International Consultant -Eswatini 7th CP Evaluation (2021-2025) - Team Leader

Consultant

Contract

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The Position:

The CPE manager in the UNFPA Eswatini CO, with oversight of the UNFPA Head of Office in close consultation with Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, National Population Unit (NPU) that coordinates the country programme will be responsible for the management of the evaluation and supervision of the evaluation team in line with the UNFPA Evaluation Handbook. The CPE manager will oversee the entire process of the evaluation, from the preparation to the dissemination and facilitation of use of the evaluation results. At all stages of the evaluation process, the CPE manager will require support from staff of the UNFPA Eswatini CO. The progress of the evaluation will be closely followed by the evaluation reference group (ERG), which is composed of relevant UNFPA staff from the Eswatini CO, ESARO, representatives of the national Government of Eswatini, implementing partners, as well as other relevant key stakeholders. In compliance with UNFPA evaluation policy (2024), the regional M&E adviser in UNFPA ESARO will provide guidance and backstopping support to the CPE manager at all stages of the evaluation process.

The evaluation team leader will hold the overall responsibility for the design and implementation of the evaluation. S/he will be responsible for the production and timely submission of all expected deliverables in line with the ToR. S/he will lead and coordinate the work of the evaluation team and ensure the quality of all evaluation deliverables at all stages of the process. The team leader will also be responsible for communication with the CPE manager. Beyond her/his responsibilities as team leader, the evaluation team leader will serve as technical expert for one of the thematic areas of the country programme

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Background :

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Its mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), UNFPA is working towards three transformative results: (i) zero preventable maternal deaths; (ii) zero unmet need for family planning; and (iii) zero gender-based violence and harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child, early and forced marriage.

The UNFPA Eswatini Country Office (CO) is currently implementing the 7th Country Programme (CP) (2021-2025) with the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini and other partners. The goal of the CP is to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and accelerate the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action, to improve the lives of women, adolescents and youth. In pursuit of this goal, the UNFPA Eswatini CO seeks to achieve results in the following thematic areas of programming under the CP: (i) quality of care and services; (ii) gender and social norms; (iii) population change and data; and (vi) adolescents and youth.

Purpose:

In line with the 2024 UNFPA Evaluation Policy, the UNFPA Eswatini CO is planning to conduct an evaluation of its 7th CP (2021-2025). The purpose of the Country Programme Evaluation (CPE) is to strengthen accountability to stakeholders, support evidence-based decision-making, and improve learning.

The CO is seeking services of a Country Programme Evaluation Team Leader (International) to fulfil the objectives of the CPE. The team leader will lead an evaluation team will consisting of the Team leader himself/herself and three thematic experts and a young emerging evaluator as described below:

• Team leader (1): An international consultant with primary responsibility for the design of the evaluation methodology and the coordination of the evaluation team, as described in section 12.1 of the terms of reference. The team leader will also demonstrate the qualifications, experience and skills required to serve as a technical expert for one of the thematic areas.
• Thematic experts (3): National consultants who should demonstrate the qualifications, experience and skills required to serve as technical expert in at least one of the thematic areas, as described in section 12.1 of the terms of reference.
• Young and emerging evaluator (1): A national consultant (recent university graduate or young evaluation professional with limited experience) who will provide support to the evaluation team throughout the evaluation process, as described in section 12.1 of the terms of reference.

Objectives:

The overall objective of the CPE is to provide an independent assessment of the performance of the CP and to broaden the evidence base for the design of the next programme cycle.

Scope:

The evaluation will cover all interventions in the four thematic areas of the CP, which have been implemented across Eswatini during the programme’s period. The thematic areas are described in section 3 of the terms of reference. In addition, the evaluation will also cover cross-cutting issues, such as human rights, gender equality, disability and transversal functions, such as coordination, monitoring and evaluation, innovation, resource mobilization and strategic partnerships.

The 3 individual team member consultant(s) will support the CPE process in relation to the overall design and implementation of a methodologically robust evaluation and cover programmatic areas of the Country Programme i.e., (i) quality of care and services; (ii) gender and social norms; (iii) population change and data; and (vi) adolescents and youth.

Duration:

The consultancy will have a duration of maximum 4 months (July - October 2024).

Place where services are to be delivered:

The consultancy will be primarily home-based working in close collaboration with the Team Leader, with field visits to the implementation sites, institutions, partners, facilities and organisations during fieldwork as needed. UNFPA will arrange the logistics for this work in accordance to the fieldwork plan.

Deliverables:

The consultancy will be for 55 days between 15 July and 31st October 2024 and is expected to deliver the following key products.

Product 1: Design report – 31st July

Product 2: PowerPoint presentation of the design report- 16th August

Product 3: PowerPoint presentation for debriefing meeting with the CO and the ERG- 30th September

Product 4: Draft evaluation report- 15th October

Product 5: Recommendations worksheet- 15th October

Product 6: Final evaluation report- 31st October

Product 7: PowerPoint presentation of the evaluation results- 31st October

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:

Bi-weekly meetings will be held between the consultant and UNFPA team to provide feedback on progress, get guidance from UNFPA on the conduction of activity, as well as to address any questions that may arise during the conduction of the work. It is the responsibility of the consultant to proactively document the discussions and recommendations for follow-up. The products will be reviewed and appraised by UNFPA for approval and payment. The edits and inputs provided need to be considered in the final revisions and generation of final versions of the products. The consultant(s) must submit the products in Microsoft Word version (.doc or .docx) and PowerPoint within the stipulated timelines.

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Demography, Population Studies, Public Health, Medicine, Health Economics, Statistics, Public Health, Development Studies, Gender, or other relevant fields;

Knowledge and Experience:

• At least 10 years of experience in conducting or managing evaluations in the field of international development and/or humanitarian assistance.
• Extensive experience in leading complex evaluations commissioned by United Nations organizations and/or other international organizations and NGOs.
• Demonstrated expertise in one of the thematic areas of the country programme covered by the evaluation (see expert profiles below).
• In-depth knowledge of theory-based evaluation approaches and ability to apply both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and to uphold high quality standards for evaluation as defined by UNFPA and UNEG.
• Good knowledge of humanitarian strategies, policies, frameworks and international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles.
• Ability to ensure ethics and integrity of the evaluation process,
• Ability to consistently integrate human rights and gender perspectives in all phases of the evaluation process.
• Excellent management and leadership skills to coordinate the work of the evaluation team, and strong ability to share technical evaluation skills and knowledge.
• Ability to supervise a young and emerging evaluator, create an enabling environment for her/his meaningful participation in the work of the evaluation team, and provide guidance and support required to develop her/his capacity.
• Experience working with a multidisciplinary team of experts.
• Excellent ability to analyze and synthesize large volumes of data and information from diverse sources.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and spoken).
• Good knowledge of the region and its development context.

Languages:

• Fluent in written and spoken English.

Required Competencies:

Values:

Exemplifying integrity,

Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,

Embracing cultural diversity,

Embracing change

Core Competencies:

Achieving results,

Being accountable,

Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,

Thinking analytically and strategically,

Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.

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Added 8 days ago - Updated 8 hours ago - Source: unfpa.org