Historique

The Independent Evaluation Office is a functionally independent unit within UNDP that supports the oversight and accountability functions of the UNDP Executive Board and the management of UNDP. The work of the office includes conducting thematic, programmatic and other independent evaluations; developing evaluation standards, procedures criteria and methodological guidance for UNDP evaluations; and annually assessing and reporting on the quality of decentralized evaluations commissioned by the various UNDP Bureaus and offices.

UNDP Bureaus and Country Offices develop and implement evaluation plans following the requirements detailed within the 2019 UNDP Evaluation Guidelines. These decentralized evaluations include programme-level evaluations, outcome evaluations, thematic evaluations, project evaluations and the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) evaluations. Approximately 280 to 340 decentralized evaluations are carried out world-wide each year, of these around 120 are Global Environment Facility (GEF) final or mid-term evaluations.

UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) annually assesses the quality of the decentralized evaluations carried out in any given year. These quality assessment findings are made available to the relevant UNDP Bureaus and programme units to support learning and improvements in evaluation quality. Quality assessment results are also reported to the UNDP Executive Board as part of the IEO Annual Report on Evaluation.   The IEO has developed a quality assessment system for decentralized evaluations to assess the quality of evaluation reports and give feedback to evaluation commissioning units. 

This advertisment sets out the expected responsibilities of a pool of evaluation consultants selected for work on the quality assessment of decentralised evaluations.

Selected candidates will be issued a long-term agreement (LTA) which will be valid initially for a period of one year, and may be renewed up to a maximum of two additional years. Each consultancy will vary depending on the number of decentralised evaluations undertaken during a given year by UNDP country offices, but is expected to range between 20 and 40 work days annually. The selected consultants will, therefore, be given intermittent work  on an "on call" basis.

Devoirs et responsabilités

Evaluation consultants are sought from all regions and across technical areas, including GEF evaluation implementation experience. Consultants are being sought who can utilise their technical expertise and knowledge to assess the evaluation work of UNDP across multiple development sectors. 

Under the supervision of the respective IEO decentralised evaluation quality assessment manager, consultants will perform the following tasks:

  • Familiarize him/herself with current guidelines and standards of the Quality Assessment System.
  • With other selected consultants, carry out a calibration exercise to ensure common understanding of definitions and rating scales under the quality assessment tool.
  • Carefully read each assigned evaluation, and when required, any additional background documentation provided by the IEO, and carry out the quality assessment using an on-line assessment tool. 
  • It is estimated that evaluation reviews will take between 0.3 and 1 day depending on the complexity of the programme, and evaluation being quality assessed and the amount of supporting documentation.
  • Summarize key findings and common issues related to the quality of decentralized evaluations, when required. 

Deliverables

  • The consultant will provide a quality assessment report (in English) for each evaluation, through the quality assessment on-line system.
  • Drafts will be submitted to the IEO for checking and then finalized.

Time Period

Evaluations are normally distributed for quality assessment between September and March. To initiate rendering of service under the agreement, the IEO will propose in writing to the individual consultant a work package of evaluations to be assessed, in return for a lump-sum fee based on the estimated equivalent work days required to carry out the assignment, within a specified time period. It is estimated that each consultant in the pool will be invited to conduct between 20 and 60 evaluation quality assessments in a given year. The actual number of assessments will depend on the thematic areas of the decentralized evaluations to be assessed and the thematic expertise of the consultants. 

Compétences

  • Excellent analytical and presentation skills and the ability to distill information.
  • The ability to deliver high-quality and usable reports under short deadlines.
  • Excellent writing skills.

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education

  • Master’s degree or higher in Social Sciences, Public Policy, International Relations, Natural Sciences or other fields relevant to UNDP’s work.

Experience

  • More than 7 years’ experience in project and programme evaluation in one of the areas outlined below, preferably with UNDP, GEF or other United Nations agencies and major donors.

  • Academic and/or professional background in:

    • Sustainable Development including;

      1. Poverty reduction
      2. Natural resource management
      3. Development planning and risk management
    • Democratic governance;
      1. Enabling and strengthening Governance systems
      2. Governance strengthening and innovation
      3. Civil society engagement and inclusion
      4. Integrity in public institutions.
    • Resilience
      1. Supporting recovery in all aspects from conflict (economic and governance)
      2. Preparing for and dealing with the consequences of natural disasters
    • Environment and Energy
      1. Water use and systems
      2. Air pollution and quality
      3. Land degradation
      4. Coastal erosion
      5. Efficient energy use
  • Understanding and knowledge of UNDP is required.
  • Knowledge and experience in the Quality Assessment of evaluations would be an asset.
  • For consultants applying to work in the area of environment and energy, in-depth knowledge of the GEF and experience in evaluating GEF-funded projects is required.

Language

  • Fluency in English is essential.
  • Fluency in French and Spanish is an asset.

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, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of at least three (3) professional references;
  • A completed Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Form that indicates your daily rate for this consultancy; and;
  • A brief cover letter (250-400 words) specifying: (a) experience in evaluation and quality assessment of evaluations (b) area of expertise within UNDP’s thematic programme areas detailed above (more than one can be chosen).

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.