Evaluation Specialist - Summative Evaluation, Strengthening Advisory Capacities for Land Governance in Africa

The Evaluation Specialist will assess as objectively and systematically as possible, the performance of the programme vis-à-vis its overall objective as defined in the project document and deliver a carefully edited and formatted evaluation report and evaluation summaries in accordance with the evaluation TOR and to ECA quality standards and specifications. The summative evaluation will have the following deliverables: I. Deliverable 1: Inception report with methodology II. Deliverable 2: Post-data Collection De-brief Meeting III. Deliverable 3: Draft Evaluation Report and Presentation of report IV. Deliverable 4: Final Evaluation Report and Evaluation summaries The evaluation is planned for fourth quarter of 2025 and first quarter of 2026, with the final report expected to be completed no later than 28 February 2026.

Remote

5 months

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is seeking a qualified Evaluator with demonstrable evaluation experience in various development contexts, and exposure to a broad set of practices in the following areas of work, land law, land governance frameworks and practices and strategic planning approaches. The Evaluator will be responsible for the overall evaluation process and deliverables including and not limited to the following responsibilities: i) Designing, planning, and implementing the evaluation in accordance with the Terms of Refernce (ToR). ii) Leading the data collection, consulting, and liaising as required, with project stakeholders, key informants, and partners to ensure satisfactory delivery of all deliverables. iii) Analyzing of key findings to arrive at an overall assessment of the performance of the project, conclusions, and recommendations, identification of lessons learned and best practices leading to the preparation of the final report. iv) Drafting the evaluation report, using an approach agreed with the Evaluation Manager, and delivered in accordance with ECA’s specifications and timeline. v) Preparing and delivering a presentation on the draft evaluation report. vi) Managing and coordinating the data collection support team, including providing technical leadership and quality control of outputs, ensuring outputs of the support team are delivered to high standards of quality in a timely manner. vii) Making themselves available, if required, to take part in briefings and discussions, online or, if judged necessary, at ECA or other venue, on dates to be agreed, in line with the work outlined in these ToRs and to be agreed in the inception phase. The Evaluator should demonstrate behavioural independence, impartiality, credibility, honesty, integrity, and accountability in conducting the evaluation to avoid bias in the findings. He/she must also address in the design and conduct of the evaluation, procedures to safeguard the rights and confidentiality of information providers. Ideally, and for reasons related to independence, candidates should not have been recently involved in the formulation, implementation, or backstopping of work related to this project. Candidates are advised to consult the detailed terms of reference which will form the basis of the contract by requesting via email eca-evaluation@un.org with the subject: Evaluation of the SLGA.

Advanced University Degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Development Studies, Economics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Public Policy, or related social science field is required. A first-level university degree with a relevant combination of 3 years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. Experience evaluating international development interventions is required Proven experience designing and leading theory-based evaluations of development interventions is required. Proven experience with strategic planning approaches, M&E methods, and approaches (including quantitative, qualitative and participatory), information analysis and report writing is required. Experience in evaluating capacity building interventions is desirable. Knowledge of land law, land governance frameworks, policies, and practices, and gender mainstreaming especially within an African context will be an advantage.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this assignment, fluency in English is required and working knowledge of French will be a distinct advantage. Knowledge of one or more local languages spoken in the target countries will be an asset.

The purpose of the evaluation is to ensure accountability and learning. From an accountability perspective, the summative evaluation will provide an independent assessment of the collective performance of the SLGA (the programme level) and the NELGA (the project level) and the extent to which, when considered together, the SLGA and NELGA have contributed to the achievement of the strategic objectives and broader development outcomes. From a learning perspective, the evaluation will enable a comparative perspective on broader contextual factors, synergies, and complementarities. The evaluation will aim to understand what worked, what did not work, why and in what contexts. This summative evaluation aims to assess as objectively and systematically as possible, whether the programme and the project achieved their intended outcomes, and long-term impact. It will cover the full duration of the programme and project implementation period from December 2015 to December 2025 and will look at both outcome and output level results as key indicators of overall project performance. It will pay particular emphasis on coherence and synergies across the national and continental components. While the programme has activities across multiple locations, the geographical scope of the evaluation will be defined during the inception phase, in consultation with the programme team, to ensure a representative and feasible coverage of programme and project activities.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.