National Consultant to support the development of Baseline study and Performance Management Framework (PMF) for a UN Women regional project ? Bosnia and Herzegovina - home-based

home-based, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)Duration of Initial Contract :8 workdays (please note, this is a lumpsum arrangement)

Over the past years, UN Women has provided support to national and local stakeholders in strengthening democratic governance and advancing women’s rights through initiatives aimed at mainstreaming gender in policy planning and budgeting.

In 2014, UN Women launched the 3-year regional project on Promoting Gender Responsive Policies in South East Europe and Republic of Moldova financed by Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and Swiss Agency Development and Cooperation. It is a direct follow up of the UN Women CSEE regional project “Promoting Gender Responsive Policies in South East Europe” (2011 -2013) that covered Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia. The final evaluation of this project recommended continuation of activities especially with regard to institutional capacity building and increased involvement of key budget actors at the required decision-making levels. UN Women will share more details about the project with the selected consultant.

The purpose of the consultancy is to prepare performance monitoring framework, methodology and guidance for progress data collection  in order to enhance accountability, inform decision-making and contribute to learning on the best ways to achieve women’s empowerment and gender equality through operational and normative work. As a member of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), UN WOMEN follows its norms and standards. UN WOMEN evaluations are gender equality and rights responsive.

UN Women is seeking to recruit team of 5 consultants. The team will consist of Team Leader (Senior Consultant) and four national consultants, who will be supervised by the Team Leader, but based in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia and Republic of Moldova respectively. The key responsibility of the team members will be to collect data for the baseline and validate the PMF with the project staff and other stakeholders in their respective countries.
The Team Leader will be responsible for the overall delivery under the TOR. The team leader will have essential expertise in results based management in the context of international development; expertise in gender and gender responsive budgeting, expertise in leading teams in similar assignments, demonstrated track record in monitoring and evaluation; relevant regional expertise; ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis; requisite skills in facilitation, and language proficiency in English.
The team members will have demonstrated expertise in applied research knowledge of gender issues and public administration. They will be fluent in English and the respective local language/s. All team members need to be familiar with human rights and gender responsive approach to evaluation.“Promoting Gender Responsive Policies in South East Europe, Phase II” regional project (2013 -2016) is funded by the Austrian Development Agency and the Swiss Agency Development and Cooperation. The project covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia and the Republic of Moldova.The ultimate aim of the project is to contribute to the implementation of commitments towards achieving gender equality. To achieve this aim, three distinct outcomes were anticipated (the logical framework for the project provides more details): Outcome 1: Sectoral programs and budgets at the central and local levels reflect better gender equality concerns.Outcome 2: Strengthened oversight of central and local government programs, policies and budgets towards gender equality commitments.Outcome 3: Exchange of knowledge and learning on GRB facilitates replication of good practices and lessons learned.In order to achieve these outcomes, the project envisages the following outputs: Output 1.1.: Increased capability and capacity of Ministries of Finance to institutionalize the integration of GRB.
Output 1.2.: Selected central and local programs (such as rural development, social protection and employment) and budgets are analyzed to respond to gender equality commitments.
Output 1.3.: Strengthened capacities and increased commitment of select number of local governments to make programs and budgets gender responsive.Output 2.1.: Experts, academia and CSOs have strengthened capacities to analyze programs and budgets from gender perspective.
Output 2.2.: Members of parliament (MPs) and local councilors (LCs) have increased knowledge and capacities to assess the gender-responsiveness of the national and local programs and budget.Output 3.1.: Networks of GRB experts and public officials are capacitated to respond to country and regional demand for GRB expertise.The National consultant shall be responsible for the following deliverables:Inputs to the inception report submitted by the Team leader. Collected and consolidated baseline data for Bosnia and Herzegovina  based on inputs from project staff Inputs to the project performance monitoring framework (PMF) that reflects availability of data and feedback of UN Women project staff Final report (invidual) summarising the results of the assignment and recommendations to UN Women.

All deliverables should be submitted to the Regional Project Manager. The reports should be written in English, in a succinct and user-friendly language.

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modeling UN values and ethical standards. Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Display cultural, gender, nationality, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability. Excellent interpersonal, communication and interview skills Excellent writing skills in English Willingness to work as part of a team Master’s degree in a relevant field (social sciences, e.g. sociology, political science, international relations, legal studies, public policy, international development, gender studies) field, PhD an advantage.
At least 5 years of demonstrated experience in results based management of international development projects and programs Demonstrated work experience on gender issues incl. gender responsive policies, public administration, familiarity with GRB is an asset Track record of similar assignments (applied research studies, evaluations), ideally with a focus on gender/GRP Demonstrated experience with applied research with data collection, analytical and presentation skills and demonstrated ability to structure information Previous experience working /consulting for UN agencies
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:Financial proposal (for details see further below) UN P11 form (blank form can be downloaded from: http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment/)
Please note: Both documents have to be uploaded in 1 file. EVALUATION OF OFFERS
UN Women applies a fair and transparent selection process that takes into account both the technical qualification of potential consultants as well as the financial proposals submitted in support of consultant applications. Candidate applications will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of applicant qualifications and a financial proposal. The contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
responsive/compliant/acceptable, and  having received the highest score out of below defined technical, interview and financial criteria.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 30 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for an interview. Top 5 candidates (with highest number of points in the technical evaluation) will be interviewed. The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal will be allocated to the lowest price proposal among those candidates who have reached at least 30 points in the interview. All other price proposals receive points in inverse proportion.

