[Hiring] Consultant Evaluation @World Food Programme

Role Description

The Regional Evaluation Technical Team is seeking an international consultant to support the implementation of its Regional Evaluation Strategy. The focus of the assignment will be on, but is not limited to, promoting the use of evaluation evidence, good practices and lessons learned to inform programmatic decision-making within the region and supporting country offices in the management of their evaluations to ensure credible, impartial, and useful evaluations.

Accountabilities/Responsibilities

• Evaluation Support and Capacity Strengthening
  • Guide on the design and facilitation of learning events and peer to peer learning initiatives to strengthen internal evaluation capacities in the region.
  • Contribute to the management of evaluation processes and budgets through technical guidance to Evaluation Managers in Country Offices.
  • Engage with stakeholder groups, both internal and external to WFP, appropriately in the evaluation process and manage communications.
  • Assist in sourcing, hiring and supervising external consultants to ensure the production of evaluations that meet EQAS requirements.
  • Contribute to the application of the normative framework, quality support and assessment mechanisms and reporting on decentralized evaluations in supported countries.
• Evaluation Knowledge Sharing and Evidence Use
  • Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to enhance learning from and use of evaluation evidence in strategic planning processes.
  • Conduct analysis and mapping of evaluation evidence needs and/or gaps, lessons or findings of strategic relevance.
  • Develop tailored evaluation products that use innovative and user-friendly formats for country office Management and Programme Teams.
  • Organize and facilitate evaluation related learning events to share experiences and evaluation results.
  • Act as focal point within the Regional Evaluation Unit for Knowledge Management and Evidence Use.
• Evaluation Partnerships and Networks
  • Participate in WFP internal evaluation expertise groups and contribute to the sharing of experience and development of good practices.
  • Liaise and collaborate with other UN agencies as well as professional evaluation bodies to discuss common monitoring and evaluation issues.

Deliverables at the End of the Contract

• Evaluation deliverables for supported decentralized evaluations reviewed and quality assured.
• Tailored evaluation products or contributions to the development of tailored products to disseminate and share evaluation results and lessons.
• Contributions and active participation in the unit’s peer sharing and learning events, meetings and webinars.
• Coordination of evidence summaries or synthesis, based on the unit’s workplan.
• Inputs and contributions to selected UN evaluation networks and groups.

Qualifications

• Master or Advanced University degree in social sciences, education, statistics, development economics, monitoring and evaluation or other relevant fields; or First University degree with additional years of relevant work experience.
• At least 6 years of relevant professional experience in knowledge management and/or evaluations in development and/or humanitarian contexts.
• Experience in adult learning and/or in capacity strengthening/development is desirable.
• Familiarity with participatory presentation/facilitation platforms such as Miro, Mural and/or Whiteboard.
• Familiarity with the work of WFP’s evaluation function, or with other UN evaluation functions is an asset.

Knowledge & Skills

• Performance Management: Organizational and management skills to potentially manage evaluation processes and budgets.
• Technical Communication: Ability to communicate proactively the use of evaluation concepts and evidence to WFP management & other stakeholders.
• Analysis: Ability to make a balanced assessment of the relevance and quality of evidence for straightforward evaluations.
• Qualitative and Quantitative Methodology: Awareness and basic understanding of research methods and tools.
• Communication & Use: Good communication skills with the ability to convey clear, influential messages from complex data.
• Ethics: Understanding of the specific implications of ethics in evaluation and social research activities.

Languages

• Fluency in English and Spanish.
• Knowledge of French (desirable).

Terms and Conditions

• Number of openings: 1
• Based in: Panama City, Panama (Homebased)
• Type of Contract: Consultant
• Level: II
• Duration: until 31 December 2026