Re-Advertisement: Evaluation Specialist (WASH Programme), P4, Evaluation Office, HYHQ

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 171,387 USD and 220,969 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Evaluate

The position is located within the NYHQ Evaluation Office, which serves as steward of UNICEF’s evaluation function. Its Director reports to UNICEF’s Executive Board through an annual report on the evaluation function and on selected evaluations. The Evaluation Office commissions and manages independent corporate evaluations and other evaluative exercises (e.g., evaluability assessments, syntheses, reviews), usually conducted in collaboration with external consultants but sometimes embedding Evaluation Office staff in the evaluation teams. It also leads in the development and implementation of evaluation policy, strategy, and systems; oversees evaluation quality assurance processes; undertakes evaluation capacity development activities within and outside the Organization; actively promotes an enabling environment for evaluation and a strong evaluation culture; and ensures transparent access to evaluation information. The Office works closely with the Regional Evaluation Advisers in each of UNICEF’s seven regions to ensure a well-coordinated, collaborative, whole-of-organization evaluation effort and to continue to build the Organization’s community of practice. Working in a complementary manner with UNICEF’s other data, evidence and research functions, the Evaluation Office aims to deliver consistently timely, credible and useful independent analyses that harness knowledge to help the Organization deliver results for children.

How can you make a difference?

Under the direction of the Director of Evaluation and the supervision of the Senior Evaluation Specialist (Goal Areas 1, 3 and 4), the Evaluation Specialist is responsible for managing the evaluation portfolio related to Goal Area 4 - aimed at ensuring that every child, including adolescents, uses safe and equitable WASH services and lives in a safe and sustainable climate and environment. Work under this Goal Area, including in humanitarian crises and fragile contexts, contributes to environmental, resilience and gender components of the 2030 Agenda, including Sustainable Development Goals 5, 6, 7, 12 and 13, and is linked to sustainable progress in numerous other Sustainable Development Goals.

In the Strategic Plan 2022-2025, WASH results are framed around (1) safe and equitable water, sanitation and hygiene services and practices; (2) water, sanitation and hygiene systems and empowerment of communities and (3) climate change, disaster risks and environmental degradation. The specialist’s work will be critical for generating useful lessons about UNICEF work in these areas as well as assessing accountabilities. The scope of work covers primarily evaluations but may also include activities such as synthesis, assessments, studies and surveys that draw on the same skills.

In accordance with UNICEF’s mission, guiding principles, standards, commitments, and accountability framework, and under United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) revised norms and standards, the Evaluation Specialist will ensure that all evaluations conducted under her/his leadership are of the highest relevance, timeliness, quality, credibility and utility possible, and that they support the organizational learning and accountability needs of UNICEF and its stakeholders in achieving results for children.

The incumbent will also contribute to cross-cutting initiatives within the Evaluation Office and the wider evaluation function within UNICEF.

Key Functions

1. Manage global evaluation of UNICEF’s WASH programming

Support the Evaluation Office with the management of the priority global evaluations. During the period 2022-2025, three major efforts will be conducted, specifically:

• Evaluation of UNICEF work in disaster risk reduction and climate,
• Evaluation of the Accelerated Sanitation and Water for All programme 2023–2024, and
• Midterm evaluation of the UNICEF Strategy for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (2016–2030).

For each of these efforts, the Specialist will be responsible for end-to-end support, beginning with conceptualizing, design and liaising with stakeholders (notably HQ WASH section) to determine a relevant and realistic scope; developing a repository of relevant documents for use during inception, data collection and analysis phases; managing an inter-divisional evaluation reference group; managing the recruitment, contracting and on-boarding of evaluation consultants and teams; managing communications and meetings between the evaluation team, various stakeholders in HQ, Regional and Country Offices, and the Evaluation Reference Group; providing technical and logistical support to the EO and the evaluation team, e.g. help organize country visits and desk-based case studies, and other data collection activities; reviewing and providing inputs/QA on data collection methods and tools as well as on the evaluation deliverables; developing a plan for and carrying out dissemination activities; supporting stakeholders to develop the organization’s Management Response; and creating an archive of the evaluation material (data and analysis).

2. In line with Evaluation Office vision and commitments, support the Evaluation Office to strengthen evaluation methods and work collaboratively within the function and with partner agencies.

• The Evaluation Specialist contributes to experimenting with and routinizing new methods. Working closely with other Evaluation Office units, the Specialist will support the use of appropriate and innovative evaluation approaches to meet the growing demand the use of high-quality, robust, relevant, and timely evidence, particularly at the outcome and impact levels.
• The Specialist will play an important role in joint and inter-agency evaluations in keeping with the interconnected nature of the Sustainable Development Goals.
• The Specialist supports the evaluation function by providing quality review and oversight at the country- and regional-office levels through facilitation, guidance, and tools to enhance the quality, credibility and timeliness of evaluations and the purposeful application of results.

3. Contribute to other evaluation and evidence related initiatives within the Evaluation Office

• Contribute to the work and coordination of the Evaluation Office independent corporate evaluation team (e.g., inputs to other evaluative exercises; participation in meetings and inputs into SOPs/guidance/manual/templates, etc.).
• Provide technical advice and quality assurance on evaluation TORs, reports and other evaluation initiatives sent by HQ-WASH, ROs and COs (on demand).
• Contribute to or manage corporate evaluations on UNICEF’s work on environmental issues.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s) in social sciences, evaluation, operational research, M&E and/or WASH or related field.
• A minimum of eight years of relevant professional work experience in evaluation within an international organization, development agency, governmental, private or non-profit sectors.
• At least three years of work related to WASH programming or efforts to reduce climate change, disaster risks and environmental degradation.
• Solid track record for leading and managing mixed-method evaluations that rely on both qualitative and quantitative approaches and a variety of data collection modalities (surveys, interviews, focus groups, direct and indirect observations, desk reviews).
• Willingness/ability to keep up to date with the latest skills and organizational guidance in the field of evaluation.
• Demonstrated track record working collaboratively in a multi-cultural team environment to contribute positively to shared results.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of another UN language is an asset (particularly French).

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability (CRITA) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

This is re-advertisement. Applicants who applied before do not need to apply again.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.