Criteria:
Technical Evaluation – documents based (40%)
Out of which:
Evaluation related work experience/expertise – 20 percentage points
Gender Responsive Policies related work experience/expertise – 15 percentage points
Applied research, writing, international organizations experience/expertise – 5  percentage points
Technical evaluation – interview based (40%)
Out of which:
Evaluation related work experience/expertise – 20 percentage points
Gender Responsive Policies related work experience/expertise – 15 percentage points
Applied research, writing, international organizations experience/expertise – 5 percentage points
Financial Evaluation (20%)
Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 30
S - score received on financial evaluation;
Fmin - the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted offers qualified over the technical evaluation round;
F - financial offer under the consideration.UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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International Individual Consultant for Mid-Term Evaluation Disaster Risk Management and Livelihood Recovery Programme - Ethiopia with home-based assignments

Ethiopia with home-based assignments, ETHIOPIA Crisis Prevention and RecoveryDuration of Initial Contract :Expected Duration of Assignment :

Ethiopia is vulnerable to various natural hazards- drought, flood, human and livestock epidemics, urban and forest fires along with conflicts etc. While the southern and eastern parts of the country are often hit by severe and recurrent droughts, there are floodings in some parts of the country which adversely affect the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable communities due to recurrent natural disasters. The country’s vulnerability to natural disasters is due to a number of inter-linked factors. These include dependence on rain-fed agriculture, under-development of water resources, land degradation and related factors. Ethiopia has mainly dry sub-humid, semi-arid and arid regions, all of which are prone to desertification and drought. Ethiopia’s climate is highly variable and is projected to become more erratic due to climate change, with the potential of increased frequency of extreme weather events including floods and droughts. Thus these recurring natural disasters have resulted in persistent, high level of food insecurity, chronic emergency situations and a weakening of the social fabric.

UNDP, Ethiopia has been implementing a multi-donor and multi-year Disaster Risk Management and Livelihood Recovery Programme (DRR/LR) since 2010 in the most hazard prone regions of the country. This programme is being implemented in partnership with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. It is being implemented by the Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Sector (DRMFSS) of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economic Development (MOFED) with technical and financial support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The overall goal of this programme is to enhance institutional capacities for disaster risk reduction and to ensure effective policy, program and planning from federal to community levels in the country. The programme aims at enhancinginstitutional capacity to lead cost-effective, systematic and sustainable actions towards the protection of lives, livelihoods and property of vulnerable population through risk reduction measures against various natural disasters affecting the country.  

The current DRM and livelihood recovery programme focuses on the following areas and level of interventions:

Restoration of livelihood and improved food security through cash for work, community based livelihood support for the most disaster affected communities of the selected regions of the country;Access to food, water, basic veterinary services through enhancement of the physical, human and social assets aiming towards longer-term development;Development of Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) planning at community/district levels to ensure effective and future disaster preparedness;Support institutional strengthening, policy initiatives, capacity development, awareness generation at federal level;Ensure effective programming, planning and policy for sustainable human development.

In view of this, UNDP Ethiopia seeks an International consultant to undertake the process of the evaluation of its DRM and Livelihood Recovery Programme. The International consultant will be supported by a national consultant during the evaluation process during the desktop review, meetings and consultations with various stakeholders, and field missions hired for this purpose to support in a timely, qualitative mid-term programme evaluation.

The proposed evaluation seeks assessing the impact of the project over a broad range of components covering restoration of livelihoods of the disaster prone communities, capacity building, institutional strengthening, partnership building, management effectiveness, support to policy formulation and implementation, inter-agency coordination and various other factors that constitute holistic and sustainable results towards disaster risk management. In this context, the international consultant would assess the contribution of the project in terms of its processes, strategies and impacts along with expected outcomes within the following proposed frameworks:

