India: Consultant Evaluation Coordination (Indian Nationals only)

DUTY STATION: New Delhi. The consultant will be required to travel to support field visits, to hold Evaluation Reference Group meetings, to monitor field data collection, and to support dissemination activities. The estimated number of trips under this contract is six.

The consultant will be based in New Delhi. S/he will be expected to be available for discussions in the UNICEF India office on a regular basis. The consultant is expected to work with his/her own computer, from his/her own work space.

DURATION OF CONSULTANCY: 1 November 2018 – 31 December 2019

(Initial contract to be issued for 11.5 months - followed by a 2-week break - followed by a contract for the balance 2 months)

CLOSING DATE: 14 October, 2018

Background:

UNICEF is committed to the central role of evaluation in results-based management, and continually seeks to strengthen the evaluation function with a view to supporting evidence-based programming. While furthering accountability towards governments, donors and other partners, evaluation can yield lessons that will further enhance UNICEF’s contribution to development.

In accordance with UNICEF’s decentralized structure, most evaluations are conducted at country and regional levels. Important challenges include strategic coverage, coherence, and ensuring that evaluation quality standards are consistently met. Strategic documents - such as the Revised Evaluation Policy of UNICEF 2018, the UNICEF Regional Evaluation Strategy 2013 (currently under revision), the 2015 Memorandum on Management of Evaluation Processes and Accountability in UNICEF India and the Standard Operating Procedure for Quality Assurance and Ethical Standards of UNICEF-supported Studies, Research and Evaluations - include important commitments relating to quality standards for all the evaluations conducted in the country office.

The Costed Evaluation Plan (CEP) of UNICEF India, which was approved along with the 2018-2022 Country Programme Document by the Executive Board, outlines eight critical evaluations, which are to be completed over the five-year period. Currently, three of them are underway (1. Evaluation of UNICEF’s contribution to strengthening child protection systems in India during 2013-2017; 2. Process evaluation of PMMVY maternity benefit programme; 3. Evaluation of Integrated Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition in selected states of India) and the others will be implemented over the remainder of the Country Programme. In addition to the CEP, the Country Office also commissions evaluations approved as part of its biennial rolling Plan for Research, Integrated Monitoring, and Evaluations (PRIME). Two additional evaluation captured in the PRIME are currently underway (1. Evaluation of UNICEF’s Contribution to the Facility Based Newborn Care Programme in India – with special focus on the Special Newborn Care Units; and 2. Integrated multi-sectoral strategy to improve girls’ and women’s nutrition before conception, during pregnancy and after birth (Swabhimaan programme)) and others may be added over the course of this Consultancy.

In line with UNICEF India’s commitment to further strengthen the quality assurance processes and quality management of all its evaluations, the Country Office is seeking the support of a qualified consultant to manage, coordinate and quality assure the above mentioned on-going and planned evaluations as well as support the design and management of new evaluations over a period of this consultancy.

The evaluations will be supervised by the Research and Evaluation Specialist who is the Chair of the reference groups for all the evaluations, and the Secretary of the PRIME Steering Committee, which oversees the quality of the evidence agenda at UNICEF India. The Evaluation Technical Support Consultant will provide technical support to the design, implementation, quality assurance, and dissemination of all evaluations undertaken over the period of this contract. The responsibilities of the Evaluation Technical Support Consultant are detailed in Section 6 of these Terms of Reference (ToR).

SUPERVISORS:

CONTRACT DURATION:

1 November 2018 – 31 December 2019

(Initial contract to be issued for 11.5 months - followed by a 2-week break - followed by a contract for the balance 2 months)

The Consultant is expected to work a total of 182 days over the 14-month period, with an average of 13 days per month. Please note that the number of monthly work days may differ, but the total number of days worked under this contract should equal 182.

