Evaluation Officer

Mission and objectives

UNICEF Ethiopia is implementing a 5-year country programme 2020-2025 which is fully aligned with the UNSDCF. UNICEF will work collaboratively within the UNSDCF on a joint strategy to strengthen national systems for data collection, analysis, monitoring and applying adjustments to promote equity. Evidence will be used to monitor the situation of children, tracking progress towards equity and scale, and to inform advocacy to adjust policies, strategies and budgets. Monitoring and corrective actions will be undertaken through UNICEF staff, partners and third-party monitoring, and through mechanisms for community feedback and accountability to affected populations.

Context

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established in 1946, in the aftermath of World War II. Our mandate was clear: to help children and young people whose lives and futures were at risk – no matter what role their country had played in the war.

• What mattered to UNICEF was reaching every child in need, protecting children’s rights to survive, thrive, and reach their full potential.
• This is the DNA of UNICEF. From the ashes of war to the global challenges that affect millions today, our mandate has never wavered. UNICEF has consistently worked to protect the rights and well-being of all children. Whoever they are. Wherever they live.
• UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. And we never give up!
• UNICEF works in the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents – and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
• The world’s largest provider of vaccines, we support child health and nutrition, safe water and sanitation, quality education and skill building, HIV prevention and treatment for mothers and babies, and the protection of children and adolescents from violence and exploitation.
• Before, during and after humanitarian emergencies, UNICEF is on the ground, bringing lifesaving help and hope to children and families. Non-political and impartial, we are never neutral when it comes to defending children’s rights and safeguarding their lives and futures.
• The UNICEF Evaluation function helps UNICEF deliver results for children by fostering evidence-based decision-making. Conclusions and recommendations from these evaluations are essential for shaping policies, programmes, advocacy, and partnerships at all levels of the organization. Similarly as a large country office, the Ethiopian UNICEF office has an independent Evaluation office led by an International evaluation manager.

This United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment is part of UNICEF’s core evaluation function that supports learning and accountability and will mainly support:

• Quality assurance of evaluation processes from ToR development to management response.
• Devising methodologies, creating evaluation frameworks and proposing the most robust research methods for evaluations and studies.
• Knowledge management of evaluations and support synthesis and analysis to enhance dissemination and use of evaluative evidence.
• Coordination with all programmes for smooth and supportive evaluation function

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Evaluation Specialist, the UN Volunteer, Evaluation Officer will perform the following tasks:

Evaluation Process

• Work on evaluation designs of high quality in compliance with the UNICEF quality standards and guidelines; specially ensuring use of quasi-experimental and experimental methods, as needed, to measure impact.
• Help designing impact evaluations for UNICEF programmes and partners.
• Assist in quality assurance of evaluations, ensuring adherence to UNICEF standards in all stages from developing Terms of Reference to management response.
• Support in coordination of inception meetings for evaluations and research; solicitation of feedback on key deliverables; monitoring and ensuring the quality of the field

work and data management during the implementation phase.

• Support in tracking and ensuring that a management response to the findings and recommendations of the evaluation is completed, recorded, uploaded, and followed up for implementation.
• Assist in ensuring integration of gender, disability and equity aspects in all stages of evaluation process and products.
• Assist in conducting and managing high quality evaluations with ethical standards meeting UNICEF ethical protocols and standards.

Synthesis and knowledge management

Support establishing an effective knowledge management system for evaluation and studies to enhance dissemination and use of evidence and recommendations for programme improvement and policy development.

• Support the unit in the systematization and storage in online systems and archives.
• Support information collection and analysis, preparation of synthesis reports and extract information from evaluation reports for targeted use in programme improvement.
• Assist in preparing progress reports, meeting-minutes, communication material and snapshots suited to different audiences.
• Support in preparing evaluations for submission to UNICEF ESARO and HQ via Evidence Information Systems Integration (EISI) with full accompanying documentation.
• Assist in preparing training materials and other resources for the national evaluation capacity development related to evaluation methods, quality assurance, research ethics and management response, tailored to the government counterparts and UNICEF programme colleagues, as advised by the supervisor.
• Support the collection of information on issues and indicators relevant to UNICEF programmes, Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) and other key social development indicators (through document review and web searches), when required by UNICEF programmes.
• Assist in preparation/updating of the Situation Analysis, child poverty, and child vulnerability analysis providing accurate analysis of country level socio-political- economic trends and their implications for UNICEF programmes and projects.
• Provide support in ensuring that current and accurate evaluation data and results are included in relevant UNICEF annual and other reports, RAM reports, UN, regional or multi-country studies, and knowledge sharing networks.
• Provide support and assistance to the Section as guided and required on all issues related to knowledge management.

Coordination and Networking

• Assist in overall coordination of priority evaluation activities in collaboration with all concerned programmes and partners from the public sector and civil society, as required.
• Assist in key deliverables committed in the research and evaluation workplan by coordinating work with other programme sections wherever required.
• Support coordination with MCO and other UN agencies and public sector organizations to facilitate UNICEF programmes work on SDGs for children.
• Coordination of meetings and workshops and training sessions with regard to research and evaluation work at national and sub-national level with special attention to the instructions provided pertaining to the quality, ethics and timelines of deliverables.

Requirements

Required experience

• 5 years of experience in the field of evaluation and/or research in the development sector;
• Sound knowledge of research methodologies, qualitative and quantitative research, particularly knowledge of impact evaluation methods is compulsory.
• Demonstrated experience in designing impact evaluations, data analysis, synthesis and indicator analysis
• Sound experience of developing monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks
• Good coordination and project management and time management skills.
• Ability to guide, develop and provide training in evaluation and research.
• Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing.
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment.
• Ability to handle work quickly and accurately under time constraints.
• Demonstrates a high degree of integrity, reliability and honors matters of confidentiality.
• Respect for diversity and adaptability to other cultures, environments, and living conditions
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.
• Knowledge of more than one local language spoken in Ethiopia is an advantage.
• Ideally active in human rights, child rights, women rights, youth related initiatives (including in university groups, sport clubs, others) is desirable.
• Ideally experienced in research/evaluation and fieldwork/data collection among marginalized /vulnerable communities, including children s desirable.

Languages

• English, Level: Fluent, Required
• Amharic, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Source: https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1770391485120768