Zambia nationals: Environment Specialist, Independent Country Programme Evaluation

The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) carries out Independent Country Programme Evaluations (ICPEs) to assess UNDP’s contributions to national development results and evaluate the effectiveness of UNDP’s strategy. The purpose of the ICPEs is to: i) support the development of the next UNDP Country Programme Document, and ii) strengthen accountability of UNDP to national stakeholders and to the Executive Board.

The IEO is hiring an independent evaluator to cover the area of energy and environment (outcome 1) under the Zambia Country Programme for the 2016-2021 cycle. The consultant will also support the assessment of cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, partnerships, coordination, capacity development, among others.

The assignment includes home-based work as well as participation in a two-week field mission in Zambia (tentatively scheduled for 27 April – 8 May 2020).

Duties and responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Lead Evaluator and Associate Lead Evaluator the consultant will:

• conduct preliminary research and desk review of relevant documents provided by IEO for the assigned thematic area;
• develop a data collection plan including the data collection instruments to be used and a list of key stakeholders for interviews:
• collect, analyse and synthesize primary and secondary data for the assigned thematic area, through interviews and meetings (virtual and in person) 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 paper;
• support data collection activities for the assessment of the assigned thematic area (Outcome 1) and cross-cutting issues as might be required;
• participate fully in the data collection mission in the country;
• 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 Zambia at the end of the data collection mission;  
• prepare an outcome analysis paper for the assigned thematic area and revise it as needed, as per comments received from the IEO, CO, Regional Bureau and other stakeholders; and
• contribute to the preparation of the final ICPE report, as well as the following revisions based on comments received by relevant stakeholders.

Please click here to view the full terms of reference for this consultancy.

Functional competencies

• Strong analytical skills, 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 conducts during the evaluation;
• Ability to work under pressure, multi-tasking skills;

Corporate Competencies

• Ability to work in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams, acting with professionalism, diplomacy, tact and courtesy.

Education

• A Master’s Degree in a field relevant to the assignment.

Professional Experience:

• At least 10 years of relevant experience
• Substantive knowledge of environment, energy, climate change, and natural resources management issues
• Experience in programme evaluation and/or mastery of data collection techniques and methods, interviews particularly with indigenous groups and communities, and quantitative and qualitative analysis;
• Experience in gender-sensitive programming and/or evaluation is preferable.

Other knowledge and skills:

• Excellent proven oral and drafting skills in English, with excellent analysis and synthesis skills;
• knowledge of the country context, development issues and challenges;
• Familiarity with UNDP or UN operations in the country or region is an advantage;
• Availability to travel and focus on the evaluation as required to meet deliverable deadlines within the agreed timeframe.

Languages:

• Ability to work in English (oral and written) is essential. Ability to work in local languages is an advantage.

Application Instructions

Applicants are invited to upload as one combined document the following documents to the UNDP Jobs site:

• CV in the format known as  P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of at least three (3) professional references;
• A completed Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Form that indicates your daily rate for this consultancy; and;
• A brief cover letter (250-400 words) that highlights a) previous experience in evaluation and data collection, preferably in Zambia and any experience related to the UNDP areas of work.

Please note that the system can only accept one uploaded document therefore all documents must be combined into a single document for upload.