UNDP Jobs - 90097- EOI: Senior Evaluation Consultants (6 positions)

EOI: Senior Evaluation Consultants (6 positions) – Evaluation of the UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021

Location :

Home-based, with mission travel as necessary

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-Mar-2020

Application Deadline :

23-Feb-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

20-50 working days spread over duration of March 2020 – November 2020

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

The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is carrying out an ‘Evaluation of the UNDP Strategic Plan 2018 - 2021.’ This evaluation will focus on assessing the vision of the strategy and the extent to which UNDP programming at the country level is changing in response to the priorities set out in the Strategic Plan and whether the changes introduced to operationalize the strategic plan are helping improve UNDP’s way of delivering and accelerating results towards the fulfillment of the SDGs.

The main objectives of the evaluation are:

To inform whether UNDP programming at the country level is positively changing in response to the priorities set out in the Strategic Plan;

To indicate whether the organizational changes introduced to operationalize the strategic plan are helping improve UNDP’s way of delivering and accelerating results towards the fulfillment of the SDGs;

To identify the factors that have positively and/or negatively affected achieving the vision of the 2018-2021 strategic plan;

To formulate recommendations, as required, to support the formulation of the next strategic plan 2022-2025.

This call for expressions of interest (EOI) provides a profile of the expected responsibilities of senior evaluation consultants for this evaluation. The specific Terms of Reference (TOR) for the expected 6 consultants will be provided at a later date to interested candidates who meet the required qualifications set out in this EOI. The duration of consultancies will vary depending on the specific tasks and is expected to range between 20-50 working days.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Assignment
The consultants will carry out data collection and analysis to assess the strategic plan vision and impact on the ground in countries where UNDP works. Specific areas of focus will include:

Organizational strategic planning;
Global and country development, advisory and support services and platforms;
Institutional performance, results-based management, change management and business models;
Innovation;
Gender mainstreaming.

The assignment involves working from home and travel, as needed.

Broadly the type of activities the consultant may be assigned includes:

Providing advice on the preparation and design of a complex, strategic multi-layered evaluation process, including data collection tools and protocols;
Conducting desk review pertaining to SDG integration organizational strategic planning; global and country development, advisory and support services and platforms, Institutional performance, results-based management, change management and business models; innovation; and gender mainstreaming, within the evaluation’s scope;
Carry out data collection using the instruments outlined in the ToR of the evaluation;
Carry out and document analysis using the instruments outlined in the ToR;
Formulating findings based on the results of both qualitative and quantitative data analysis, taking into account the broader context of evaluation issues, and the internal and external environment in which UNDP operates; and
Provide concise and compelling evidence-based reports as inputs to the evaluation, including carrying out the country, regional, and/or thematic analysis.

Timeframe
The data collection, analysis and written inputs by the consultants will take place from Mid-March to October 2020.

Competencies

Prior experience in designing, managing and implementing complex evaluations and /or organizational assessments o multilateral organizations;
Broad and authoritative knowledge of evaluation practices, concepts and principles;
High level of understanding of international debates related to sustainable development, organizational strategic planning and institutional performance;
Strong understanding of UN/UNDP mandate, operations and programmes;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills to craft clear, influential messages to senior policy audiences on the basis of large multi-country data sets.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A Masters’ degree or higher in the social sciences or a relevant field.

Experience:

Demonstrated track record and expertise in one or more of the following areas- (1) organizational strategic planning; (2) global and country development, advisory and support services and platforms; (3) Institutional performance, results-based management, change management and business models; (4) Innovation; and (5) Gender mainstreaming;
At least 15 years of international development and evaluation experience;
Extensive evaluation experience, having led and managed complex evaluations and/or organizational assessments of development programmes and/or strategic plans of multilateral organizations, bilateral agencies and other related stakeholders;
Proven management experience, preferably of international evaluation teams conducting data collection and analysis.

Language:

Fluency in English. Fluency in Arabic, French, Spanish will be advantageous.

Submission Details:
Applicants are invited to submit in one combined document their (1) CV and (2) short cover letter explaining their area of expertise (as specified above) and why they are qualified to contribute to this evaluation and their expected daily rate. Only short-listed candidates shall be provided with further details of the assignment. The consultants will be selected in accordance with procedures set out in the UNDP Procurement Guidelines and UNDP Financial Rules and Regulations. This expression of interest does not entail any commitment on the part of UNDP, either financial or otherwise. UNDP reserves the right to accept or reject any or all expressions of interest without incurring any obligation to inform the affected applicant/s of the grounds.