Assessment of the appropriateness and effectiveness of the programme strategy in achieving the desired objectives;Evaluation of the relevance of the DRM programme to the current national/regional priorities.Assessment of physical progress in line with the planned programme work plan;Appraisal of the contribution of the programme in mitigating the impacts of droughts and floods in the programme areas;Identification of direct and indirect beneficiaries and assessment of their perception on the benefits derived from the programme;Analysis of the important factors that influenced the programme performance;Assessment of the monitoring strategy particularly by implementing partners and beneficiary communities;Assessment of the degree of ownership at federal, regional, zonal and Woreda levels;Analysis of the local level risk management initiatives supported under the programme and review the effectiveness of the methodology.Assessment of sustainability of the programme results in light of the current policy and programmatic thrust of both UNDP and the Government of Ethiopia;Review the activities and their adequacy to sustain the achievements so far.Assessment of the effectiveness of building and strengthening partnership in achieving the results and achieving the gains;Assessment of resource mobilization strategy;Assessment of partnership for vulnerability reduction among UN agencies, line ministries, academic/technical institutions, private sectors and other development partners.Ownership of the programme by federal level partners and mainstreaming of initiatives in the governmental systems and its impact so far as to policy formulation and establishment of legal/techno-legal frameworks;Ensure gender involvement in the whole programme implementations;The effectiveness of UNDP’s strategy Disaster Risk Management and Livelihood restoration;Inclusion of various cross cutting themes including: disability, do no harm (or do least harm), Conflict Sensitivity Programme Management (CSPM), social protection, volunteerism and other related local leaders in the programme.

 Lessons learnt:

Identification of innovating approaches/methodologies that could be documented, shared and replicated to upscale the same and mainstreaming it into over all programme implementations;Identification of approaches that failed in reaching their goals and documentation of the same for improvement of DRM impact in all programme areas.Review of the project strategy in terms of its contribution towards resilience building and making recommendations on potential future effective strategic programme development;Assessment of effectiveness on contribution of the programme in the initiation of local development plans and policies;Recommendations on strategies to enhance community resilience;Identification and recommendations on the innovative approaches and up scaling of successes of the programme to contribute to the policy level institutional support;Evaluation of capacity development of various stakeholders at all levels for sustainability of the programme initiatives.Identification of implementation and/or management issues during the programme implementations phase;Effectiveness of arrangements for monitoring, evaluation, research;Assessment of value for money for each programmatic components.

 Future programmatic opportunities for development cooperation:

Identification and recommendations on the mid-course to realign the programme in line with the federal level policy changes;Recommendations on addressing the gaps in achieving the outcomes, impacts and strengthening of partnerships;Development of a multi-year programme on the basis of the lessons and impact of the current programme. Core/Professional Competencies:
Professionalism
Knowledge and understanding of UN’s operational context in Ethiopia, particularly in the fields of common services, joint premises and common procurement;Ability to identify key procedures and issues, conduct data collection, operational analyses and discussions with decision-makers to propose solutions to these issues;Ability to apply sound judgment in the context of assignments given, and work under pressure;Shows persistence and remains calm in stressful situations;Shows pride in work and achievements, demonstrates professional competence and mastery of the subject matter. Responds positively to feedback and different points of view. Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.

Planning and Organizing

Develops clear goals that are consistent with the terms defined here;Identifies priority activities and assignments, and adjusts them as required;Allocates appropriate time and resources for completing work by foreseeing risks and developing contingency plans accordingly;Monitors and adjusts plans as necessary, and uses time effectively.

Communications

Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;
Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience;Keeps confidential information undisclosed.

Accountability

Takes ownership of responsibilities and honors commitments;Delivers assigned tasks within prescribed time, cost and quality standards;Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules;akes personal responsibility for his/her shortcomings.earn, share and acquire new competencies and seek new challenges by exploring new approaches.Performer Works against an agreed outcome and priorities. Seeks performance feedback from supervisors and support staff in the performance review in a constructive and objective manner.Excellent research, analytical and reporting skills; Ability to provide general leadership and direction to the study/research analysis and report writing;Excellent research and advocacy skills relating to governance, human rights and accountability, with a proven record for publishing widely particularly on human rights;Strong organizational skills;Strong communication skills.

Knowledge of the national policy and legislation

Ability to undertake technical policy-focused research related to Disaster Risk Management;Ability to work under pressure, with a group of UN agencies, and to deliver in a timely manner without compromising quality standards.Advanced degree (Masters or equivalent) in disaster management, environmental management,, management, development studies, urban and regional planning.

Work experience:

At least five (5) years of work experience in disaster management, vulnerability reduction or a related field with at least three years in programme management function from national to community level;Proven experience in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Risk Reduction, resilience building including experience in programme evaluation; Work experience in multi-hazard context and slow onset recurrent disasters will be a strong asset;Past experience in working with the UN, and UNDP in particular, would be an advantage;Proven experience in report writing and drafting;Interest and experience of working in multi-cultural environment.

Computer skills:

Full command of Microsoft applications (word, excel, PowerPoint) and common internet applications will be required. Excellent knowledge of English, including the ability to set out a coherent argument in presentations and group interactions;Capacity to communicate fluently with different stakeholders (civil society, government authorities, local communities, project staff).
Please use the below link: UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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