MAJOR TASKS:

The Evaluation Technical Support Consultant will provide operational and technical support to UNICEF India personnel in designing and commissioning evaluations and to the evaluation teams conducting them. S/he will work closely with the evaluation team leaders throughout the entire evaluation process to ensure that evaluations are conducted in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Evaluation in the UN System, as approved by the members of UNEG on 19 July 2007 as well as the quality standards defined in the 2018 Revised Evaluation Policy of UNICEF and the 2013 UNICEF Regional Evaluation Strategy. Under the supervision of the Research and Evaluation Specialist, s/he will work closely with UNICEF staff commissioning the evaluations providing them with technical and operational assistance and ensuring internal procedures are followed.

Specifically, the Evaluation Technical Support Consultant will provide technical and operational support to UNICEF India evaluations designed and commissioned over the period of this consultancy, as follows:

TOR preparation for new evaluations

Data collection and data analysis

Report writing and finalization

Technical support to quality reviews

Technical assistance to communicating evaluation results

Other tasks to support evidence generation at UNICEF India

The Consultant will provide technical support to implement the evidence agenda at UNICEF India Country Office. Tasks may include drafting concept notes for new evidence initiatives, facilitating quality reviews of research and studies and presenting capacity-building sessions on evaluation methodologies

DELIVERABLES

Based on a monthly work plan to be agreed with the Research and Evaluation Specialist, the consultant is expected to work a total of 182 days over the 14-month period of this contract, which is equivalent to 13 full days per month on average. The days may be disbursed differently over the different months, as long as the total number of days completed equals to 182 days. For example, the Consultant may work 20 days per month during particularly busy months and 8 days per month during quieter periods. The Consultant will be required to submit a monthly report (1-2 pages long), which outlines the completed tasks and the number of days dedicated to each task. The tasks and days will need to be based on the work plan agreed with the Research and Evaluation Specialist at the start of each month.

The attached financial template under the "How to Apply Section" outlines the expected tasks and dedicated time the Consultant will execute under this contract. This is a rough estimate as new evaluations may arise and some evaluations may be more labour intensive than others.

PAYMENT TERMS

Essential Educational Qualifications & Professional Experience forConsultant

1.Education: Advanced university degree in evaluation, social sciences, statistics, research methods, or planning.

2. Work Experience:

3. Writing sample

4. Language Proficiency: Fluency in English. Fluency in Hindi an asset.

5. Competencies

Please submit your online application by 24:00 Hours Indian Standard Time on 14 October, 2018.

HOW TO APPLY:Your online application should contain Four separate attachments:

Please Note: It is mandatory to submit the financial proposal template and the work sample.

The selection will be on the basis of technical evaluation & financial offer in the ratio of 80:20. The criteria for technical evaluation will be as follows:

1. Education (Max 10/Min 7)

Advanced university degree in evaluation, social sciences, statistics, research methods, or planning

2.Work Experience (Max 30/ Min 21)

Professional experience; knowledge and experience of development evaluations and UNEG norms and standards; experience managing evaluations in international development settings; experience with different evaluation designs, data collection and analysis methods, and professional writing; experience in integrating an equity and gender perspective in evaluation design and analysis and researching and evaluating child and adolescent issues; experience working in India; experience with UNICEF programming areas; strong understanding of ethics; knowledge of results-based management principles.

3.Writing Sample (Max 20/Min 14)

The overall quality of a recent (up to 3 years old) writing sample. Quality will be judged based on the criteria of conceptualization, methodological rigour, clarity of writing and presentation, and innovation and originality and Fluency in English.

Candidates who score 42 and above and also meet the minimum in each sub-criteria 1 to 3 will be invited for an interview

4.Interview (Max 20/Min 14) during which the following core competencies will be evaluated:

Total technical score – 80. Minimum overall qualifying score is 56. Only those candidates who meet the minimum qualifying marks of 56 as well as score the minimum score in each of the above sub-criteria including the interview will be considered technically responsive and their financials will be opened.

For any clarifications, please contact:

UNICEF

Supply & Procurement Section

73, Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110003

Telephone # +91-11-24606516

Email: indconsultants@unicef.org

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization. To apply, click on the following link http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=516645