UNICEF
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, evaluate
The UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage and the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (‘FGM’): Accelerating Change, are launching a consultancy to conduct an Impact Feasibility Assessment (IFA) covering the two areas: the child marriage global programme (work package 1) and the FGM joint programme (work package 2). The IFA will seek to identify what are the feasible and most appropriate evaluation designs or approaches to integrate impact in the planned evaluations of each joint programme.
How can you make a difference?
The Purpose Of This Assignment Is To Conduct An Independent Assessment Of Opportunities For And Limitations To Integrating a Rigorous Impact Component Into The Framework Of The Planned Global Joint Evaluations In Harmful Practices
- Child marriage as a part of the global Joint UNFPA-UNICEF Programme, phase II (to be conducted in the late part of 2022/2023)
- FGM as a part of the global Joint UNFPA-UNICEF Programme, phase IV (midterm to be conducted in 2024/2025)
The exercise will provide an expert, independent assessment of the opportunity for integrating one or more complementary approaches to provide impact evidence on innovative and scalable community-led interventions. The selection of specific technical options to measure impact will be based on the defined criteria of feasibility (technical as well as contextual, time, resources etc.), validity and rigor. The scope of work shall neither favor nor preclude any of the possible options but rather create the opportunity to systematically assess all expertly defined feasible and rigorous alternatives.
The IFA will provide recommendations to the global evaluation and programme management teams and propose methodological approaches and adaptations required to achieve robust and coherent evaluation design that generate evidence on interventions that can be taken to scale to advance the relevant SDG agenda. The methodological recommendations should not be limited to approaches establishing valid attribution but, if appropriate, discuss the benefits of using alternative quasi-experimental or non-experimental approaches that would allow evaluate programme outcomes and impact through programme contribution. A set of transparent criteria for the selection of appropriate methodological approaches should be finalized at the inception phase of this assignment.
In each programmatic area, the IFA aims to do the following:
- Review global evidence gaps at outcome and impact levels in reference to the programmatic focus of UNICEF and UNFPA joint work, the Theory of Change (TOC) of both programmes, objectives and expected results (see a list of refence documents in the annex).
- Assess the extent to which linked interventions and outcomes identified in the literature can be applied in the context of UNICEF and UNFPA global programmes on transformation of norms and behaviours and their alignment with the Theory of Change (TOC).
- Select the most seemingly innovative, transformative (potentially scalable) interventions (or their combination), and assess the plausibility of them delivering outcome and impact results (based on global evidence as well as data produced by the JPs monitoring and reporting systems).
- Conduct cross-country comparisons to identify the most appropriate and feasible (sub)national and programmatic contexts for measuring effects at outcome and eventually impact levels.
- Based on the analysis of specific programme and country contexts, propose the evaluation designs (if any) to measure attribution (if deemed feasible and appropriate) or contribution of selected interventions. The proposed design/s should:
- Identify design aspects of the joint programme interventions at country level as in relation to the global theories of change (adequacy of the joint programme contextualization)
- Mention the suitability of available sources of data proposed for use: existing monitoring and reporting systems of the joint programme at country level, programmatic surveys, etc. to measure relevant indicators and overall fit for purpose and able to provide granular data at the community and sub-national levels;
- Articulate the steps, budget and timeline to integrate any identified impact components into the planned evaluations (considering that primary data collection may need to be collected, etc.);
- Estimate the nature and volume of support from the joint programme at country and community levels including interventions being implemented and interventions that have been implemented in the past and are not completed, the levels of funding, actual coverage of the joint programme at country level, and multi-stakeholder engagement/ other actors working in the same area with similar goals among other factors; and
- Identify methodological adaptations to the global evaluation designs to achieve a greater evaluative focus on impacts and outcomes.
Given differences between the two programmatic areas on numerous levels (e.g., in programme development, the nature of the “interventions”, programme monitoring and reporting systems, and levels and robustness of the data available, external factors including context and stakeholders and partners involved), the objectives will be further refined during an inception phase.
