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.

UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office is responsible to provide guidance and technical assistance to strengthen the evaluation function to the twenty four country offices by a) designing, planning, supporting the implementation, and monitoring the regional evaluation strategy; b) quality assuring regional and country office evaluations; c) providing technical support to COs in the area of evaluation including capacity development at various levels.

For every child, hope

Under the guidance and supervision of the LACRO Regional Evaluation Adviser, the Senior Evaluation Consultant will provide technical assistance to UNICEF COs as well as RO to plan, manage, implement and disseminate high quality, independent, credible and useful evaluations in the Region, to achieve global Evaluation Policy and Regional Strategy objectives.

It is important to note, that the evaluation Section staff manage the relationships with CO Evaluation Focal Points while the consultant will only provide technical in-put on specific products and process. Specific objectives are to:

Management of evaluations

• Support for LACRO and COs to scope and draft evaluation TORs;
• Support for either management or backstopping of specific regional or country level evaluations at the request of LACRO Regional Adviser

Evaluation and CO Representatives

• Support for the recruitment of qualified evaluation teams following UNICEF procedures and guidance

Quality assurance

• Technical support for the quality assurance of regional and country level evaluation deliverables, to ensure evaluation teams deliver high quality reports and LACR evaluations comply with UNICEF and UNEG standards and guidelines

Evaluation dissemination and use

• Support for LACRO and CO senior management to ensure that evaluation findings are useful and assistance for uptake and communication of the findings to key stakeholders and the wider public;
• Support for ensuring that the evaluation management responses fully address the recommendations;
• Support for the identification and dissemination of good practices, innovations and knowledge on evaluation related matters;
• Support for the identification of additional opportunities for evaluation evidence use;

Capacity development of RO/CO staffs

Support for the evaluation capacity development for LAC RO and CO staff by improving evaluation planning and management processes at country level and providing on-the-job training to staff managing evaluations;

Expected deliverables for this consultancy are:

• Terms of Reference of regional, multi-country or Country Office-led Evaluation related products: Evaluations, Evaluability Assessments, Synthesis evaluations, etc.
• Written feedback for ToRs, Inception Reports, and Evaluation Reports for multi-country evaluations or CO evaluations, as per quality standards of the UNICEF LAC Regional Office.
• Report of evaluation capacity mapping in UNICEF LAC, including human and financial resources gaps, for UNICEF
• Analytical report of national capacities on evaluation in Governments in the LAC Region
• Analytical report of evaluation related-products (reports, evaluability assessments, syntheses, etc.)
• Report of technical guidance for Country Offices in the implementation of Evaluation norms and guidance;
• Evaluation training materials for UNICEF CO Staff, through virtual and on-site training, webinars and other capacity building related activities
• Presentation (PPT), briefs, and other analytical reports on evaluation in UNICEF LAC
• Report of facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing on evaluation.

For each task, the deliverables will be agreed upon on the basis of a monthly work plan with a brief description of the assignment. Additional task could be included based on the needs and demands of the Regional Office.

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

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master) in evaluation, social sciences or other related fields.

Work Experience:

• At least eight years or more of relevant professional work experience in implementing and managing evaluations, preferably for the UN System
• Proven excellent knowledge of UNEG evaluation Norms and Standards
• Experience in Quality Assurance Systems for Evaluations is an asset
• Experience working in LAC Countries
• Experience in consultation processes
• Familiarity of Human rights and Gender approach to evaluations
• Familiarity with humanitarian evaluations, is an asset

Languages:

• Fluency in Spanish and English is required.
• Knowledge of French or Portuguese will be considered an asset.

Techical Knowledge:

• Highly qualified professional technical knowledge/expertise in evaluation, including data management and qualitative analytical information.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in methodology of Evaluation, including theories, standards and models, quantitative/qualitative/mixed methods, validity/reliability testing of data, data analysis and interpretation, etc.
• Emerging international good practice in evaluation.

Other skills and attributes:

• Flexibility and adaptability to shifting conditions and work demands.
• Capacity to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with RO and CO colleagues and external partners.
• High level of Integrity and commitment to UNICEF’s mission and professional values.
• Analytical and conceptual ability, negotiating, communication and advocacy skills.

Source:https://jobs.unicef.org/mob/cw/en-us/job/534459/senior-evaluation-consultant-unicef-lacro-panama-city