UNDP Jobs - 86308- Evaluation Team Leader, UNRCO, Georgia

Evaluation Team Leader, UNRCO, Georgia

Location :

Tbilisi, GEORGIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

24-Jul-19 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Overall 30 consultancy days (10 days onsite and 20 days offsite) within September - December 2019

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

UNCT in Georgia invites applications from qualified Experts to carry out evaluation of the United Nations Partnership for Sustainable Development (UNPSD) 2016-2020 framework document.

The United Nations Partnership for Sustainable Development (UNPSD) evaluation is the main accountability instrument for gauging the UN Development System’s collective contribution at country level. It focuses on issues at strategic level and the aggregate contribution of UNPSD at outcome level, as well as the System’s contribution to national Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) targets, using the Common Country Assessment (CCA) as a benchmark.

The UNPSD evaluation will examine whether a UN Country Team (UNCT) is prioritizing support and contributing to a country’s development. The evaluation will also identify synergies, gaps, overlaps and missed opportunities. It will ultimately assess whether the UNCT has contributed to transformative change that goes beyond the scope of programmes and projects to help a country progress towards achieving the SDGs. It will advise on the overall strategic positioning of the UN Development System in a given country and on priorities and considerations for future support.

The UNPSD evaluation will not evaluate the individual programmes or activities of UNCT members, but rather build on the programme and project evaluations conducted by each agency.

The process of evaluation is an external, independent exercise aiming at generating an independent assessment of results, successes, challenges and lessons learnt throughout the 2016-2020 and feed into the next programming cycle and is conducted in an inclusive manner and promote national ownership through the meaningful engagement of relevant national partners throughout the evaluation process.

Objective:

The objective of the assignment is to carry out evaluation of the United Nations Partnership for Sustainable Development (UNPSD) 2016-2020 for Georgia to assess results, successes, challenges and lessons learnt throughout the 2016-2020 and feed into the next programming cycle. Background information and the guidelines for the evaluation of the UNPSD are provided in the Annex 1 of this TOR (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PZTVdokx9xGGKnImMy3IU35BIawvwHYe/view?usp=sharing).

Composition of the Evaluating Team and Management Arrangements:

Team of Evaluators of the UNPSD will consist of the International Team Leader and two National Experts who will contribute to the evaluation process and provide technical support to the Team Leader who will bear the overall responsibility for provision of the deliverables outlined in this Terms of Reference.

An Evaluation Steering Committee consisting of the UNCT and Government representatives will be guiding the evaluation process. A Consultative Group will be established under the leadership and supervision of the Evaluation Steering Committee comprising UNCT members and key stakeholders (national governmental and non-governmental counterparts). The Consultative Group will review and provide inputs and feedback to the evaluation design report, Evaluation Manager appointed by the Evaluation Steering Committee will facilitate access of evaluators to information sources and provide comments on the main deliverables of the evaluation process. As an additional support Partner Agencies may assign additional consultant(s) to the Evaluation Team, who will focus on the specific field of expertise.

Duties and Responsibilities

Team Leader will fully adhere to all aspects of the Guidelines for the Evaluation of the UNPSD in Georgia attached to this TOR. The Team of Evaluators will report to the UNCT through the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator and will receive their overall guidance and support.
The Team Leader will take a leading role during the evaluation, develop a comprehensive evaluation methodology based on the Guidelines for the Evaluation of the UNPSD in Georgia (Annex 1 of the TOR https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PZTVdokx9xGGKnImMy3IU35BIawvwHYe/view?usp=sharing), and coordinate the work of other team members (National Experts). The Team Leader will ensure the quality of the evaluation process, outputs, methodology and timely delivery of all products. The Team Leader, in close collaboration with the UNCT and the Evaluation Manager, will take the leading role in conceptualization and design of the evaluation and shaping the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the report.

The tasks of the Team Leader include:

Development of the inception report that details the design, methodology (including the methods for data collection and analysis criteria for selection of examples, required resources), and work plan of the evaluation team;
Direction of and doing research and analysis of all relevant documentation;
Decision on the division of labour within the evaluation team and coordination of team tasks within the framework of the TORs;
Overseeing and quality assurance throughout the preparation of the report and taking a lead in the analysis of the evaluative evidence;
Overseeing the administration, and analysis of the results of the data collection exercise;
Drafting the evaluation report, and coordination of the inputs from team members;
Preparation of the periodic inputs to the meetings (consultations and de-briefings) with UNCT and other stakeholder to review findings, conclusions and recommendations;
Leading of the stakeholder feedback sessions on the evaluation through formal and informal sessions and finalization of the report based on feedback from the quality assurance process;
Delivery of the final evaluation report..