Scope and analytical process
The work on thematic areas of child marriage and FGM are linked together under the harmful practices area, based on programmatic linkages and certain common elements and complementarities in key aspects – including their multi-sectoral and multi-year design, conceptual frameworks (i.e. social norm change framework), geographic coverage, their catalytic natures, donors, and joint coordination structures and governance. However, the IFA will be implemented under two separate work packages sequenced to follow one another. This will allow more focused effort on each work package and ongoing learning and adjustments.
Four distinct analytical stages will form part of the investigation under the IFA, each building on and extending the evidence collected earlier in the process.
- Stock taking on ‘what works?’ in connection to the Theory of Change and countries of the Global programmes’
The objective of this stage is to conduct rapid review of the most recent (circ. 5-10 years) documents and available evidence to identify the set of potential interventions in addressing FGM and child marriage that the IFA may focus on. Those interventions should be mapped across countries that have conducted them, tested and validated indicators at the outcome and impact levels (at the intervention level) appropriate within gender transformative framework of specified countries. The review will build on the wealth of information generated and systematized by the joint programmes and go beyond it as necessary. It is expected that at this stage the consultants will coordinate their review with the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti and previous UNICEF-UNFPA work on evidence synthesis/review and evaluations (see TOR annex). The findings will provide reference points for further development of methodological approaches. The result of this stage is identified interventions which need to be cross-checked with the list of interventions currently planned or implemented under UNFPA and UNICEF global programmes using global TOC, annual reports, and other documentations. The resulting list of interventions and corresponding countries will be further narrowed down in the next stage of analysis.
- Review of country cases and selection of interventions at community level
Based on the identified impact evidence gaps and review of ongoing interventions under UNICEF-UNFPA global programmes, this stage of the analysis aims to narrow down the set of candidate interventions at the community level in the light of country contexts. This exercise will adopt both a forward-looking (on interventions that are now being planned) as well as backward-looking (interventions already implemented in some countries/ communities and contexts) approach.
Many conditions have to be met for a country to launch an impact evaluation on selected intervention package, not least the existing or emerging demand for impact evidence and political will to scale up the intervention, stability of the political situation and local conditions allowing conducting work in safe conditions. Generally, the analysis at this stage should systematically examine contextual factors including but not limited to the national prevalence rates and country progress towards reductions in harmful practices, the level of socio-economic conditions, population structure, the decentralization level, COVID-19 situation, humanitarian status, reliability of existing data (primary and secondary), and even more important the JP monitoring and reporting systems and the quality and level of data produced/ available. The latter conditions are important as they will affect operational modalities of potential evaluation of impact. Informed by previous stage, the focus should be on potentially scalable interventions with general expectation to generate positive intermediary and long-term outcomes could be good candidates.
- Programmatic dive-in
This stage of assessment focuses on the selected subsets of countries/ interventions under each joint programme. The objective is to better understand the programme/intervention logic (TOC) and modalities, implementation conditions, geographic coverage across communities, and the timeline. This is critical to make a reasonable judgement on whether we can achieve internal validity by accurately estimating the counterfactual through a valid control/comparison group, use natural experiment or adopt a theory-based approach to assess ‘contribution’ rather than attribution of the programme. Diagnostics of available data sources is an important aspect of analysis at this stage and should include the monitoring data with the focus on their suitability to be used credibly (as an alternative to primary data collection or as a complementary source).
A range of impact evaluation methods can be considered to construct a valid counterfactual including quasi-experimental approaches. Each such method (e.g., instrumental variables, regression discontinuity design, difference in difference, and matching) have their specific requirements and limitations. In addition, natural experiment designs can be considered for ongoing interventions (backward looking, ‘summative’ approach). The result of this stage will be an expert agreement on the feasibility of constructing a rigorous counterfactual in selected countries and recommendation on the design options (or a combination of approaches). This analysis under IFA does not replace the inception phase of each evaluation (including or not an impact component) where the design of the impact component is defined in much more details through consultations with national partners and stakeholders. Both work packages (A- Child Marriage; B-FGM) will focus on potential programmatic conditions that have to be met to evaluate impact of selected interventions.
- Integration of impact component into the global evaluation design.
