Evaluation and Research Analyst (ERA) [Open to Tier 0, 1 & 2 applicants]

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of UNDP supports accountability and learning by providing independent, credible, and useful evaluative evidence to the Executive Board and the management of UNDP, UNCDF and UNV. The structural independence of the Office underpins and guarantees its freedom to conduct evaluations and report evaluation results to the Executive Board. The IEO conducts independent evaluations and other activities according to its programme of work approved by the Executive Board. 

The IEO has five Workstreams: Country Programme Evaluation; Corporate and Thematic Evaluation, Capacity Development and Decentralized Evaluation; Knowledge and Data Management and Operations and has regionalized its operations since 2023. The IEO has fiduciary responsibilities for the UN Evaluation Group Secretariat, including Travel, Procurement, Human Resources and Finances operational lines.

The work of the IEO includes:

• Conducting independent country programme, corporate, and thematic evaluations insuring strategic and representative coverage of UNDP programmes and results against national, regional and global scales
• Developing evaluation standards, procedures, criteria and methodological guidance for UNDP evaluations, and contributing to innovation in evaluation methodologies and tools, including AI-enabled analytics, and dissemination of good practices
• Synthesizing evidence and lessons from evaluations to inform UNDP and its development partners global, regional and country programming and strategies
• Assessing the quality of decentralized evaluations of UNDP, UNCDF and UNV, and monitoring compliance with best international evaluation and data collection standards, including the UNEG norms and standards, code of conduct and ethical guidelines
• Communicating its evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations through multiple channels and maintaining a searchable, publicly accessible repository of all UNDP, UNCDF and UNV evaluations, and respective management responses and resulting actions
• Supporting the development of communities of practice, and partnering with professional evaluation networks to improve evaluation utility and credibility
• Engaging in system-wide and joint UN evaluations
• Supporting evaluation capacity development and national ownership and leadership in evaluation through country-led and joint evaluations

Duties and Responsibilities

The Evaluation and Research Analyst (ERA) will provide critical analytical support to the IEO’s evaluation work, primarily contributing to independent country programme evaluations (ICPEs) and support to other sections in the office. The ideal candidate has practical experience conducting or contributing to evaluations, with strong research background and understanding of evaluation methodologies. They can apply mixed methods, research rigor and complex data analytics, and leverage emerging technologies including artificial intelligence to strengthen the evidence base of findings and generate useful insights into evaluations. 

The ERA will be a vital member of the IEO Country Programme Evaluation section (CPE), contributing to the technical quality of evaluations and to the section’s evaluation and research methods. This role combines applied evaluation practice with strong research and data analytics skills and is suited to candidates who want to build evaluation expertise while contributing measurably to independent evaluations that inform country programmes and development strategies. 

The specific tasks include, but not limited to, the following:

Contribute to Evaluation Practice

• Contribute to the design and execution of ICPEs, including development of research and analytic frameworks and evaluation methods, under the guidance of the lead evaluator
• Contribute directly to data collection, the analysis, findings, conclusions, and recommendations of evaluation reports, ensuring rigor, credibility and traceability of evidence
• Support identification, contracting, and technical and operational accompaniment of evaluation teams and external consultants, including monitoring deliverable quality against contract requirements
• Engage with country office staff, national stakeholders, and relevant internal and external stakeholders, including coordinating meetings, consultations and validation sessions
• Prepare evaluation TOR, outcome assessment papers, and other evaluation inputs, supporting all steps of the evaluation process as required
• Conduct high-quality research and generate analytical inputs using primary and secondary data sources, applying quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, including AI and data analytics tools (e.g., AIDA platform, Power BI, Python, R) to strengthen the evidence base for evaluation findings. 
• Perform programme and financial analysis and prepare analytical outputs, including dashboards, visuals and infographics for evaluation reports and other IEO knowledge products
• Design and analyze surveys and manage datasets for qualitative and quantitative analysis
• Manage evaluation-related timelines, resources, and collaboration tools to support seamless execution
• Liaise and coordinate with IEO section teams, external evaluation consultants, regional hubs and other UNDP teams as needed for the conduct of evaluations
• Support Chief of Section in the preparation of background notes and talking points for presentations to staff and Senior Management, and provide additional research support as required by the IEO
• Contribute to knowledge sharing and methodological innovation across the IEO, and keep abreast of developments in field of evaluation

