Evaluation Specialist for Terminal Evaluation of the European Commission - UNEP Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA II)

Organizational Context

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the UN's designated entity for global and regional environmental issues. Its mandate includes coordinating environmental policy consensus and monitoring emerging issues. This consultancy is within UNEP's Evaluation Office, reporting to the Executive Director, and focuses on the European Commission - UNEP Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA II) for 2018-2020.

Job Purpose

This role serves as an Evaluation Specialist for the terminal evaluation of the European Commission - UNEP Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA II). The purpose is to contribute substantively and with high quality to the evaluation process and its outputs. The specialist will assist the Principal Evaluator in ensuring all evaluation criteria and questions are adequately covered. This involves contributing to the inception phase, data collection and analysis, reporting, and managing stakeholder relations. The ultimate goal is to produce a comprehensive and coherent evaluation report that assesses the effectiveness and impact of the PCA II, contributing to improved future environmental cooperation and sustainable development initiatives aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda.

Responsibilities

The Evaluation Specialist will contribute to the inception phase by conducting preliminary desk reviews, introductory interviews, drafting the Theory of Change, preparing the evaluation framework, developing protocols for desk reviews and interviews, and planning the evaluation schedule. During the data collection and analysis phase, responsibilities include conducting in-depth interviews, potentially undertaking field visits, preparing case studies, reviewing existing evaluations, and reporting progress to the Evaluation Manager. In the reporting phase, the specialist will draft the Main Evaluation Report, liaise on comments, finalize the report, and prepare a summary of findings and lessons learned. Additionally, the role involves managing stakeholder relations to ensure a participatory yet independent evaluation process.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of technical and/or evaluation experience is required, preferably including evaluating large, regional, or global programs using a Theory of Change approach. Experience evaluating EU-funded projects and programs is desirable, as is experience with program/project design, management, partnerships, and knowledge management.

Skills

Evaluation experience, Theory of Change approach, EU project evaluation, Program/project design and management, Partnerships development, Knowledge management, UN system knowledge, Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) knowledge, Fluency in English.

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