Consultancy on UNICEF MHPSS Programme – Evaluation Assessment and Framework Design, MHPSS Technical Expert, Evaluation Office, New York, USA, 40 days

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For every child, evaluate

There has been increasing acknowledgement of the important role mental health plays in achieving global development goals, as illustrated by the inclusion of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals. UNICEF identifies mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) as an emerging area of importance and is now working to reaffirm and better operationalize the MHPSS commitments across sectors in development and humanitarian contexts. To advance the work on MHPSS, UNICEF and WHO launched in 2020 the Joint Programme on Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-being and Development of Children and Adolescents. The purpose of the exercise is to help organizational learning and accountability specifically by examining and documenting the current status of UNICEF MHPSS programming and preparing a long-term evaluation plan for these purposes. It will also make direct contributions to the evaluation component of the MHPSS multi-sectoral global framework being developed.

How can you make a difference?

The assignment will draw on the skills and expertise of two external consultants (a senior evaluator and a MHPSS technical expert). Stakeholder engagement and participation will be key to the approach and a small cross-divisional reference group, drawn from existing coordination forum, will help guide the work.

Key Responsibilities:

The MHPSS Technical Expert will work closely and under the leadership of a Senior Evaluator (Team Leader) during the assignment. Key responsibilities are as follows:

• Provide MHPSS expertise in all aspects of the work
• Liaise with the Senior Evaluator (Team Leader) throughout the assignment, discuss and agree upon work allocation
• Develop data collection tools (document review template, key informant semi-structure interview guide)
• Collect primary data through key informant interviews and record data adequately through detailed transcripts/notes
• Conduct broad background reading of documents provided, conduct additional document search
• Contribute to data analysis in accordance with the overall exercise approach
• Draft sections of the deliverables assigned by the Team Leader
• Make sure all documentation is properly labelled and saved on the SharePoint collaboration site throughout the exercise

Objectives and tasks:

Inception activities

• Briefing and planning meetings with Evaluation Office, Programme Group
• Consult UNICEF MHPSS available documentation (strategies, guidelines, toolkits, studies, evaluations programme documents)
• Articulate the approach/process
• Develop data collection tools
• Draft an inception plan, including a detailed work plan
• Participate in the reference group meeting

Desk-based document review/analysis and consultations

• Collect, organize, synthesize and analyze available information (UNICEF documents, inter-agency data, other UN agency and NGO documentation if relevant)
• Identification of stakeholders to be interviewed
• Interviews with MHPSS focal points in Programme Group and other stakeholders identified
• Draft a report synthesizing/analyzing the secondary and primary data reviewed and collected

Evaluative baseline

• Based on the global Theory of Change, assess current status of existing strategies, programmes, investments and implementing modalities

Evaluation plan

• Draft an evaluation plan with priorities (timeframe TBD). The plan should be based on desk-based review, stakeholder consultations as well as the evaluative baseline
• Presentation of the draft to the Reference Group
• Revision based on the feedback of the Evaluation Office and the Reference Group

Evaluation components for the UNICEF Global MHPSS Framework

• Based on information gathered, draft a section on evaluation for the ‘research and evidence’ part of the Global MHPSS Framework

Evaluation components of the M&E plan for the Joint Programme with WHO

• Review of the Joint Programme documentation
• Consultation with the UNICEF programme team and WHO
• Drafting of agreed evaluation components of M&E plan
• Validation of the drafted sections

Deliverables:

• An inception plan which outlines the approach/process and includes the tools for data collection, as well as an agreed outline for the evaluation plan – 30 September 2021
• Evaluation components for the M&E plan for the Programme on Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-being and Development of Children and Adolescents – 31 October 2021
• A section on evaluation for the Global MHPSS Framework – 31 October 2021
• A synthesis of secondary data and key informant interviews which synthesizes and analyzes secondary data sources – 15 November 2021
• An evaluation plan including a baseline (current status) report – 31 January 2022

Duty Station & Travels:

The assignment will be home-based. The expected number of days for the consultancy is 40 days which will be conducted between September 2021 and January 2022.

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

• A minimum of eight (8) years of work experience in the area of MHPSS
• Technical knowledge of quantitative and qualitative analysis of various set of data and information
• Experience in planning, monitoring and evaluating projects
• Demonstrated analytical and writing skills experience as well as editing skills, including ability to convey complex information in a clear manner to a diverse audience
• Ability to set priorities and manage multiple tasks under minimal supervision ineffective and efficient manner
• Ability to work effectively in a team
• Familiarity with UNICEF’s programming, policy and advocacy work would be an asset
• Language proficiency: Fluency in English is mandatory. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of care, respect, integrity, trust and accountability and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.