Conduct research and data analytics

• Conduct high-quality research and generate analytical inputs using primary and secondary data sources, applying quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, including AI and data analytics tools (e.g., AIDA platform, Power BI, Python, R) to strengthen the evidence base for evaluation findings. 
• Perform programme and financial analysis and prepare analytical outputs, including dashboards, visuals and infographics for evaluation reports and other IEO knowledge products
• Design and analyze surveys and manage datasets for qualitative and quantitative analysis

Coordination and knowledge management

• Manage evaluation-related timelines, resources, and collaboration tools to support seamless execution
• Liaise and coordinate with IEO section teams, external evaluation consultants, regional hubs and other UNDP teams as needed for the conduct of evaluations
• Support Chief of Section in the preparation of background notes and talking points for presentations to staff and Senior Management, and provide additional research support as required by the IEO
• Contribute to knowledge sharing and methodological innovation across the IEO, and keep abreast of developments in field of evaluation 

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization. 

Institutional Arrangemet

The ERA will be supervised by the Chief of Section, CPE and will work in close collaboration with IEO evaluation team leaders and managers as well as other units of IEO, as needed.

The ERA will work under a Home-based modality. Candidates living in the US must be either American citizens or green card holders to be eligible.

Competencies

Core Comptetencies

Achieve Results:    LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline 
Think Innovatively:    LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements  
Learn Continuously:    LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback 
Adapt with Agility:    LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible  
Act with Determination:     LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident 
Engage and Partner:    LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships 
Enable Diversity and Inclusion:    LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination  
 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Business Direction & Strategy - System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system 
Business Management - Project Management : Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Business Management - Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.
Business Management - Working with Evidence and Data: Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making.
Digital - Tech literacy:  Ability to apply new digital tools or adapting their original use to create new insights, fresh perspectives or develop solutions.
Understand the potential as well as the limitations of certain technological developments; being able to identify how technology can add value when it's used as a ""means to an end"".
Evaluation - Technical Evaluation Skills: Experience in developing and communicating methodological guidance across complex evaluative approaches.  Proven understanding of theories of change and logic models and able to use a systems approach in order to identify, recreate and facilitate the development of theories of change and logic models for complex programmes, policies and initiatives; in order to facilitate evaluative thinking among stakeholders. Ability to develop high-quality terms of references for complex evaluations, demonstrating a strong ability to prioritize and focus evaluation questions. Demonstrated ability to design and conduct complex evaluations, drawing on existing best practices as well as developing innovative approaches. Excellent evaluation methods knowledge, including the ability to apply and interpret a range of evaluation methods and approaches, both quantitative and qualitative, ensuring that appropriate evaluation data collection and analysis methods are used. Understands and ensures the appropriate use of multiple and mixed methods.Capable of analyzing data from diverse sources, identifying trends and gaps in information, being able to ensure that data and information used in evaluations are appropriate, accurate, of high quality and collected and analyzed from an ethical perspective. Possess strong analytical skills, with an ability to elaborate credible findings, with evidence traced through the analysis into findings, which are then placed within their context. Uses analytical skills to synthesize data where relevant, and identifies unintended results. Experience in drafting evaluation documents. Has excellent reporting skills, with highly credible conclusions substantiated by evidence; and generating clear, realistic and feasible recommendations
Evaluation - Technical Capacity Development skill: Experience in developing and communicating methodological guidance across complex evaluative approaches. Understanding of UNDP’s governance approaches and programmatic work. Knowledge and experience in supporting Governments in Governance, monitoring and evaluation. Experience in developing and working within diverse partnerships. 
 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Social Sciences, Economics, Public Administration, Political Science, International Relations, or other relevant areas is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years (with master’s degree) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree)  of relevant work experience in contributing to or conducting evaluations and research work in the context of international development, including experience with innovative research and evaluation methods, criteria, and data analysis techniques.
• Experience applying evaluation methodologies and qualitative and quantitative research approaches and methods in an evaluation context  
• Experience and strong knowledge of data management, including ability to structure complex datasets, develop dashboards (including PowerBi) and create data visualization
• Proficiency in using computer and office software packages, and web-based data management systems 
• Familiarity with machine learning, natural language processing or generation, and the application of artificial intelligence to support data and predictive analytics
• Prior experience in programme, large-scale project evaluations or evaluation-based research, preferably for international organizations
• Experience with AI-enabled monitoring and evaluation methods and tools, GIS applications, and data analytics technologies, including Python, R, Power Query, and AIDA, is an asset
• Prior experience working with UNDP and/or other UN agencies is an asset

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge of both French and Spanish, and another UN official language is an asset

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.