Temporary Appointment for 2021 / Evaluation Specialist (Multi-Country) (P-4) # 115461, Panama City, Panama, LACRO

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. UNICEF LACRO is looking for an Evaluation Specialist P4 will provide technical guidance to the Region. The Specialist will be responsible for conducting these activities in accordance with UNICEF’s mission, guiding principles, standards, commitments and accountability framework, the UNICEF Evaluation Policy as well as UN Evaluation Group norms and standards.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, equity

Evaluation is a key function in UNICEF. Evaluation in UNICEF serves interrelated purposes in support of the organization’s mandate. It supports learning and decision-making, which in turn support better results for children. Evaluation also helps to hold UNICEF accountable for contributing to results for children, or for not doing so. Supports the development of national evaluation capacity, undertaken in collaboration with Member States and entities of the United Nations system, which should enhance the provision of timely evidence at the country level on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and the fulfilment of the rights of all children.

UNICEF country programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean are typically designed to create the most appropriate enabling environment, through supporting adequate child-rights based policies and programmes and promoting legal frameworks in line with international rights-based standards and improving learning and capacity of government institutions. Piloting and modelling are implemented in the field to create evidence and engage local partners to identify solutions for children to be replicated or scaled up. In addition, UNICEF is frequently invited to provide top-expert advice on child-related policies. This type of efforts is complex and highly demanding in terms of time, investment and capacity, considering that it usually requires an inter-sectoral approach to address key systemic barriers that impede the full realization of children’s rights. This remains a challenge to demonstrate results that can be directly attributed to UNICEF and measure the actual contribution of UNICEF to high-level results.

The evaluation function in UNICEF LAC aims at helping to improve its performance and results, by supporting organizational learning and accountability. UNICEF LAC seeks to enhance the strategic role of Evaluations to understanding the context in which advocacy, policy advice, models and scaled up pilots can reach results at scale.

For more information on UNICEF LAC Regional Office visit the website: https://www.unicef.org/lac/

How can you make a difference?

The Evaluation Specialist ensures credibility, impartiality, and independence of the evaluation function in the COs under her/his responsibility. He/she also facilitates the development and implementation of evaluation workplans of COs and provides guidance and technical support to sectors and to the Country Management Team as well as the national government on evaluation and on related matters. The Specialist may also be assigned more specific duties that enable her/him to be a resource person across the region, including methodological work, resource mobilization, and procurement support for evaluations.

He is also responsible for contributing to the design and effective conduct and uptake of evaluations in accordance with the UNICEF evaluation policy. Under the general guidance of the Regional Evaluation Adviser, the Evaluation Specialist may be assigned the following key functions and accountabilities.

1. Evaluation Leadership

2. Evaluation Conduct and Use

3. Evaluation Capacity Strengthening and Partnership Building

The full details of expected activities can be found here:   GJP Multi Country Evaluation Specialist.pdf

Come and join our dynamic team – we look forward to reviewing your application of interest!

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

• 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.

• 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 these areas cannot be substituted for the Evaluation experience but is an advantage.

• To be fluency in English and Spanish (oral and written). Other UN language will be an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF´s core Values: Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability

UNICEF´s functional competencies: Nurtures, leads and manages people, builds and maintains partnerships, demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results for impact, innovates and embraces change, manages ambiguity and complexity, thinks and acts strategically and works collaboratively with others.

UNICEF´s core competencies: communication, working with people and drive for results

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. 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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Contract Duration: Temporary Appointment until December 31, 2021.

The VA is open to all (internal and external candidates).

UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/”

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.