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, hope

The Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) supports Country Offices and Governments to advance towards the full realization of all child rights across the region with a country presence in 22 countries and territories to ensure that no child is left behind. The Regional Office plays both a technical advisory and oversight role, guiding country offices in designing, implementing and documenting results for children.

In this context, UNICEF seeks to expand its vision in the field of Evaluation as part of the equity agenda, and as a critical strategy for the achievement of the SDGs. For children to develop to their full potential they need to be healthy, loved, safe and educated. Policies, programmes and interventions to support their development in early, middle and adolescent years need to relevant, effective, efficient, sustainable and to deliver impact in terms of contributing to their rights and well-being. Evaluation plays a critical role in promoting understanding of what works and what doesn’t, determining if development objectives have been met in a way that contributes to the progressive realization of all children’s rights and supporting evidence-based advocacy, technical support and networking in the region.

How can you make a difference?

The Multi-Country (MC) Evaluation Specialist will be based in the ECARO Regional Office Bureau in Almaty. The post will manage country programme evaluations, multi-country evaluations, support national evaluation capacity development, and to guide UNICEF Country Offices in the conduct of high-quality strategic evaluations. To do this you will:

• Support the Country Offices under your responsibility and their national partners to develop and implement a plan of evaluation activities that will provide relevant and strategic information to manage Country Programmes and relevant national policies and programmes toward achieving results for children in both humanitarian and non-humanitarian environments.
• Ensure that UNICEF-supported evaluations are designed and implemented to established UN quality standards, and the results are disseminated in a timely fashion and used by stakeholders in order to improve programme performance and contribute to wider learning.
• Ensure that evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – including government and civil society – are strengthened, enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead evidence generating processes.  Ensure that the Country Office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF capacity building developments in a way that both contributes to and benefits from organizational learning.
• Manage Country Programme Evaluations in close coordination with the concerned Country Offices.

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

• An Advanced University Degree in the social sciences, economics, public policy, statistics, or in research methods is required.
• A degree and/or certification/accreditation in Evaluation is a significant advantage.
• At least 8 years of professional experience in the implementation of theory-based, equity-focused evaluations and the management of the evaluation function at national and international level is required.
• Experience in development and/ or humanitarian settings is required.
• Experience in supporting national evaluation capacity, working on government-led evaluations.
• Experience in evaluation design and in conducting evaluations as per UNICEF and UNEG norms and standards for Evaluation in the UN System.
• Familiarity with methods used in conducting both ‘up-stream’ evaluations (e.g. focusing on policies, strategies and systems), as well as ‘down-stream’ evaluations (e.g. focusing on delivery of programmes and projects) is an asset.
• Experience in related evidence functions is an asset, including Social Policy, Public Policy, Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis, Research, Programme Audit, and Programme Planning and Monitoring.  Experience in these areas cannot be substituted for the Evaluation experience but is an advantage.
• Experience in the ECA region and/or related context of upper-middle income countries is advantageous.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Working knowledge of Russian is highly desirable.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are: (1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others & (8) Nurtures, Leads and Manages People

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

Remarks:

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children and will be considered as part of the selection process.

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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

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