Evaluation Specialist

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT:

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, 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

FAO’s Evaluation Policy foresees to evaluate the Flexible Voluntary Contributions (FVC). This evaluation focuses on assessing the FVC’s contributions and its alignment with the FAO Organizational Outcomes, its management effectiveness, and identifying successes and shortcomings. As the current phase of the FVC (2021-2025) nears its conclusion, this evaluation aims to provide recommendations towards enhancing the FVC for its next phase.

Reporting Lines

The evaluation consultants will work under the direct supervision and the close guidance of the Evaluation Officer and under the overall responsibility of the Director of the Office of Evaluation (OED).

Technical Focus

The FVC serves as a funding mechanism sourced from various partners, these funds are directed to FAO’s initiatives aligned with the Strategic Framework 2022–2031. Starting from the new phase 2022-2025, the FVC aligns its structure with the Four Betters of FAO: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and Better Life. Flexible funding mechanisms, like the FVC, provide a more effective approach to delivering on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through flexible funding, the FVC allows greater responsiveness to the most pressing crises, better coordination in leveraging resources and the expertise of partners, and ultimately, a more holistic approach to addressing the most pressing challenges the world faces today. The FVC takes a programmatic approach, as opposed to a project-based one, to address complex, interconnected challenges. This allows collective support from multi-partner resources to have an even greater impact on the lives and livelihoods of those most in need. The RPAG, consisting of all FVC resource partners, provides guidance on resource mobilization and overall FVC direction. The Secretariat, represented by PSR, manages the day-to-day operations of the FVC. The evaluation will evaluate the financed through the FVC from 2021 to 2025.

The evaluation will assess its strategic alignment, governance effectiveness, key contributions to the achievement of FAO’s objectives, and its ability to adapt to unforeseen scenarios and changes.

Composition and profile of the evaluation team:
OED is looking for the following profiles for Evaluation Specialists to join the evaluation team with expertise in the following areas:

• Evaluation experience with UN agencies and Development Partners
• Econometrics/Data analysis
• Economics;
• Financial Analysis;
• Data Analysis;
• Policy Analysis;
• Gender and Social Inclusion;

Candidates should have not been involved in the formulation, implementation or backstopping of FVC funded projects.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Data collection, including conduct of case studies (possibly with field mission)
• The Evaluation Specialists will draft specific sections of the evaluation report, aligned with their area of expertise and based on the definition of the evaluation components at design phase.
• The candidates are responsible for conducting the evaluation and contributing to the development of the methodology The team will participate in information sessions, interviews, possible field visits and the write-up of the evaluation report. OED is responsible for the final report drafting and will ensure its compliance with applicable evaluation standards.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced degree in a relevant discipline: economics, econometrics, finance, evaluation, political science, social science.
• 10 years of professional experience in the respective fields of specialization.
• Proficiency in (C-level) of one FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish)

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Analytic skills (quantitative)
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Previous experience in conducting/taking part in independent strategic-level and thematic evaluations
• Strong donor and partnership engagement, facilitation skills and Interviewing skills
• Quantitative analysis skills (econometrics)

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

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT