers outputs in accordance with agreed time, cost and quality standards

Functional competencies:

• Knowledge, experience and understanding of the minority and human-rights based perspective as well as result-based management techniques;
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with EU policies on Roma social inclusion in particular with related good practices and lessons learned in the region and Albania; 
• Proven record in analytical thinking and concise writing and reporting in English language;
• Demonstrated ability to write comprehensive reports;
• Ability to deliver under tight deadlines;
• Creativity skills;

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University Degree in Economics, Social, Political or a Development related field;

Work experience:

• At least 10 years of experience in program design, monitoring and evaluation;
• Experience in conducting evaluations from a minority and human-rights based perspective and thematic/sector evaluations;
• Knowledge of the national institutional, legal and policy frameworks in social inclusion of Roma and Egyptian communities.
• A prior experience in similar assignments will be considered an asset.

Language requirement:

• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Evaluation of applicants:

Applicants will be screened against qualifications and the competencies specified above. UNDP applies the ‘Best value for money’ approach - the final selection will be based on the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) Responsive, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Individual consultant will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max points: 70

Criteria A: Compliant educational background– max points: 10

Criteria B: Relevant experience in evaluating project/programs- max points: 20

Criteria C: Knowledge and experience with EU policies on Roma social inclusion in particular with related good practices and lessons learned in the region and Albania; (10 points)

Criteria C: Approach & Methodology proposed for conducting the assignment - max points: 30

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points

Application Procedure

Interested applicants are advised to carefully study all sections of this ToRs and ensure that they meet the general requirements as well as specific qualifications described. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief approach & methodology proposed for conducting the assisgmenet. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
• Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability-please fill in the attached form... Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability.  
• Latest personal CV, including past experience from similar projects or completed and signed UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SC) and Individual Contracts (IC) – Blank form Download here.
•  Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest template.  If an applicant is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. 
• Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport.

Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should both be part of your application. 

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Merge your CV or P11, Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
• Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

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.

Due to a large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process