International/National Consultancy: Evaluation Consultant (Governance and sustainable development Specialist), Independent Country Programme Evaluation, Kingdom of Lesotho
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Background
The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conducts independent country programme evaluations (ICPEs) to capture and demonstrate evaluative evidence of UNDP’s contributions to development results at the country level, as well as the effectiveness of UNDP’s strategy in facilitating and leveraging national efforts for achieving development results. The purpose of an ICPE is to: a) Support the development of the next UNDP Country Programme Document; b) Strengthen accountability of UNDP to national stakeholders, and c) Strengthen accountability of UNDP to the Executive Board.
This is the first country-level evaluation conducted by IEO in the Kingdom of Lesotho (Lesotho thereafter). The ICPE will focus on UNDP’s work during its current programme cycle, 2019-2023, with a view to contributing to UNDP’s preparation of the next country programme starting from 2024. The IEO will conduct the evaluation in close collaboration with the Government of Lesotho, the UNDP country office in Lesotho, and the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA). Please find the ICPE Terms of Reference here.
The IEO is hiring an independent consultant to cover the areas of governance and rule of law, outcome 1, and sustainable economic growth and inclusion, outcome 2, under the current Country Programme for Lesotho (2019-2023) and contribute to the ICPE 2019-2023 for Lesotho
The assignment is home-based with possible travel (tentatively scheduled for September 2022–March 2023). The level of work is estimated at 33 working days.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the guidance of the ICPE Lead Evaluator the consultant will:
• conduct preliminary research and desk review of relevant documents provided by IEO for the assigned thematic areas to feed into the evaluability and scoping efforts of the ICPE process.
• develop a data collection plan including the data collection instruments to be used and a list of key stakeholders for interviews, in consultation with the lead evaluator and country office staff and based on the overall work plan.
• contribute to the development of a pre-consultation questionnaire for the assigned thematic areas.
• collect, analyse and synthesize primary and secondary data for the assigned thematic areas, through interviews and meetings with relevant UN staff, and key partners such as government counterparts, beneficiaries, local partners, civil society organisations, private sector and academia, to provide the core inputs for the outcome analysis papers.
• provide a performance rating of the outputs and outcomes pertaining to the assigned thematic areas as per IEO’s new country programme performance rating system.
• participate and contribute to the team’s working sessions, including the analysis workshop and presentation of preliminary evaluation findings to the UNDP country office in Lesotho at the end of the data collection phase.
• prepare an outcome analysis paper for each of the assigned thematic areas and revise it as needed, as per comments received from the Lead Evaluator.
• contribute to the preparation of the final ICPE report, as well as the following revisions based on comments received from IEO, the CO, the Regional Bureau, and any other relevant stakeholder.
• contribute and participate in the presentation of evaluation results to main national stakeholders via videoconference, as required.
Competencies
Functional competencies:
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills are required, including ability to quickly assess a diverse range of information with a discerning sense for quality of data; and
• Good mastery of information technology required for organized presentation of information.
Development and Operational Effectiveness:
• Adhere to the principle of confidentiality and ethical code of conduct during the evaluation.
• Ability to work under pressure, multi-tasking skills.
• Available to travel and conduct required analysis within the agreed timelines.
Corporate Competencies:
• Ability to work in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams, acting with professionalism, diplomacy, tact and courtesy.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
• A Master’s Degree in a field relevant to the assignment is required.
Professional Experience:
• At least ten (10) years of relevant experience is required.
• Substantive knowledge of institutional strengthening related to governance, rule of law and access to justice is required.
• Knowledge of planning, implementation, analysis and reporting on Sustainable Development Goals, inclusive economic growth, decent work and economic participation is required.
• Extensive experience in programme evaluation and/or mastery of data collection techniques and methods, is required.
• Knowledge of public policies related to human rights, women and youth empowerment, persons with disabilities and Leaving No One Behind (LNOB) is desirable.
• Extensive experience in implementing or evaluating institutional strengthening projects and programmes, is desirable.
• Experience in gender-sensitive programming and/or evaluation is desirable.
• Familiarity with UNDP or UN operations in Lesotho and the region is desirable.
• Knowledge of the country’s context, the development issues, and its challenges, is desirable.
Languages:
• Proficiency in English is essential. An understanding of Sesotho is desirable.
Application instructions:
Applicants are requested to upload as one combined document the following material to the UNDP Jobs site:
• CV in the format known as P11;
• A completed Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Form that indicates your daily rate for this consultancy;
• A short cover letter, highlighting previous evaluation experience, and any thematic experience related to areas of the UNDP’s work. The candidates should indicate in the cover letter the period available for the assignment and confirmation of having no conflict of interest, no prior engagement with the technical design and delivery of UNDP Lesotho projects between 2019 and the present
Closing date: 14 September 2022