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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant
Consultancy Title: Impact Evaluation Consultant: Gender and Harmful Practices
Section/Division/Duty Station: Evaluation Office, New York Headquarters
Duration: 12 months
Home/ Office Based: REMOTE
About UNICEF
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. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.
BACKGROUND
Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The UNICEF Evaluation Office (EO), as one of the core evidence functions, aims to help UNICEF to improve its performance and results, by supporting organizational learning and accountability. Working through the network of regional evaluation teams, the UNICEF EO supports the organization’s 135+ country offices in finding evidence-based solutions for the world’s most vulnerable children.
The EO conducts strategic global, institutional effectiveness, humanitarian, and impact evaluations. It assures the quality and use of UNICEF evaluations by establishing norms, standards, guidelines as well as knowledge sharing and networking. The UNICEF Evaluation of Impact Strategy and Action Framework 2022–2025 sets the institutional priorities and vision for a harmonized and strategic approach to the generation and use of rigorous impact evaluations to inform UNICEF programmes. This vision is reinforced in the draft Strategic Plan for 2026 – 2029, where impact level targets are prioritized, requiring a strong impact evaluation function to demonstrate achievement of targets, particularly with shrinking fiscal space. The Impact Catalyst Fund (ICF) is a flagship initiative to support these efforts. The first ICF call builds on a partnership with the Global Programme to End Child Marriage (GPECM) focused on the thematic area of child marriage and social norms. The second portfolio was launched in partnership with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and focuses on Adaptive Social Protection (ASPECT). To take forward these portfolios, and develop new impact evaluation windows, the EO seeks a highly motivated impact evaluation consultant who strives to excel and stays abreast of the latest evaluative knowledge and methodological innovations.
The purpose of this consultancy is to support the implementation of the ICF thematic windows. In addition, the consultancy will undertake activities central to the scoping, development and accompaniment of broader impact evaluation opportunities. Specific objectives include:
• Provide technical support in the design and implementation at least two, and maximum three impact evaluations under the Child Marriage and Social Norms ICF (e.g., Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger) and contribute to the development of other impact evaluations in the portfolio as requested.
• Support a set of methodological innovations across the Child Marriage and Social Norms ICF, including input to and analysis of methodological papers on topics including the development of attitude and norm indices, forced marriage measures, and cost-effectiveness methodologies among participating countries.
• Support the GPECM with the development of a pilot analysis to estimate cross-country impact of the GPECM, or several case studies estimating the impact of the GPECM activities over time.
• Contribute scoping and background work towards a new Impact Feasibility Assessment (IFA) on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in collaboration with focal points at the UNICEF EO, UNFPA and stakeholders in the Joint Programme to End FGM.
• Support the development and delivery of capacity development and learning materials focusing on impact evaluation methodologies and practical implementation processes for national partners, UNICEF staff and other audience.
• Contribute to the development of dissemination materials including methodological briefs, working papers and peer-reviewed journals.
Scope of Work:
The scope of this consultancy will be guided by the stages of the impact evaluation implementation process and consultant’s expertise. In addition, it will broadly cover the following functional areas:
Primary Impact Evaluations: Child Marriage and Social Norms ICF
a) Support planning and implementation of at least 2 and maximum 3 impact evaluations in the thematic area of child marriage and social norms (Burkina Faso, Ghana and potentially Niger). This includes contributions to inception visits and reports, baseline data analysis, reporting writing according to UNICEF evaluation quality assurance standards (GEROS), presentations and dissemination, ongoing cost data and high-frequency data collection and planning for qualitative data collection.
b) Contribute to the management and coordination of impact evaluations and ensure that independent and credible process meets high professional standards in line with UN norms and standards.
c) Support capacity of UNICEF staff and partners in impact evaluation methodology and processes at the global, regional or national levels through the development and delivery of training/learning modules, interactive workshops and events with a particular focus on innovation and adaptations of impact evaluation methodologies for fragile and humanitarian contexts.
Cross-cutting methodological standardization and innovation
a) Contribute to the development, testing and integration of new modules and indicators in a culturally and ethically appropriate way to support methodological innovation within the child marriage and social norms thematic portfolio.
b) Input to and analysis of 2 methodological papers on topics including the development of attitude and norm indices, forced marriage measures, and cost-effectiveness methodologies among participating countries. Papers should be suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Undertake revisions as necessary and contribute to the dissemination of findings.
