Principal Evaluation Specialist

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Under the authority of Director of the Internal Oversight Service (IOS) and the supervision of the Head of Evaluation, the incumbent will assist the IOS Evaluation Office’s (IOS-EV) efforts in providing evaluation driven evidence-based advice on improvement of UNESCO’s activities/programmes/projects as per scheduled long-term (C/4) and short-term (C/5) evaluation plans.

The Principal Evaluation Specialist will be responsible for the Evaluation Office’s contribution to the evaluation of activities financed from regular and extrabudgetary sources.

In particular, the incumbent will: 

• Manage highly complex and politically sensitive in-depth evaluations at programmatic, organizational and strategic level whilst ensuring evaluations are carried out in an impartial, objective and credible manner following UN standards and rules, UNEG Norms and Standards and the UNESCO Evaluation Policy.
• Promote an evaluation practice that integrates human rights, environmental and gender responsive approaches as well as innovative approaches which support the utilisation of evaluation results;
• Contribute to the evaluation capacity building efforts with internal and external stakeholders, including online and in-person delivery of different types of capacity development efforts in Field Offices and at HQ.
• Be responsible for oversight of implementation of evaluation recommendations and appropriate integration of lessons learned in programme activities of the Organization;
• Be responsible for providing advice and backstopping to decentralized evaluations in a portfolio of UNESCO Field Offices (FOs);
• Directly manage one Regional Evaluation Associate posted in a UNESCO Regional Office;
• Be responsible for communicating evaluation findings and recommendations in the most adequate format and via the most adequate channels to the different audiences, including intergovernmental bodies.
• Support communication with internal and external stakeholders, including the development of a wide range of dedicated communication products related to the work of the IOS Evaluation Office.
• Contribute to the elaboration of performance indicators and measures during the preparation of its major planning and programming documents, and subsequent reporting.
• Contribute to continuous methodological improvements and the development of evaluation guidelines and procedures;
• Be responsible for the design and update of training modules/guidance material;
• Contribute to the improvement and management of the Organizations’s knowledge repository of evaluation of regular and extrabudgetary activities.
• Participate in the recruitment of staff, consultants, interns, etc. and manage the supervision to junior staff of the Section.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in social sciences or related field.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible and relevant experience in programme and project evaluation of relevance to UNESCO’s programming and policy-making, of which preferably three (3) years acquired at international level.

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

• Proven project/programme management and coordination;
• Proven team coordination and people management skills;
• Strong communication skills in an intercultural context;
• Ability to present to a high level audiences including governing body committees;
• Proven ability to work independently and with minimum supervision;
• Strong analytical and writing skills and ability to establish links between the Organization strategies and the achievement of the IOS objectives and to identify key issues and opportunities;
• Proven strong people skills;
• Good level of IT skills (MS Office, use and maintenance of database and tracking system, web-based applications);
• Result-oriented approach and willingness to learn.
• Ability be conversant with data analytics.

LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge of English or French and good knowledge of the other language.

Source: https://careers.unesco.org/job/Paris-Principal-Evaluation-Specialist/799331902/