Senior Evaluation Consultant: Iterative evaluation of the UNHCR/UNICEF Fair Deal (Blueprint) for Refugee Children

Contract

This is a P-5 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 10 years of experience, depending on education.

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The salary for this job should be between 208,877 USD and 261,770 USD.

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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 UNHCR and UNICEF have recently embarked on a joint 2-year innovative journey to transform the quality of life for refugee and returnee children and their families. Driven by the urgent need to fully realize refugee and returnee children’s rights, as well as the commitment to achieve improved predictability and efficiency gains from joint work across the humanitarian-development nexus, in February 2020 the High Commissioner for Refugees and the UNICEF Executive Director developed and launched a Blueprint for joint action (‘A Fair Deal for Refugee Children’) that will guide UNHCR and UNICEF’s work in nine initial focus countries over the next biennium. The overarching aim of this initiative is to achieve measurable, transformative change for refugee and returnee children and their families, in three key sectors (education, WASH and child protection). Lessons learnt during the 2-year innovative journey will be used to inform a revised global Memorandum of understanding (MoU) between UNHCR and UNICEF, which will set out a more predictable, sustainable and effective partnership.

In this context, the UNHCR and UNICEF Evaluation Offices will be implementing an iterative evaluation to support the Blueprint’s evidence needs, principally framed around the partnership pillar to help assess how successfully UNICEF and UNHCR are in developing a more predictable, effective and sustainable partnership in working towards the inclusion of refugee and returnee children in national WASH, Education and Child Protection Systems.

The Evaluation TOR and annexes are attached in the vacancy advertisement.

How can you make a difference? We are seeking an to recruit a Senor Evaluation Consultant who will support the Evaluation Team Leader to undertake the iterative evaluation of the UNHCR/UNICEF Fair Deal (Blue Print) for Refugee children. Working closely with the Team Leader, the Sr. Consultant will provide technical support and ensure the following tasks are undertaken, and that the key deliverables are finalized as per the time frame.

Inception (Aug – Oct 2020)

Key Activities:

• Initial document review (global and focus country level)
• Light-touch validation of baseline against Results Framework core priority indicators
• Inception interviews (conducted remotely) with key UNICEF and UNHCR stakeholders in Geneva and New York, in Regional Offices and in all focus countries
• EQA review on the draft inception report, and ethical review of evaluation tools if required

Key Deliverables:

• Final inception report (approx. 30 pages) including detailed methodology, final evaluation questions and evaluation matrix, and baseline mapping of UNICEF and UNHCR partnership in each of the focus countries.
• Strategic reflections on and recommendations for Theory of Change and Results Framework (approx. 5 -10 pages)

Round 1 Iterative Data Collection and Analysis (Nov 2020 – Mar 2021)

Key Activities:

• Field visits (conducted remotely) including key stakeholder interviews, FGDs, surveys; in depth document review for each focus country.
• Focus country debriefing (conducted remotely) on key emerging findings and preliminary lessons learnt (including discussion of any significant data gaps with key stakeholders)
• Feedback on key emerging findings and preliminary lessons learnt on each focus country
• Light touch data gathering on examples of UNICEF-UNHCR partnership work beyond focus countries (e.g. survey and limited number of key informant interviews)
• Synthesis on emerging cross-cutting strategic findings and lessons learnt from across all focus countries, drawing on wider evidence base as relevant, to inform high-level discussion and decision-making.
• Feedback on cross-cutting strategic findings and lessons learnt
• Round 1 Joint HQ Debrief /Workshop (facilitated by TL).

Key Deliverables:

• Round 1 focus country PowerPoint presentations (approx. 10 slides on key emerging findings, preliminary lessons learnt and proposed actions– internal to UNICEF and UNHCR only) (November 2020 – March 2021)
• Round 1 Synthesis Report (approx. 20 pages) including main strategic issues and considerations across all focus countries – internal to UNICEF and UNHCR only (March 2021)
• Round 1 Joint HQ Debrief/Workshop PowerPoint Presentation (approx. 10 slides)

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

1. A post-graduate or Master’s degree in social science, development studies, international relations or economics.
2. Demonstrable understanding of refugee and forced displacement issues.
3. A minimum of five years’ experience evaluating humanitarian and/or development programmes.
4. Expertise in one of the substantive areas covered by the Blueprint (education, WASH, CP).
5. Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analytical methods.
6. Experience with the ethics of evidence generation; experience collecting data from vulnerable groups; familiarity with ethical safeguards
7. Excellent ability to communicate and write in English.

For every Child, you demonstrate… UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

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.

How to apply:

The deadline for applications is 11.59 pm Friday 7 August 2020 (New York time).

Applications can be submitted either by an individual consultant or by individuals proposing to work together as a team (i.e. Team Leader and Senior Consultant). It is important to note individual contracts will be issued to each team member, that payments will be made by deliverable and that Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the evaluation will be contracted separately.

Applications must include:

• Brief approach paper (approx. 5 pages) outlining how they understand the TOR and proposed methodology.
• CV(s), which should include up-to-date contact details of at least three reference persons.

• Each submission (individual or team) should include a cover letter (2-page maximum) with the following information:

• • • availability as per indicative timeline, and an outline of how the applicant(s) match the required skills and experience outlined in the terms of reference.
  • Three recent examples of relevant work

• Indicative budgets, which should be prepared in line with the expected deliverables and should include any anticipated overhead costs (e.g. interpretation/translation services) and evaluation-specific in-country data collection costs (see ‘Annex 4: Indicative Budget’ for template in the Evaluation TOR). Travel costs and DSA will be paid separately. National Consultants will be recruited separately based on need.

Any clarification questions on the TOR or application process should also be submitted electronically to Jane Mwangi ([email protected]) no later than midday Tuesday 28 July 2020 (New York time).

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Annex 1 - List of Blueprint Countries.pdf

Annex 2 - Theory of change - Graphic description.pdf

Annex 3 - Joint Action Plan 24 June Final.pdf

Annex 4 - Indicative Budget Template.pdf

Blueprint Evaluation FINAL ToR_14 July 2020.pdf