Overview
The Multi-Country Evaluation Specialist drives evaluation quality, innovation, and policy relevance to accelerate results for children in the LAC region. This role ensures the credibility, impartiality, and independence of the evaluation function in assigned Country Offices.
Key Responsibilities
- Support Country Offices and national partners in developing and implementing evaluation plans.
- Guide identification of priority evaluation topics aligned with UNICEF policies and SDGs.
- Identify evaluation objectives, priorities, and activities for Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans.
- Adjust evaluation plans in EISI for emergency, transition, and recovery stages.
- Provide technical support for monitoring evaluation performance indicators.
- Consolidate evaluation plans within required systems and documentation.
- Ensure evaluation findings and lessons learned are incorporated into planning and reporting documents.
- Monitor progress and support Country Management Teams and Country Office Annual Reports.
- Ensure UNICEF-supported evaluations meet UN quality standards and results are disseminated and used.
- Undertake evaluability assessments and make recommendations for improvement.
- Assist in formulating high-quality Terms of Reference and evaluation designs.
- Manage the recruitment of appropriate and highly qualified consultants.
- Monitor evaluation implementation, quality review deliverables, and establish governance bodies.
- Work closely with external evaluation consultants to ensure quality and timely delivery.
- Develop and implement multi-method communication plans for evaluation report dissemination.
- Foster organizational accountability and learning based on evaluation outcomes.
- Promote further dissemination and use of evaluation to internal and external audiences.
- Support stakeholders in preparing formal management responses to evaluation recommendations.
- Assist in monitoring and reporting on the implementation of agreed management response actions.
- Support country-led evaluations of policies and programmes.
- Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with governments, UN agencies, donors, NGOs, research institutes, and the private sector.
- Ensure systems and procedures are in place for appropriate ethics reviews of evidence activities.
- Foster policy-level and academic partnerships for national evaluation capacity development.
- Act as a focal point for learning options and themes, and arrange upskilling efforts for Country Offices.
Required Experience
- A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in the implementation of equity-focused evaluations and the management of the evaluation function at national and international level.
- Experience in development and/or humanitarian settings is required.
- Experience in supporting national evaluation capacity and working with professional evaluation associations.
- Experience in evaluation design and in conducting evaluations as per-UNICEF and UNEG norms and standards for Evaluation in the UN System.
- Familiarity with methods used in conducting both ‘up-stream’ evaluations (e.g. focusing on policies, strategies and systems), as well as ‘down-stream’ evaluations (e.g. focusing on delivery of programmes and projects) is an asset.
- Experience in related evidence functions is an asset, including Social Policy, Public Policy, Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis, Research, Programme Audit, and Programme Planning and Monitoring.
- Experience in the region where the post is situated is advantageous.
Qualifications
An Advanced University Degree in the social sciences, economics, public policy, statistics, or in research methods is required. A degree or certification/accreditation in Evaluation is a significant advantage.
