Evaluation Specialist At Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: 2201358

Evaluation Specialist

Job Posting: 19/May/2022

Closure Date: 19/Jun/2022, 11:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit: OED

Job Type: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)

Grade Level: N/A

Primary Location: Italy-Rome

Duration: 11 Months

Post Number: N/A

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO’s values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

The Office of Evaluation (OED) anchors the evaluation function in the Organization. Evaluation in FAO provides results accountability to both member countries and the Director-General, giving more in-depth understanding and objective basis for their decision-making and oversight. Evaluation also contributes to corporate learning, feeding lessons into a robust feedback loop. Evaluation provides a sound basis for improvement in the Organization’s programmes in terms of their relevance to countries, definition of objectives, their design and implementation. The Office also participates in system-wide evaluation initiatives, thereby contributing to assessments of development effectiveness by the United Nations (UN) system.

Within OED, the Emergency and Resilience Evaluation sub-team focuses on coordinating, designing, managing the emergency and resilience portfolio of evaluations (project, programmes, country programme evaluations, thematic, and synthesis evaluations), liaising with resource partners and developing and disseminating communication materials on relevant topics and focus areas of the humanitarian sector. OED is looking for an evaluation specialist to join the Emergency and Resilience Evaluation sub-team.

Reporting Lines

The consultant/s will work under the direct supervision of the Emergency and Resilience Team coordinator and under the overall responsibility of the Senior Evaluation Officer in OED.

Technical Focus

Applicants should have prior experience in evaluations, preferable within humanitarian and/or emergency context evaluations. Experience in research and research support, project/programme management, preferably in resilience, food security or agriculture sector is desirable. Experience working in developing countries, particularly in emergency and or resilience settings, is considered a plus.

Tasks and responsibilities

Evaluation Specialist will be assigned specific evaluations, based on the planning as well as according to language and technical expertise required. For each evaluation, the Evaluation Specialist will:

• Prepare the evaluation Terms of Reference according to OED evaluation guidelines;
• Select, recruit and supervise the evaluation team;
• Prepare and monitor budget for the evaluation
• Liaise with the project/programmes team and stakeholders to explain the process and ensure that all actors take part in the evaluation exercises
• Provide guidance to the evaluation team and ensure that quality standards are respected, according to the OED evaluation procedures
• Participate, as deemed necessary, in the evaluation as a team member
• Comment, review and disseminate the evaluation report
• Develop guidance, conduct briefings, and actively participate in knowledge management/sharing activities of OED
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the OED Director, Team Leader, or the Emergency and Resilience Evaluation Team Coordinator.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in sustainable agricultural development, agricultural economics, environmental science, development studies, social sciences, organizational development, or related disciplines
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in conducting or managing evaluations
• Working knowledge of English (Level C) and at least level B knowledge of French (Level C preferred).

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Preferable work experience in Africa
• Work experience in humanitarian and preferably development context
• Strong analytical, research and managerial skills.
• Previous experience in conducting/taking part in project, programme or thematic evaluations
• Stakeholder engagement, facilitation skills and Interviewing skills
• Familiarity with working in multicultural teams

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
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For more information, visit the FAO employment website
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required. Vaccination status will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.