Background

The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) carries out Independent Country Programme Evaluations (ICPEs) to assess UNDP’s contributions to national development results and evaluate the effectiveness of UNDP’s strategy. The purpose of the ICPE is to: i) support the development of the next UNDP Country Programme Document, and ii) strengthen accountability of UNDP to national stakeholders and to the Executive Board. This year, the IEO will conduct its third country programme evaluation for Somalia. The ICPE will examine UNDP’s work and contribution since the last evaluation conducted in 2015 by covering the period 2015-2018.

The IEO is seeking 2 international/national thematic experts in the area of governance with a particular emphasis on the following areas:

  • State building and institutional capacity development
  • Rule of law and Judiciary sector reforms
  • Local governance and decentralization.

In all areas, a gender-focused assessment is part of the programme analysis. The duration of the consultancy will vary depending on the specific tasks, up to 45 work days. For more information on the IEO, visit http://web.undp.org/evaluation/.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Lead Evaluator and Associate Lead Evaluator, the consultants will contribute to the analysis of the country programme by providing technical expertise and knowledge in the assigned area(s), including cross-cutting areas, e.g. human rights, partnerships, gender, capacity building, etc. Their responsibilities will include:

  • Conduct preliminary research and desk review of relevant documents provided by IEO for the assigned thematic area;
  • Support the development of a data collection plan including data collection instruments to be used and a list of key stakeholders for interviews;
  • Collect, analyse and synthesize primary and secondary data for the assigned thematic area and Gender Equality and Women Empowerment related issues as might be required, through interviews and meetings (virtual or in person during in country mission) with relevant UN staff, and key partners such as government counterparts, beneficiaries, local partners, civil society organisations, private sector and academia, to provide the core inputs for the outcome analysis paper;
  • Participate and contribute to the team’s working sessions, including the analysis workshop and presentation of preliminary evaluation findings to the UNDP country office in Somalia at the end of the mission;  
  • Prepare an outcome analysis paper based on assigned areas for data collection, and additional inputs for the ICPE report; and
  • Contribute to the revision of the draft reports as per comments received from the IEO, Country Office, Regional bureau and other stakeholders.

Competencies

Functional competencies

  • Strong analytical skills, including ability to quickly assess a diverse range of information with a discerning sense for quality of data; and
  • Good mastery of information technology required for organized presentation of information.

Development and Operational Effectiveness

  • Adhere to the principle of confidentiality and ethical code of conducts during the evaluation;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  •  Ability to work under pressure, multi-tasking skills; and
  • Strong oral and written communication skills in English.

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; and
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

  • A Master’s Degree in a field relevant to the assignment.

Professional Experience:

  • Extensive experience in program evaluation and/or mastery of data collection techniques and methods, interviews particularly with communities, and quantitative and qualitative analysis;
  • Demonstrated experience in the lead and conduct of country programme evaluation in the area of democratic governance; and
  • Experience in gender-sensitive programming and/or evaluation is a must.

Other knowledge and skills:

  • Knowledge of the Somalia context, development issues and challenges; Previous experiences in the conduct of evaluation/studies in Somalia will be considered as an asset.
  • Knowledge in the area of governance in a fragile state, including support to state formation, institutional capacity development, rule of law, access to justice and local/decentralised governance.
  • Experience of governance issues in Somalia, both at federal and state level is highly preferred.
  • Excellent proven oral and drafting skills in English, with excellent analysis and synthesis skills.

Languages:

  • English; Arabic and/or Somali will be considered as an advantage.

Other:

  • Availability to participate in the in-country data collection mission in Somalia in July 2019 is required.
  • UN SSAFE certificate holder preferred, alternatively availability to take required modules prior to travel.

PLEASE NOTE: Application Instructions

Applicants are invited to upload as one combined document the following documents to the UNDP Jobs site:

  • CV in the format known as P11;
  • A completed Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Form that indicates your daily rate for this consultancy; and
  • A short cover letter that highlights previous experience in evaluation and data collection, preferably in Somalia or post-conflict setting and any experience related to the governance area of work of UNDP, including Rule of Law, Institutional Capacity Development, Support to State Formation and Parliamentary Support.