UNDP Jobs - 82435- Evaluation of the 2016-2020 Zimbabwe UN Developmen

Evaluation of the 2016-2020 Zimbabwe UN Development Assistance Framework

Location :

Harare, ZIMBABWE

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

07-Jan-2019

Application Deadline :

21-Dec-18 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

72 working days, spread out over a period of 5 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

72 working days, spread out over a period of 5 months

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

With the change in political leadership in November 2017 and the harmonized elections on 30 July 2018, Zimbabwe has embarked on a transition process. In October 2018, the Government announced its two-year Transitional Stabilisation Programme. Meanwhile in New York, the adoption of the General Assembly Resolution A/RES/72/279 on the repositioning of the United Nations (UN) development system on 31 May 2018 ushered in the most comprehensive reform of the UN development system in decades.

Encouraged by these developments and building on the longstanding engagement in the country anchored on a relationship of trust and mutual respect with all stakeholders, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Zimbabwe – under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator - has renewed its collective commitment to support the people and the Government of Zimbabwe to realize their aspirations. There is a shared recognition across the UN system that there is an opportunity to scale-up UN’s support to accelerate the transition process, including in areas of key political and socio-economic reform.

The UN system’s ongoing support to the people and the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) is based on the 2016-2020 Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF), which is a contribution towards the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Under the principle of national ownership and national leadership, the ZUNDAF was aligned to the national aspirations and commitments detailed in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset).

The 2016-2020 ZUNDAF is the fourth-generation programme framework and succeeds the 2012-2015 ZUNDAF. The ZUNDAF elaboration process was jointly led by the Government of Zimbabwe and the UN Country Team with the participation of development partners, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, and international financial institutions, ensuring broad inclusiveness throughout the process, framed within the country’s national development priorities as articulated in the Zim Asset. The 2016-2020 ZUNDAF is therefore the product of a series of high-level consultations through open dialogue and visioning, an independent 2012-2015 ZUNDAF Evaluation, a country analysis exercise, and strategic prioritisation. This process concluded with a high-level validation exercise, allowing stakeholders to reach consensus on ZUNDAF priority areas and outcomes.

In March 2016, UN Zimbabwe demonstrated its commitment to deliver better results together by officially becoming a Delivering as One country. The formal adoption of the Delivering as One approach serves as a critical enabler for the UN agencies to work jointly in five key areas: policy and programme, budgetary frameworks, operations, communications and advocacy, and, leadership. The ZUNDAF allows all members of the UN Country Team to deliver together through one nationally owned strategy that draws on the full range of UN expertise while supporting an integrated approach to achieving development results in a coherent manner.

Implementation of the ZUNDAF is being reviewed twice a year at the Results Groups level, which a high-level review is conducted annually, jointly led by the Chief Secretary of the Office of the President and Cabinet and the UN Resident Coordinator, with participation of the civil society, development partners, private sector and the media.

In line with the UN Delivering as One principles, a strategic outcome-based approach for the ZUNDAF was adopted, focusing on recovery and development priorities. Increased effectiveness through UN coherence, a robust M&E framework and the fostering of strong partnerships are key underlying principles of ZUNDAF implementation. ZUNDAF results are guided by six national priority areas:

Food and Nutrition Security
Gender Equality
HIV and AIDS
Poverty Reduction and Value Addition
Public Administration and Governance
Social Services and Protection

Purpose:

The purpose of the 2016 – 2020 ZUNDAF Evaluation is to review and strengthen UN’s collective impact through UN’s joint programme, operations, communications and advocacy, and strategic partnership efforts. This would be done based on an assessment of progress achieved against planned results, challenges encountered, and lessons learned as well as provision of concrete recommendations both in the short- and medium terms aimed at achieving greater development impact in Zimbabwe. In view of the changing country context, the Evaluation will provide important guidance for the UNCT in the implementation of the 2016-2020 ZUNDAF for the remaining period, including recommendations on any needed adjustments, and ensure that it responds to emerging and evolving national development priorities and that it aligns with the expectations of the landmark GA Resolution A/RES/72/279, including the reinvigorated RC system, the new generation of UNCT and the new mutual accountability framework.

The results of the 2016-2020 ZUNDAF Evaluation will also substantially inform the design of the next ZUNDAF to ensure that, in line with the global UN development system reform agenda, the UN continually enhances its support for the achievement of any new national development priorities and to internationally agreed development objectives.