Expected Deliverables and Suggested Timeline:

The evaluation Team Leader working together with the National Experts who will be providing technical assistance is expected to produce the following deliverables:

An inception report not exceeding 25 pages, 20,000 words, excluding annexes which sets out: consultant’s understanding of the issues to be evaluated (scope), questions that the UNAPF evaluation intends to answer, and his/her understanding of the context in which the evaluation takes place; including of a comprehensive stakeholder analysis; any suggested deviations from the TOR; an evaluation matrix showing selected criteria of analysis, questions and sub-questions, the indicators; proposed and sources of information; methodology, including details of gender analysis and triangulation strategy; data collection and analysis tools that will be used to conduct the evaluation; any limitations of the chosen methods of data collection and analysis and how they will be addressed; explanation of how the views of various stakeholders, including vulnerable and marginalized groups, will be addressed during the evaluation; fieldwork plan, timeline for the evaluation, draft dissemination strategy of the evaluation results. The consultant needs clearly identify any potential ethical issues and approaches, as well as the processes for ethical review and oversight of the evaluation process - 7 days;
A presentation with preliminary findings to be shared in a meeting with key stakeholders - 10 days;
A first draft report for circulation and identification of factual corrections from stakeholders - 8 days;
A final report. The following template serves as a standard outline for the UNPSD evaluation. This should be considered during the inception phase and taking account of the specific scope and focus of the evaluation, a detailed outline of the UNPSD evaluation report should be included in the inception report - 5 days.
- Chapter 1: Introduction (objectives, scope, and methodology, limitations);
- Chapter 2: National development context;
- Chapter 3: Evaluation Findings (corresponding to the UNPSD outcomes with each analyzed by evaluation criteria);
- Chapter 4: Conclusions and Recommendations.

The final report will include an Executive Summary and must be kept short (maximum 50 pages maximum excluding annexes). More detailed information on the context, the programme or the comprehensive aspects of the methodology and of the analysis will be placed in the annexes. The report will be prepared in accordance with UNEG guidance.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Understanding of the mandate and the role of UNDP would be an asset;
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 favouritism.

Functional competencies:

Strong communication and analytical skills;
Demonstrated skills in drafting reports;
Ability to work under pressure with several tasks and various deadlines;
Actively generates creative, practical approaches and solutions to overcome challenging situations;
Excellent writing, presentation/public speaking skills;
A pro-active approach to problem-solving;
Computer literacy.

Leadership and Self-Management skills:

Builds strong relationships with the working group and with the project partners; focuses on impact and results for the project partners and responds positively to feedback;
Cooperates with working group effectively and demonstrates strong conflict resolution skills;
Consistently approaches work with energy, positivity and a constructive attitude;
Demonstrates strong influencing and facilitation skills;
Remains calm, in control and good humored under pressure;
Demonstrates openness to change, new ideas and ability to manage ambiguity;
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
Demonstrates ability to transfer knowledge and competencies;
Is able to work independently and hurdle competing priorities.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Qualifications of the Team Leader:

Advanced university degree (Masters and equivalent) in development studies, economics, international relations, or related field; PhD an asset;
At least 7 years of relevant experience conducting evaluations of development strategies, policies and/or development programmes and projects;
Excellent knowledge of the UN system and UN common country programming processes;
Specialized experience and/or methodological/technical knowledge, including some specific data collection and analytical skills, particularly in the following areas: understanding of human rights-based approaches to programming; gender considerations; environmental sustainability, Results-Based Management (RBM) principles; logic modelling/logical framework analysis; quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis; participatory approaches;
Knowledge of the development issues in middle-income countries is an asset;
Excellent written and spoken English; knowledge of Georgian is a strong asset;
Excellent report writing skills as well as communication and interviewing skills.

Evaluation:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis method: Offerors will be evaluated against combination of technical and financial criteria. Maximum obtainable score is 100, out of which the total score for technical criteria equals to 70 and for financial criteria – to 30.
Offerors that do not meet Minimum Qualification Criteria will be automatically rejected, while the rest will form up the long list. The offerors who obtain minimum 35 points as a result of the desk review will be invited for the interview.
Offerors who pass 70% threshold, i.e. obtain minimum 14 points, as a result of the interview will be requested the financial proposal.

Financial Proposal:

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the ToR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount. Maximum 30 points will be assigned to the lowest price offer. All other price offers will be scored using the formula (inverse proportion): Financial score X = 30* the lowest price offer/suggested price offer. All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal as well.

Travel:

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. Travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket will not be considered. Travel within Tbilisi will be organized and covered by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Georgia.

Payment terms:

40% of the total contract amount upon successful submission of Deliverables 1-3;
60% of the total contract amount upon successful submission of Deliverables 4.