UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, Hope

Under the supervision of the Regional Evaluation Adviser, the post provides support to the regional evaluation portfolio as it relates to a variety of programmatic sectors (including child protection, education, health, nutrition, WASH) and cross-cutting themes (gender, adolescent engagement, social protection, communication supply, etc). The Evaluation Specialist also supports efforts to disseminate findings, conclusions and recommendations from regional and multi-country evaluations in UNICEF and with external partners, with a specific focus on three countries in the region (Benin, Guinea-Bissau and Togo).

How can you make a difference?

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Assist with the management of regional evaluations and related evaluative work
2. Promote regional evaluations that are useful and ensure that evaluation findings and recommendations are adequately exploited and acted upon
3. Support innovation, knowledge management and capacity development.

1. Assist with the management of regional evaluations and related evaluative work.
   • Assist WCARO’s Regional Evaluation Adviser in providing dedicated technical assistance and capacity development to CO in the region during the planning and management of their evaluations;
   • Contribute to the delivery of field work support towards the successful conduct of multi-country and regional evaluations;
   • Gather key background documents for use in the scoping and execution of evaluations;
   • Coordinate the process for the development of evaluation terms of reference, which includes guiding regional consultants in delineating the scope of the evaluation and engaging in consultations with evaluation stakeholders;
   • Assist the Regional Evaluation Adviser in examining a vast array of regional evaluation deliverables, including the inception reports, draft and final evaluation reports;
   • Participate in a selected number of evaluation assignments in CO that will require dedicated technical assistance in the course of the planning, data collection or recommendations validation, depending on existing needs and assessement by the Regional Evaluation Adviser ;
   • Undertake other tasks as assigned by the supervisor.
2. Promote regional evaluations that are useful and ensure that regional evaluation findings and recommendations are adequately exploited and acted upon.
   • Help with the organization of online webinars, meetings, workshops and other types of discussion to establish a dialogue on evaluation findings, conclusions, recommendations and lessons learned;
   • Reach out to CO across the region to ensure that evaluation conclusions and recommendations are considered in the continued implementation of projects and programmes and the design and appraisal of new projects and programmes;
3. Support innovation, knowledge management and capacity development.
   • Promote innovative approaches and good practices by integrating evaluation principles and norms through advocacy and operational support/services;
   • Keep abreast, research, benchmark, introduce and implement good and cutting-edge practices on evaluation planning and management, Evaluation capacity development, institutionalize and disseminate good practices and lessons learned to maximize the use of evaluation conclusions and recommendations to support improve programming and results from delivery;

Assist with the launch and follow-up  of capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of a wide range of internal and external partners/stakeholders to build their evaluation systems/and capacity across the region.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree in social sciences, with specialization in evaluation and research methodology.

• Work Experience:
  • At least 5 years in progressively responsible professional work related to evaluation and supporting evaluation management at regional level.
  • Strong analytical, quantitative and qualitative research skills.
  • Experience in child-focused center evaluation methods is necessary.
  • Experience with regional evaluation offices of UN organizations is an advantage. Experience in the review of UNICEF evaluation products will be considered an advantage
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and French is required.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Special Notice on UNICEF office relocation:

UNICEF and other UN Agencies will be moving soon to the new United Nations House in Diamniadio, 30 kilometers from downtown Dakar. The name of the duty station for this position will remain Dakar, Senegal.