Consultant Home-based with travel
Background and Objectives
At the request of the UNDP Executive Board, the UNDP Evaluation Office (EO) will carry out in 2011 a thematic evaluation of UNDP assistance to conflict-affected countries.
Since its formation in 1965, UNDP has played a key role for the UN in providing development assistance to countries aimed at both preventing conflict before it occurs and recovering in its aftermath. This role continues to evolve in keeping with the changing nature of conflict and the role of the UN.
Overall, UNDP assists countries that face imminent conflict and have experienced severe disruptions in critical national or local capacities, and it assists countries that have been designated by the Security Council or Peacebuilding Commission as having a priority-conflict situation. Operating through over 100 country offices, UNDP plays a key role in conflict transitions, providing a bridge between humanitarian relief and longer term recovery and development.
The 'UNDP Strategic Plan 2008 - 2013' recognizes that conflict derails development and that UNDP plays a vital role in providing crisis prevention and recovery support. The Plan sets out a variety of anticipated support activities and creates an expectation that UNDP "should i) do more to help address risks before crises occur, ii) help build capacity to respond faster to crises and put early recovery actions into place even during the humanitarian stage of a crisis; and iii) have in place predictable internal funding and resources for rapid deployment after a crisis."
The primary objective of the current evaluation is to assess UNDP achievements in conflict affected countries against the objectives set out in the 2008-2013 Strategic Plan. It is important to note that the exercise is not limited just to UNDP programmes and activities in crisis affected countries starting in 2008. Instead, it will seek to put UNDP current strategic plans into historic context, looking at the evolution of UN and UNDP work in conflict countries over the last two decades.
A second objective of this evaluation is to consider how UNDP functions strategically, at headquarters and at operational levels in conflict affected countries, and to assess whether UNDP’s crisis response and management mechanisms are calibrated appropriately for carrying out the expected support.
Evaluation Team
An international team of consultants (Team Leader, Team Specialist and Research Consultant) will be selected to assist the UNDP evaluation office with the evaluation. The evaluation team will build its evidence from pertinent documents, key stakeholder interviews and surveys, case studies of Security-Council mandated countries, and other countries supported through the UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery. An independent expert advisory panel will be convened, providing quality assurance on the methods used, and deliverables produced. An internal advisory board will also be established, composed of UNDP senior managers with direct involvement in conflict-affected country support programmes. The final report will be submitted for consideration at the January 2012 UNDP Executive Board meeting.
The Team Leader (TL) will be the most senior member of the evaluation team and will be responsible for providing both substantive guidance and operational inputs to the evaluation. The TL will work closely with and report directly to a UNDP EO Task Manager in implementing the project from its start to its ultimate presentation to the Executive Board in Early 2012.
Duties and Responsibilities
The tasks to be carried out by the TL include, but are not limited to:
- TL will be responsible for the development and design of a conceptual framework and methodology for the evaluation. The TL will work with the Evaluation Team, Task Manager and Evaluation Advisory Group to select countries for case studies, and develop a series of questions to guide research conducted through interviews and a user survey.
- The TL will play a lead role during all phases of the evaluation and actively coordinate the work of the Evaluation Team in the broader context of the UNDP EO.
It is envisioned that 8 - 10 case studies based on field missions will be completed during the evaluation. The TL will take responsibility for two of the case study missions and subsequent case study reports.
- The TL will lead and coordinate the Evaluation Team’s synthesis of findings from the desk- and field-based research reports and from the user survey. The TL will play the lead role in shaping the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation report.
- The TL will be responsible for generating and managing the production of the report text.
- The TL will be responsible for overall quality assurance of the evaluation report, the inclusion of various stakeholder inputs and its relevance in regard to broader UN system of activities.
- The TL will be expected to engage UNDP and broader UN system in consultations regarding the relevance and direction of the evaluation. The TL will also be expected to brief both internal reference and external advisory groups on initial finding and potential recommendations periodically throughout the course of the evaluation.
Competencies
- Knowledge of UN activities in conflict affected countries;
- Ability to manage a large-scale research project;
- A high degree of familiarity with the UN system and UNDP in particular;
- Ability to both lead and work well within a team;
- Excellent analytical, writing and presentation skills.
Required Skills and Experience:
Education:
Minimum masters degree, PhD preferred, with a focus on conflict management, international development or a related discipline.
Experience:
- Minimum 15 years experience dealing with conflict issues in developing countries.
- Proven ability to analyze and report on the operational performance of international organizations.
- Experience evaluating development activities in complex operational environments.
- Proven research team management experience.
Language(s):
- Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required. Competence in written French and/or Spanish is useful.
Duration of the assignment
The assignment will commence 2, May 2011 for a period of 10 months, covering an estimated 70 expert-days.
How to apply
Interested candidates are requested to send their CVs and any requests for clarification no later than 4 April, 2011, by post or email to: Christopher Nunez, Programme Assistant, UNDP Evaluation Office, 220 East 42nd St. room 2043, NY NY 10017, USA;
