Consultancy: Impact Evaluation Consultant, Humanitarian, 12 months, Evaluation Office, NYHQ (Remote-based)

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

Working through the network of regional evaluation teams, the UNICEF Evaluation Office (EO) supports the organization’s 135+ country offices in finding evidence-informed solutions for the world’s most vulnerable children. The Office conducts thematic global, institutional effectiveness, humanitarian, and impact evaluations. It assures the quality and use of UNICEF evaluations by establishing norms, standards, guidelines as well as knowledge sharing and networking. The UNICEF Evaluation of Impact Strategy and Action Framework 2022–2025 sets the institutional priorities for a harmonized and strategic approach for the generation and use of rigorous impact evaluations to inform UNICEF programmes. Increasingly, UNICEF programmes are implemented in fragile settings with recurring covariate shocks and rapid onset emergencies. Evaluative work has to adjust to these conditions, offering a good balance between rigour and timeliness, relevance and ethical appropriateness. This often requires innovative and creative approaches in design and implementation of impact evaluations relying on the use of multiple sources of data, machine learning, and forecasting techniques. This consultancy post is an exciting opportunity to contribute to multiple global and country -focused impact evaluation projects assessing the effectiveness and impact of UNICEF programmes in fragile and humanitarian settings. The EO seeks a highly motivated professional who strives to excel and stays abreast of the latest evaluative knowledge and methodological innovations.

How can you make a difference? 

• Conduct impact feasibility activities (IFA) to determine the opportunities and limitations for impact evaluations and their design within multi-country- portfolios and specific country contexts. This might include, but is not limited to, literature reviews, stakeholder consultations, drafting concept notes, and final assessment reports;
• Assess quality, feasibility and innovation of impact evaluation proposals submitted by UNICEF country office teams for the UNICEF Impact Catalyst Fund. Provide support to the refinement of the proposed designs and methodology in close consultations with relevant evaluation and programme stakeholders;
• Provide technical guidance and support to the design and delivery of impact evaluations conducted jointly with other UN agencies or by UNICEF country offices in close collaboration with regional and CO evaluation and programme teams. Advise on methodological approaches appropriate for humanitarian and fragile settings (e.g., ‘lean’ approaches and the use of alternative sources of data, machine learning techniques etc.).
• Develop data analysis plans and conduct data management and the analysis of primary and secondary datasets alongside other experts and partners.
• Deliver or contribute to concise drafts at different stages of impact evaluation implementation (inception report, baseline and end-line reports).
• Explore and initiate innovative data and methods approaches to strengthen rigour and timeliness of evaluations in challenging contexts. Contribute to the development and use of methodological tools (including guidance, templates, and checklists) for UNICEF impact evaluation reports and processes with application to humanitarian and fragile settings.
• Contribute to the development of an impact evaluation quality assurance matrix for the UNICEF global evaluation quality assurance processes (GEROS).
• Contribute to the management of an impact evaluation process to support the production of independent, credible evidence that meets high professional standards in line with UN norms and standards.
• Support impact evaluation capacity development of UNICEF staff and partners at the global, regional or national levels through the design and delivery of training/learning modules, interactive workshops and events with a particular focus on innovation and adaptations of standard impact evaluation methodologies to humanitarian/fragile environments.
• Support costing of impact evaluations and financial reporting.
• Coordinate the communications for UNICEF impact evaluation activities, support communication of the Evaluation of Impact Strategy and its implications for humanitarian and fragile settings in close collaboration with the EO communication team.

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

Education:

•  
  Post-graduate degree (Doctoral degree is an asset) in academic disciplines relevant to the rigorous impact evaluation field (e.g., economics, public policy, political science, evaluation, development studies etc.)
   

• Over 5 years of professional experience leading and contributing to rigorous impact evaluations (based on counterfactual) including design, preparation, and project implementation with demonstrated recent experience in humanitarian and fragile contexts.
• Solid expertise in quantitative and qualitative research/evaluation methods used for identifying and measuring outcomes and impacts and their complementarity in answering evaluation questions.
• Proficiency in using statistical analysis software packages, including STATA and/or SPSS. Familiarity with data visualization software (e.g., Power BI) and AI techniques (e.g., Python) is an asset.
• Knowledge of the evidence and current trends and developments in health, nutrition, child protection, adaptive social protection, mental health and psychosocial support, and education (at least one of these fields) including those in fragile states and humanitarian contexts.
• Successful experience with donor engagement including costing of major impact evaluation components within global context and reporting.
• Familiarity with the UNICEF programmatic mandate in humanitarian and fragile contexts and understanding of evidence generation processes in this area, including ethical requirements.

• Delivering data analysis and evaluations under tight deadlines and through multi-stakeholder consultative processes.
• Excellent abilities in presenting technical information to a non-technical audience, including academic drafting and presentation skills in English.
• Proficiency in English is required, knowledge of a second official UN language – Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish is highly desirable.

How to apply:

Interested candidates must submit the following documents:  Annex 1 checklist of expertise and skills.pdf

• CV and cover letter.
• Completed Annex 1 with a checklist of thematic and technical skills and expertise
• The daily rate and availability within duration of this assignment.
• A technical test may be administered to shortlisted candidates.
• The shortlisted candidates may be asked to submit short examples of completed analyses or published papers, in line with the required qualifications described above.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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:  

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage).  

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract.