Evaluation Team Leader (Agro-climatic monitoring and information systems)

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• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

The Office of Evaluation (OED) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations will conduct a final evaluation of the Project “Strengthening Agro-climatic Monitoring and Information System” between September 2022 and February 2023. The evaluation leader is expected to work home-based with a mission trip to Lao PDR.

The project’s objective is to enhance capacities to gather, process, analyse, and share climatic and geospatial information so that these can be applied to planning and decision-making. Please visit https://www.fao.org/in-action/samis for more information.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall guidance of the Director of the Office of Evaluation, the consultant will report specifically to the Evaluation Officer and the appointed Evaluation Manager.

Technical Focus

The overall objective of the evaluations is to provide accountability to the project’s stakeholders (i.e. beneficiaries, the project country, the GEF), and to draw lessons from the implementation processes that could help improve the project in its final stage, and inform future decisions by FAO and relevant stakeholders.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Evaluation Team Leader will be responsible for overall delivery of the evaluation, in close consultation with the appointed Evaluation Manager. S/he will lead the evaluation design, data collection and analysis, and report-writing with full support and substantive inputs from the Evaluation Team members.

• Under the guidance of the Evaluation Manager, be responsible for delivering all deliverables planned in the evaluation Terms of Reference (ToR). These will include: the final draft report according to specifications provided in the ToRs and integrating comments and suggestions received during the stakeholder meetings, and after circulation to OED, FAO and other stakeholders, as appropriate; support the Evaluation Manager in finalizing the report as may be required.
• Review relevant background documentation made available by the OED, including project documents, logframes, progress and final reports, baseline studies, etc, and validate through online and in-person consultation with FAO and project staff from the four projects;
• Review the overall progress and results of the projects, i.e. reviewing and assessing to what extent the development goal, objective, outcomes and outputs have been achieved drawing on the inputs from the Evaluation Team;
• Follow the methodological approach described in the ToR: contribute to the preparation of evaluation tools, including questionnaires, check-lists and interview protocols as appropriate; modify as required and agree with the OED and the other evaluation team members (national specialists) on the report outline; define the team’s work programme;
• Participate in the collection of primary data through, inter alia, interviews and meetings with FAO concerned officers in HQ, as well as the National Project Implementation Units, Lead Technical Officers and FAO Representation; and with other key stakeholders in Lao PDR;
• Participate in the collection of relevant secondary data, in addition to the initial desk reviews carried out by OED, as required and identified in the evaluation matrix;
• Ensure that all the primary and secondary data collected are recorded during the evaluation process, and organized in a structured format following the key evaluation questions and criteria, based on which triangulation of all the findings are ensured;
• Lead on the analysis of the data by the evaluation team to produce evaluation findings. Ensure that all the findings are sufficiently validated;
• Supported by the Evaluation Team (national specialists), lead on the analysis and discussion of findings to reach preliminary conclusions that answer all evaluation issues and questions, as well as to formulate preliminary recommendations in line with findings;
• With support from the national specialists and projects’ teams, provide a comprehensive list of knowledge products developed by the four CBIT projects;
• Present the preliminary results of the evaluation to key stakeholders during all planned debriefing sessions as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in agriculture, climate change, food security, data and information systems and its uses, social development, community development or an associated field.
• At least seven years of relevant experience in evaluation, as well the technical areas of the project (see below).
• Working knowledge (level C) of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian. For PSA, working knowledge of one of FAO languages is required.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Previous experience and knowledge of Lao PDR, community and institutional conditions, programming and policy country context, and FAO’s contribution to these, is preferred.
• Knowledge of Laotian language is an advantage.
• Knowledge and understanding of technical issues relating to this project, in particular the development and use of data systems for agro-climatic, agro-meteorological monitoring, analysis; use of these systems for decision-making in agriculture and food security; geo-spatial data; strengthening institutional and technical capacity; Information Management Systems; knowledge management, communications and application of information at community level.
• Knowledge and experience of appropriate evaluation methods (including remote method processes, theory-based evaluation, and preferably experience in assessing scaling up of project initiatives and the key factors involved in this)
• Experience in leading evaluation teams.
• Familiarity with GEF evaluation requirements.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency