Evaluation and Research Specialist, P3, Freetown, Sierra Leone #128243, (Temporary Appointment)

UNICEF Sierra Leone Country Office is seeking to hire an Evaluation and Research Specialist to help strengthen its capacity to undertake timely programme evaluations and fulfil its commitments in line with the Global Evaluation Policy, as well as to strengthen capacity to implement high quality research in line with the UNICEF Research Policy.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, results.

Please access UNICEF Sierra Leone information here and here

How can you make a difference?

Job organizational context:

The Evaluation and Research Specialist reports to the Chief of Evidence, Policy and Social Protection for general guidance and direction and provides technical and operational support to the Country Management Team (CMT), in consultation with the Regional Office multi-country evaluation specialist and Regional Office staff with responsibilities for strategic evidence generation. The Evaluation & Research Specialist ensures credibility, impartiality, and independence of the evaluation function in the CO.

The incumbent works in accordance with the norms and standards of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) and the UNICEF evaluation policy, as well as the UNICEF Research Policy.

Purpose for the job:

Sierra Leone Country Office is seeking an Evaluation and Research Specialist to i) manage the implementation of activities under the 2020-2024 and 2025-2030 Costed Evaluation Plans and Integrated Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Plans (IMERP); ii) develop and implement a plan for national evaluation capacity development and iii) develop strategic partnerships for strengthening research.

The Evaluation and Research Specialist will be responsible for facilitating the overall planning, design, monitoring, updating and implementation of the country office Costed Evaluation Plan (CEP) - and associated annual evaluation plans - and is responsible for managing and monitoring the implementation of CEP efforts within the country office. She/he will undertake thematic evaluations, evaluability assessments, and other evaluative activities for which the Country Office is accountable. 2 | P a g e

She/he will be responsible for engaging competent evaluators who conduct their work in accordance with the norms and standards of the UNICEF evaluation policy.

The Evaluation and Research Specialist will take responsibility for strengthening national evaluation capacity with a particular focus on young evaluators, including both government, academia and other stakeholders, and will develop a costed plan for the national evaluation capacity development activities under the Country Programme. The incumbent will also take responsibility for implementing the activities under this plan.

The incumbent will take on responsibility for strengthening the research function in the Country Office, including providing technical input and guidance to Country Office researches and studies, undertaking capacity strengthening activities and developing strategic partnerships for research.

SUMMARY OF KEY FUNCTIONS/ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Evaluation Leadership

2. Evaluation Conduct and Use

3. Evaluation Capacity Strengthening and Partnership Building

4. Research Management

Please see attached ToR for detailed information.  Terms of Reference.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The following minimum requirements:

Education: 

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.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in the implementation of equity-focused evaluations and strategic research.
• Experience in the management of research and evaluation function at national and international level, including developing strategic TORs, recruiting consultant teams and managing the research/evaluation process.
• Experience in evaluation design and in conducting evaluations as per UNICEF and UNEG norms and standards for Evaluation in the UN System.
• Experience in supporting national evaluation capacity and working with professional evaluation associations.
• Experience in developing strategic partnerships for research and evaluations.
• Familiarity with methods used in conducting both ‘up-stream’ research and evaluations (e.g. focusing on policies, strategies and systems), as well as ‘down-stream’ research and evaluations (e.g. focusing on delivery of programmes and projects) is an asset.
• Experience in development and/ or humanitarian settings is required.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

The following desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others 

Functional Competencies: Analysing (3); Deciding and Initiating action (2); Applying technical expertise (3); Planning and organizing (3); Persuading and Influencing (2)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.