Global Programme to End Child Marriage: Pilot to estimate impacts
a) Phase 1: Scoping and consultations with the EO, Data and Analytics and GPECM to map options and develop an analysis plan for credibly identifying the impact of the GPECM over time on child marriage and other outcome indicators, considering either a cross-country or a case study approach.
b) Phase 2: Contingent on agreement on Phase 1 methodology -- Perform analysis of cross country longitudinal or repeated cross-sectional data to identify the impact of the GPECM over time, including merging of GPS or other implementation data. Assess the robustness of results, produce results tables in a replicable way using Stata.
Impact Feasibility Assessment on Female Genital Mutilation
- Contribute scoping and background work towards a new IFA – including intervention mapping of the Joint Programme to Eliminate FGM countries (17 in total) in collaboration with UNICEF EO and UNFPA focal points.
The duration of this assignment is 12 months between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. Contractual obligations will be based on 20 days /month (part time). The location of the assignment is remote. The consultant may be required to take one international trip to project sites as part of the work for the ICF or IFA. The trip is costed as part of the contract, invoiceable based on travel undertaken, and will be agreed upon jointly as part of the work package.
UNICEF reserves the right to terminate this contract without notice due to unsatisfactory performance or to misconduct by the consultant, as UNICEF may determine in its absolute discretion. Payment will also cease on the day of termination.
Terms of Reference / Deliverables
1. ICF child marriage
1. Accompaniment of data collection including baseline data checks for Ghana; Revised baseline report for Burkina Faso, including presentation.
2.ICF child marriage
2. Draft baseline report for Ghana; Draft methodological paper on cross-country topic #1.
3. ICF child marriage
3. Mission to Niger for ICF child marriage, including concept note, presentations, mission agenda and participation in lean baseline effort;
4. Phase 1 of GPECM pilot; IFA FGM
4. Phase 1 GPECM: Scoping and list of data sources for credibly identifying the impact of the GPECM over time; Draft intervention mapping for Joint Programme FGM countries (based on desk review).
5.IFA FGM; ICF childmarriage
5. Phase 1 GPECM: Analysis plan for credibly identifying the impact of the GPECM over time; Country level outreach for FGM intervention mapping and discussions on priority interventions in the Joint Programme FGM countries.
6. IFA FGM; ICF childmarriage
6. Revised baseline report for Ghana and presentation of results (ppt); Final intervention mapping for Joint Programme FGM countries
7.Phase 2 of GPECMpilot; ICF childmarriage
7.Phase 2 GPECM: Analysis to estimate theimpact of the GPECM (if deemed possible);Revised methodological paper on cross-countrytopic #1.
8.ICF child marriage
8. Draft inception (baseline) report for Niger; trial registry and presentations on research design, implementation plan (ppt)
9.ICF child marriage
9.Accompaniment of costing and monitoringdata collection in Niger and Burkina; Analysisfor cross-country methodological topic #2
10.ICF child marriage
10.Revised methodological paper on cross-country topic #2.
11.ICF child marriage
11.Final costing analysis for Burkina Faso andGhana countries, including write up ofmethodology for cost-benefit analysis
12.ICF child marriage
12. Input into qualitative IRB, tools and fieldwork plans for Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger
Qualifications
(1) Education
• Advance University Degree (Masters) in economics, public health, public policy, political science, evaluation, development studies (*quantitative focus)
(2) Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:
Experience
• Over 5 years of professional experience leading or contributingto rigorous impact evaluations including design, preparation,and study implementation in low-income settings.
• Solid technical expertise in quantitative research/evaluationmethods used for identifying and measuring impacts andcomplementarity evaluation questions, including cost-effectiveness
• Proficiency in using statistical analysis software packages, including Stata and GIS methodologies.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the current evidence and previous research on gender and harmful practices, including those in fragile states and humanitarian context. Thematic expertise required includes child marriage, FGM, violence, social norms and gender. Track record of authorship/co-authorship in peer-reviewed journals.
• Familiarity with UNICEF programmatic mandate and understanding evidence generation process for child- and violence-focused programmes, including ethics requirements. Basic ethics certificates to facilitate primary studies on Human Subjects (i.e. CITI certificates or similar)
Additional competences
• Delivering data analysis and evaluations under tight deadlines and through multi-stakeholder consultative process.
• Excellent abilities in presenting technical information to a non-technical audience, including excellent drafting and presentation skills in English.
• Research or technical work experience in West Africa, particularly francophone countries with high child marriage and FGM burden.
Language requirements
• Proficiency in English and French is required.
• Working knowledge of Arabic is desirable.
Requirements:
Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and
- Upload copy of academic credentials
- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
- the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
- travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
- Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
- Indicate your availability
- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
U.S. Visa information:
With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.
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:
Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
