Evaluation Specialist (Common Oceans Programme Evaluation)

Organizational Setting

The Office of Evaluation (OED) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) anchors the evaluation function in the Organization. Evaluation in FAO provides results accountability to both member countries and the Director-General, giving more in-depth understanding and objective basis for their decision-making and oversight. Evaluation also contributes to corporate learning, feeding lessons into a robust feedback loop. Evaluation provides a sound basis for improvements in the Organization's programmes in terms of their relevance to countries, definition of objectives, their design and implementation. The Office also participates in system-wide evaluation initiatives, thereby contributing to assessments of development effectiveness by the United Nations (UN) system.

OED is seeking expressions of interest from senior evaluators and subject-matter specialists to support the evaluation of the GEF-7 Common Oceans Programme “Sustainable utilization and conservation of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction” and of its child projects.

The Common Oceans Programme is a GEF-7 global programme promoting the sustainable use of living marine resources and biodiversity conservation in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). Its five child projects cover sustainable fisheries management, marine biodiversity conservation, ocean governance and cross-sectoral cooperation, ecosystem stewardship, and programme-level coordination, monitoring and knowledge management.

The evaluation will assess both the GEF Programme as a whole and the contribution of its child projects to programme-level results, including programme coherence, integration, Theory of Change, monitoring and evaluation arrangements, and the added value of the programmatic approach. The evaluation specialists will also directly evaluate the child projects implemented by FAO.

Candidates must not have been directly involved in the design, implementation or operational management of the Common Oceans Programme and its child projects.

Reporting Lines

The evaluation specialists will work under the direct supervision of the assigned OED Evaluation Manager and Responsible Officer and under the overall responsibility of the OED Director.

Technical Focus

OED expects to identify approximately three to four consultants for different roles within the evaluation team. Depending on their qualifications and experience, selected consultants may be considered for a senior evaluator or subject-matter specialist role. The multidisciplinary evaluation team will combe extensive evaluation expertise with complementary technical knowledge across the main key focus areas covered by the Programme.

•    International and regional ocean governance and cross-sectoral cooperation 
•    Sustainable fisheries management
•    Integrated ecosystem and precautionary approaches to fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation 
•    Prevention and monitoring of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing
•    Marine governance and ecosystem-based management
•    Capacity building, knowledge management, partnerships and private-sector engagement related to sustainable marine resource management

Tasks and Responsibilities

Depending on the assigned role and area of expertise, the selected candidates will carry out specific tasks in accordance with the evaluation Terms of Reference, including:

•    Review relevant programme, child projects’ technical documentation
•    Contribute to evaluation design, inception reports and data-collection instruments 
•    Develop theories of change and support learning activities and the dissemination of evaluation results
•    Conduct interviews, consultations, field visits and technical assessments
•    Analyse qualitative and quantitative evidence
•    Assess programme and child-projects’ performance, including programme-level coherence, integration, results and monitoring and evaluation arrangements
•    Lead and/or contribute to the presentation and discussion of evaluation findings
•    Lead and/or contribute to the drafting of evaluation reports and other evaluation outputs 
•    Prepare country studies, technical notes to be included in the evaluation reports
•    Contribute to findings, conclusions, recommendations and stakeholder validation processes
•    Address comments from stakeholders and OED quality-assurance reviewers

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in in evaluation, social sciences, environmental sciences, fisheries, marine sciences, international development, public policy, economics or another field relevant to the assignment. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
•    At least 5 years of relevant and proven experience in evaluation and research including in technical area relevant to the GEF Common Oceans Programme (see Technical/Functional Skills below)
•    Working knowledge of English (level C)

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

Team members should have demonstrated experience in the main thematic areas covered by the Common Oceans Programme and demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following:

•    Demonstrated experience in conducting or contributing to complex thematic, programme, portfolio, country or project evaluations
•    Extent and relevance of experience in one or more of the main thematic areas covered by the Common Oceans Programme, including: 
o    Regional fisheries management organizations and their processes 
o    International and regional ocean governance and cross-sectoral cooperation, including relevant international agreements. 
o    Sustainable fisheries management, including tuna and/or deep-sea fisheries
o    Integrated ecosystem and precautionary approaches to fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation (including reduction of bycatch)
o    Fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance and tackling illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing .
o    Marine governance and ecosystem-based management
o    Capacity building, knowledge management, partnerships and private-sector engagement related to sustainable marine resource management
•    Experience with Global Environment Facility (GEF) projects and programmes, including familiarity with GEF International Waters.
•    Proven knowledge of research and evaluation methods, including Theory of Change, results frameworks, result-based management, and monitoring and evaluation systems, as well as assessment of institutional and environmental outcomes.
•    Extent and relevance of experience in international cooperation and multi-stakeholder settings.
•    Experience conducting or contributing to evaluations of GEF-financed interventions is highly desirable.
•    Strong analytical, written and verbal communication skills.

Selection criteria:

•    For candidates considered for a senior evaluator role, demonstrated experience leading complex evaluations and multidisciplinary teams is highly desirable.
•    Working knowledge of another FAO official language is an asset
•    Experience in GEF project design, monitoring and/or evaluation is an asset
•    Inclusion of Motivation Letter containing the following information:
o    Whether you wish to be considered as an evaluation specialist, subject-matter specialist, or both;
o    Your principal areas of thematic and evaluation expertise; 
o    Relevant regional and country experience; 
o    Language skills; 
o    Availability and willingness to undertake field missions; 
o    Any previous involvement with FAO projects or programmes that may represent a potential conflict of interest.

Candidates must disclose any previous or current involvement in the design or implementation of the activities covered by the relevant evaluation. Actual or perceived conflicts of interest may preclude participation in a specific assignment.