Evaluation Consultant for Midterm Review of Global Policy Dialogue Series

Result of Service The main output of the consultancy is the Midterm Evaluation Report. The main consultancy deliverables will entail:

a. Development of annotated outline of the evaluation report in accordance with DESA’s evaluation policy, and DESA Project evaluation guidelines including survey design and intended target audience for the survey.

b. Draft of the evaluation report.

c. Final report incorporating all comments provided and submitting to DESA.

Work Location Remote

Expected duration 40 days

Duties and Responsibilities UN DESA launched in July 2020 and continued to develop its Global Policy Dialogue Series aimed at highlighting solutions to the economic and social impacts of global crises. The dialogues are dynamic, with DESA using its convening power to bring together global thought leaders and its own socioeconomic experts to consider today’s major issues. The conversations, typically 90 minutes long, are led by a professional moderator to ensure that the discussions are sharp and to the point. DESA partners with other UN entities and top socioeconomic forums, broadcasts everything live on the Department’s Facebook page to expand its reach to audiences that may not typically follow UN proceedings. The events are held in English with translation in American Sign Language and captions available in the six official UN languages.

Under the main objective of strengthening the critical role of DESA in the United Nations thought leadership on economic and social issues, the Global Policy Dialogue Series was specifically requested to:

1. Strengthen DESA’s role at the forefront of sustainable development policy at the global level, and an efficient and independent source of knowledge on sustainable development, and to enhance external communications and strategic partnerships. 2. Strengthen the UN’s role at the forefront of integrated intergovernmental policy support and of an efficient and independent source of knowledge on sustainable development.

UN DESA seeks an evaluation consultant to evaluate the activities undertaken during the first two and a half years of the Global Policy Dialogues, from July 2020 to March 2023. The purpose of the evaluation is to review, document and assess the programmatic, and strategic processes of the Project in order to identify lessons learned and best practices, and to formulate recommendations which will inform future interventions by DESA and the project partners in this area of work.

The specific objectives of the evaluation are:

1. Assess the clarity of objectives, alignment, logic and coherence of the project context and DESA strategy. 2. Assess the project design including recommendation that will make it more evaluable. 3. Assess data availability and the systems and capacities to make it available, including recommended changes that will improve evaluability. 4. Provide guidance on approaches to the evaluation of the project at its completion. 5. Assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the Global Policy Dialogue project from July 2020 through March 2023; 6. Assess the monitoring framework related to the performance indicators of this project from July 2020 through March 2023; 7. Assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of this project; 8. Assess what gaps exist in the implementation of this project, and how they can be addressed or improved in the final year of the project; 9. Formulate concrete recommendations to inform future work in this area.

Qualifications/special skills- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or higher) in evaluation methodologies, sustainable development, policy support or another relevant field, or a first-level university degree in combination with seven additional years of qualifying experience. - A minimum of 7 years proven practical experience in Results Based Management (RBM), sustainable development, analytical work and policy support. The experience needs to include a minimum of 3 years in program evaluation and methodologies. - Excellent evaluation, analytical and writing skills in program management, and experience evaluating policy documents and other documents, as well as familiarity with communications analytics. - Proven experience in working with Government offices and international development organizations. - Good understanding of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), development mandates and key economic, social and environmental trends in relation to sustainable development. - Ability to work as part of a wider team and ability to coordinate with other team members and stakeholders on different levels - High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with excellent writing, presentation and communication skills.

Languages Fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.