Evaluation Consultant

Job Posting Organization:
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the designated entity within the United Nations system for addressing environmental issues at both global and regional levels. Established to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus, UNEP plays a crucial role in keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. The organization operates in numerous countries worldwide, focusing on various environmental challenges and promoting sustainable practices.

Job Overview:
The Evaluation Consultant will be responsible for conducting a Terminal Evaluation of a project aimed at addressing land degradation, which significantly impacts biodiversity, climate change, and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security. The consultant will work closely with the Evaluation Office at UNEP, reporting to the Evaluation Manager and the Director of the Evaluation Office. The evaluation will assess project performance in terms of relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency, determining outcomes and impacts stemming from the project. The consultant will manage the evaluation process, ensuring timely delivery of outputs, data collection, analysis, and report writing. The evaluation will also identify lessons learned and provide recommendations for future project formulation and implementation, particularly in the context of the Great Green Wall initiative, which seeks to restore and sustainably manage land in the Sahel-Saharan region.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Evaluation Consultant will undertake several key responsibilities throughout the evaluation process. These include:

• Inception Phase: Conducting a preliminary desk review, introductory interviews with project staff, drafting the reconstructed Theory of Change, preparing the evaluation framework, developing desk review and interview protocols, drafting survey protocols, planning the evaluation schedule, and preparing the Inception Report.
• Data Collection and Analysis Phase: Conducting further desk reviews and in-depth interviews with project stakeholders, possibly conducting evaluation missions to project locations, ensuring independence and confidentiality during interviews, and regularly reporting progress to the Evaluation Manager.
• Reporting Phase: Drafting the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring coherence and consistency with guidelines, finalizing the report based on feedback, preparing a Response to Comments annex, and potentially preparing an Evaluation Brief summarizing key findings.
• Managing Relations: Maintaining positive relationships with evaluation stakeholders, ensuring a participatory evaluation process while preserving independence, and communicating any issues requiring attention to the Evaluation Manager.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires an advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, international development, or other relevant political or social sciences areas. Alternatively, a first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree or equivalent) combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted. A minimum of ten years of technical and evaluation experience is required, preferably including evaluating large, regional, or global programs using a Theory of Change approach. Experience in environmental resource management, sustainable land management, and climate change is desirable, with additional preference for candidates with experience in the West African region.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in relevant fields such as environmental sciences, international development, or social sciences. A first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree or equivalent) may be accepted if combined with sufficient qualifying experience, specifically two additional years in relevant roles.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of ten years of relevant experience, particularly in technical evaluation roles. Candidates should have experience evaluating large-scale programs and familiarity with the Theory of Change approach. Experience in environmental resource management, sustainable land management, and climate change initiatives is highly desirable, especially within the context of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Experience in the West African region is also considered an asset.

Languages:
Fluency in French is required for this consultancy, as it is one of the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Knowledge of English is desirable but not mandatory for this position.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy is home-based with field visits and has an expected duration of 8 months, with a total of 50 days of work. The evaluation process will include the submission of an Inception Report, a Draft Report, and a Final Evaluation Report, with specific percentages allocated to each phase. The United Nations does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, ensuring that applicants are not required to provide any financial information.