Evaluation Specialists (Evaluation Team Leader and team members)

Job Description

Closure Date: 23/Jan/2021, 12:59:00 AM
Organizational Unit: OED
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)
Grade Level: N/A
Primary Location: Home-Based
Duration: From 30 – 60 days, spread over 4-6 months
Post Number: N/A

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

Organizational Setting

The Office of Evaluation (OED) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is launching an independent evaluation of the FAO project titled “Zimbabwe Livelihoods and Food Security Programme (LFSP): Agriculture Productivity and Nutrition (APN) component”. The Agriculture Productivity and Nutrition component is one of the components of the Livelihoods and Food Security Programme (LFSP) implemented in Zimbabwe and funded by the Government of the United Kingdom through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The project aimed at:

• Raising smallholder farm productivity by promoting improved and climate appropriate agricultural practices.
• Increasing access by smallholder farmers and their value chain actors to rural finance.
• Fostering innovative ways of linking farmer groups and commercial markets.
• Stimulating production and consumption of safe and more nutritious food including bio fortification.
• Generating and communicating evidence to influence policy and private sector investments.
• Mainstreaming gender and youth across the programme.

Composition and profile of the evaluation team

 

The evaluation will take place between February and June 2021. The data collection and field visits will be carried out in March/April 2021.

OED is looking for independent consultants to join the evaluation team as Evaluation Team Leader and evaluation team members. Candidates should have demonstrated evaluation experience and a background in sectors relevant to the project (agriculture extension and advisory services, nutrition and bio fortification, rural finance and agribusiness). Candidates should have not been involved in the formulation, implementation or backstopping of the project or any of the activities to be evaluated and will be required to sign a declaration of conflict of interest.

Reporting Lines

 

The evaluation team will work under the overall responsibility of OED Director and the close technical and methodological guidance of the OED Evaluation Manager.

Tasks and responsibilities

The evaluation will be managed by the FAO Office of Evaluation (OED). The evaluation team leader and team members will:

• Contribute to the Evaluation methodology and the finalization of the evaluation tools, such as evaluation matrix, evaluation questions, checklists, survey and other data collection tools.
• Participate actively in the collection of primary data through face to face or virtual interviews with key stakeholders including government members, external partners, project teams and beneficiaries as appropriate.
• Participate actively in the collection of relevant secondary data, as required and identified in the evaluation matrix.
• Contribute to the consolidation of all evidence collected during the evaluation process in a structured format following the key evaluation questions and criteria.
• Deliver articulate and written inputs on the specific areas of assessment, as per the evaluation Terms of References.
• Prepare the evaluation draft report according to specifications provided by OED.
• Present findings of the evaluation to key stakeholders during all planned debriefing sessions as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in a relevant discipline (evaluation, agriculture, food and nutrition security, public policy, economics, development studies, social sciences, etc.).
• A minimum of 10 years of evaluation experience or professional experience in areas related to the project (agriculture extension and advisory services, nutrition and bio fortification, rural finance and agribusiness).
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of another FAO language (French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Arabic).

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Previous experience in conducting/participating in the evaluation (independent) of strategic and complex capacity development programmes or projects.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, facilitation skills and Interviewing skills.
• Excellent knowledge of the Zimbabwean food and nutrition security context.
• Demonstrated experience in evaluation. In particular, good experience in conducting evaluation interviews and focus groups and in report writing. Knowledge of participatory evaluation techniques is strongly desired.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)

Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
If you are in possession of language certificate/s from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT), please attach the certificate/s when submitting the application.

For more information, visit the FAO employment website

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.

We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline

 

 

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT