Since 24 February 2022, the escalation of the war in Ukraine has severely affected children and families, leaving millions in need of humanitarian assistance and disrupting access to essential services such as health, education, WASH, and social protection. In response, UNICEF has implemented an emergency response while supporting recovery and strengthening national systems. High-quality, timely evidence and evaluation are essential to ensure programmes remain effective, accountable, and responsive to the evolving needs of children. To strengthen its evaluation function, the UNICEF Ukraine Country Office is recruiting an Evaluation Specialist (NO-C) to support the planning, implementation, and dissemination of evaluations and contribute to the office's evidence generation strategy.
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Since 24 February 2022, the escalation of the war in Ukraine has severely affected the lives of children and families. Millions of people remain in need of humanitarian assistance, with widespread disruption to access to essential services including health, education, WASH, social protection and livelihoods. In response, UNICEF activated an emergency response, while progressively supporting the transition towards recovery and systems strengthening.
In this context, the generation and use of high-quality, credible and timely evidence is critical to ensure that UNICEF’s programmes are relevant, effective and responsive to the evolving needs of children. Evaluation plays a central role in assessing programme performance, informing strategic decision-making, strengthening accountability to affected populations and partners, and promoting organizational learning. It is also essential to support system strengthening.
To strengthen the evaluation function, the UNICEF Ukraine Country Office (UCO) is seeking to recruit an Evaluation Specialist at the NO-C level. The incumbent will support the planning, design, implementation and dissemination of evaluations and other evaluative exercises, including reviews, assessments and studies. The role will contribute to the implementation of the Office’s evidence generation plan and strategy, ensuring alignment with corporate evaluation standards and national priorities.
The Evaluation Specialist will promote the use of evidence for programme adaptation, strategic planning and policy dialogue, while fostering a culture of learning and accountability across the office. The position will also contribute to strengthening national and sub-national evaluation capacity, including engagement with government counterparts, partners and stakeholders.
The incumbent will report to the Representative and will work closely with the Deputy Representative (Programme) and Chief of Planning, Monitoring and Reporting.
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
1. Evaluation planning and coordination
2. Evaluation implementation and quality assurance
3. Knowledge management and evidence use
4. Evaluation capacity strengthening and partnerships
5. Cross-sectoral evidence generation and research support
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 
Classified Job Descriptions -- Evaluation Specialist.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Social Science, economics, public policy, statistics, research methods and any other related fields.
- Work Experience: Minimum of five years of relevant professional work experience in programme development and implementation, including monitoring and evaluation activities. Experience in Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis, Research, Programme Audit, and/or Programme Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation is required.
- Skills: Required technical knowledge: Professional expertise in evaluation process management, dissemination of results, and utilization. Technical knowledge of methodologies employed in Evaluation, including Results-based Management (RBM), theories of change, stakeholders mapping, standards and models, research designs, quantitative/qualitative/mixed methods of data collection, validity/reliability testing of data, data and qualitative information analysis and interpretation, and statistical inference methods. Technical knowledge in routine monitoring systems; preferably those associated with Health, Nutrition, Education, Child Protection, Social Policy or WASH sectors. Familiarity with ethics review processes and safeguarding. Knowledge of UNICEF & UNEG Evaluation norms & standards. Communication skills (oral, written and in developing effective and user-targeted materials).
- Language Requirements: Proficiency in English and in Ukrainian is required.
Desirables:
- Language: Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.
- Exposure to a humanitarian crisis programme response is an asset.
- Use of data and information quantitative and qualitative software for data analysis is an asset.
- Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.
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
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
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
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.
UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
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.
Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.
Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.
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.