The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is undertaking an evaluation of UNDP work on Youth Economic Empowerment (YEE).

The evaluation aims to provide UNDP Management and stakeholders with an assessment of the results of UNDP YEE work, lessons learnt, and recommendations on the way forward. The evaluation will focus on the period 2015-20.

The evaluation will cover UNDP YEE work at global, regional, and country level. It will consider how the needs and potential of youth as a key UNDP constituency have been integrated in strategies, initiatives, partnerships and management tools, and with what results and lessons learned. Dedicated projects and initiatives to promote YEE through skills development, job opportunities, access to finance and policy engagement will be analyzed as part of UNDP’s overall support to eradicate poverty and keep people out of poverty, considering economic inequalities.

Specific attention will be paid to UNDP’s support to youth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to efforts at leaving no one behind, including young women and other marginalized groups (e.g. people with disabilities, indigenous groups, LGBTI community). Partnerships and collaborations to promote more integrated efforts will be considered, with a “whole-of-system”, “whole-of-society” and “whole-of-government” approach.

The evaluation will assess UNDP YEE work focusing on the following criteria: relevance, coherence, effectiveness, and sustainability of UNDP support in achieving its objectives.

The IEO is hiring evaluation consultants to assess UNDP results and contribution to YEE at global, regional and country level in all the regions UNDP operates (Africa, Arab states, Asia and Pacific, Latin American and the Caribbean, Europe and the CIS).

The assignment is most likely entirely home-based, depending on the progression of the pandemic and related safety conditions, with an estimated duration of 35 days (each consultant) in the period between May – September 2021.

Under the guidance of the Lead Evaluator and the Associate Evaluator the consultant will:

• Conduct preliminary research and desk review of relevant documents provided by IEO, including programme and project monitoring and evaluation reports, as well as on-line available information.
• Support the development of data collection and analysis plans including data collection and analysis instruments and a list of key stakeholders for consultation.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of questionnaires and/or surveys, in coordination with a methodology specialist.
• Conduct an in-depth assessment of a sample of UNDP YEE projects.
• Collect primary and secondary data on UNDP YEE work, through virtual interviews with relevant UNDP staff, beneficiaries, and key partners such as: United Nations officials, government counterparts, local partners, youth and other civil society organisations, and private sector, as relevant.
• Draft an analysis paper based on the scope pre-defined with lead evaluator, including preliminary findings, conclusions and areas for recommendations, as well as short project-level assessments in Annex.
• Revise the analysis paper, as per comments received from the IEO.
• Participate in the team’s working sessions and make a presentation of preliminary evaluation results of the draft paper.  
• Contribute to revisions of the evaluation report drafts based on the comments received from the IEO, the evaluation reference group, and UNDP management.

Functional competencies

• Strong analytical skills, including ability to quickly assess a diverse range of information with a discerning sense for quality of data.
• 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.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Available to conduct required analysis within the agreed timelines.

Corporate Competencies

• Ability to work in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams, acting with professionalism, diplomacy, tact and courtesy.

Education

• A Master’s Degree in Economics, Sociology, Political Science, or other field relevant to the assignment is required.

Professional Experience Requirements

• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in programme evaluation and/or research at international level.
• Proficiency with data collection and analysis techniques and methods, particularly around qualitative data.
• Substantive knowledge of economic empowerment including track record of working on YEE issues (e.g. skills development, job opportunities, access to finance and policy engagement).
• Experience in gender-sensitive programming and/or evaluation.
• Familiarity with UNDP or United Nations operations in the region is desirable.
• Experience working in at least one of UNDP programme regions.

Language requirements

• Full proficiency in English (oral and written)
• Full proficiency in at least one other UN language (Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian) is highly desirable.

Application Instructions

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

• A brief cover letter (250-400 words) specifying (a) your suitability for the position including the thematic areas of expertise and previous experience in evaluation and data collection and any experience related to the UNDP areas of work in the country/ region/ globally; and (b) details of any potential conflict of interest in having worked in a programmatic capacity for UNDP over the last 5 years;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of at least three (3) professional references; and
• A completed Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Form that indicates your daily rate for this consultancy.

Candidates not sending any of the requested information will be disqualified. Please note that the system can only accept one uploaded document therefore all documents must be combined into a single document for upload. Please note that links in this document are best viewed in Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft browsers.