Objectives:

The objectives of the Evaluation are:

To assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the ZUNDAF results towards the national development priorities;
To assess the effectiveness of the UN Zimbabwe in implementing the ZUNDAF through Delivering as One, including in the context of the evolving UN development system reform agenda;
To generate lessons learned and recommendations to strengthen the 2016-2020 ZUNDAF and inform the formulation of the next ZUNDAF; and,
To (re)align RC/UNCT leadership within the context of GA Resolution A/RES/72/279 to maximize UN impact in Zimbabwe.

Scope:

The scope of the Evaluation will cover the period January 2016 – December 2018 and focus on the 4 main components of the Delivering as One package in Zimbabwe:

One programme;
Operating as One;
Communicating and Advocating as One; and
Joint Partnership and Resource Leveraging.

This Evaluation will be complementary to existing evaluations and should make use of the information gathered through recent programme evaluations commissioned by UN agencies.

Duties and Responsibilities

The evaluation deliverables will be the following:

Inception report. The evaluator / evaluation team will provide a technical document specifying the proposed evaluation approach, assumptions, methodology (desk review, field work and triangulation phases), tools and limitations.

Draft ZUNDAF Evaluation Report. The evaluator / evaluation team will write a draft report with the specification of the findings, conclusions and recommendations. This document will be reviewed by the EMT and will be adjusted accordingly ahead of the validation workshop.

Final ZUNDAF Evaluation Report. Based on the comments and suggestions received from UN system agencies and governmental and non-governmental stakeholders during the validation workshop, the evaluator / evaluation team will adjust and draft the final report.
Additionally, this final report will include a presentation (PPT) with the key findings, conclusions and recommendations.

Deatiled Terms of References are available on link http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=52113.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Judgement/Decision-making

Strong technical skills and analytical capacities, sound judgment;
Strong technical problem-solving skills;
Ability to understand and establish priorities and work by objectives.

Teamwork

Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relationships with people from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds;

Ability to work under stress and work overtime when required.

Excellent knowledge of the UN system and UN joint country programming processes (CCA/UNDAF).
Good knowledge and experience with the national development frameworks, especially Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) PRSP, SWAP, key legislation, etc.
Specialised technical knowledge, including in conducting external programme evaluations, data collection and analytical skills, mainstreaming the HRBA to programming and gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations, and transition contexts.

Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork and adept at working with people of diverse cultural and social backgrounds.
An understanding of and ability to abide by the core values of the United Nations.

Required Skills and Experience

Team Leader

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Economics, Development Studies, Social Studies, International Relations or other related fields.

Experience:

At least 10 years of relevant experience and proven expertise with CCA/UNDAF processes,
Good understanding of the UN Development Reform Agenda
Excellent knowledge of the UN Programming Principles: Gender Equality, HRBA, Capacity Development, Environmental Sustainability and RBM
Experience leading evaluation teams

Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken English is required for the International Consultant;

Team members:

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Economics, Development Studies, Social Studies, International Relations or other related fields.

Experience:

5-10 years proven experience working in public health, and a strong academic background (at least an MA)
Technical expertise in the following areas: Food & Nutrition Security, Gender Equality, HIV & AIDS, Poverty Reduction & Value Addition, Public Administration and Governance, and Social Services and Protection
Experience working in Zimbabwe and knowledge of the context

Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken English is required for the International Consultant;

Application procedure:
Applicants are requested to upload copies of:

Latest CV highlighting the relevant experience;
Updated P11 Form template of which can be downloaded from this website - http://www.sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc.
A detailed technical proposal on undertaking the tasks and evidence of previous work;

Please group all your documents (CV, P11, Technical Proposal and certificates) into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document. Incomplete applications will not be given consideration.

Applicants must reply to the mandatory questions asked by the system when submitting the application

Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted.

Evaluation criteria:

The Consultant will be evaluated based on qualifications and the years of experience, as outlined in the qualifications/requirements section of the ToR. In addition, the Consultant will also be evaluated on the following methodology:

Technical Criteria weight: 70%;
Financial Criteria weight: 30%;

The award of the contract shall be made to the Consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the Terms of Reference.

“UNDP is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff, and equal opportunities for people with disabilities. Well qualified candidates, particularly women and people with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply”.