It Is Expected That a Set Of Concreate Recommendations For Global Programme And Evaluation Teams Will Cover Each Of These Aspects In Great Detail Outlining
The objective of this stage is to assess methodology, finance- and process-related implications of integrating an ‘impact component’ into the planned global evaluations conducted at the central level (i.e., managed by the Evaluation Offices).
- The suitability of the Joint Programme for an integrated impact component (aspects to consider: nature of the joint programme/ intervention being evaluated; level of funding and actual coverage of the joint programme at country level; other partners, actors working in the same area);
- Data requirements and information needs;
- Conditions for methodological coherence and complementarity of different evaluation approaches and designs;
- Cost and time implications for the planned evaluation; and
- Any other key issues that might arise.
The recommendations should take into account the commonalities between different FGM and child marriage joint global programmes suggesting (if possible and appropriate) efficiency gains through combining efforts in evaluating impact at the country/ community level wherever appropriate.
Indicative timeline and sequence of the work packages
Work package
Tentative timeline of the assignment
WP 1: Child Marriage
April 4th – July 31st, 2022
Stage 1: Mapping evidence gaps on ‘what works?’
April 4th – April 22nd, 2022
Stage 2: Selection of country cases and interventions at community level
April 23rd – May 6th, 2022
Stage 3: Programmatic dive-in
May 7th – June 30th, 2022
Stage 4: Finalisation of the final report incorporating comments and suggestions from UNICEF and UNFPA
July 1st – July 31st, 2022
WP 2: FGM
WP2 will follow similar time schedule with possible adjustment in duration of each stage based on the experience of WP1.
August 1st – October 31st, 2022
The timeline incorporates the time for revisions of products based on UNICEF and UNFPA feedback.
Expected level of effort for the impact expert: 40 to 48 days; please consult the attached ToR for further details.
Location of Assignment : Home-based with potential travel to selected countries
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
The IFA will be led by a team of two experts with extensive knowledge and experience in conducting mixed methods impact evaluations and thematic experience on child protection, gender equality, social norms, community-based mobilization (across the development-peace-humanitarian nexus). If two candidates form the team for this assignment they can applies jointly, the CV and full application packages should be submitted for each candidate outlining the complementarity of skills and expertise. UNICEF also reserves the right to set up a team of consultants in to implement each work package if this is expected to enhance the quality of the final products.
The consultants must also demonstrate a clear understanding of the UN system and ensure that the feasibility assessment is conducted in line with the UNEG Norms and Standards for Evaluation in the UN System and abides by UNEG Ethical Guidelines and Code of Conduct. UNEG guidance on Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation should also be reflected throughout the evaluation.
- Academic qualifications. Graduate degree in Social Science or relevant discipline (economics, sociology, evaluation, public policy, or related field).
- At least five years of experience leading impact evaluations in development and humanitarian contexts preferably as part of comprehensive programme evaluation efforts including feasibility scoping, designing, and implementing quasi-, experimental, and mixed methods approaches for evaluation of development programmes.
- Proven skills in or good understanding of evaluation methodologies for evaluating outcomes and impacts, including non-experimental, theory-based approaches as well as experimental and quasi-experimental approaches.
- Data diagnostics, data analysis using secondary data sources including cross-country time series.
- Research or evaluation experience in topics relevant for the assignment (child protection, gender, harmful practices, social norms).
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
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.
How To Apply
The deadline for applications is midnight Tuesday, 15 March 2022 (Eastern Daylight Time).
Interested Candidates Must Submit The Following Documents
- CV and cover letter.
- The financial proposal should indicate consultant’s daily rate and expected total budget with a breakdown cost for each stage of the work.
- The budget can include travel costs as a separate item but given the uncertainty about feasibility of travel at this stage, UNICEF reserves the right to exclude the estimated travel amount from the prospective contract amount.
- The application should be accompanied by short examples (through links provided or attached documents) of analyses that show experience and competence to undertake this consultancy in line with the required qualifications described above.
- A consultant/consultants can apply for either both work packages or just one, according to their thematic expertise and availability. The consultant can subcontract part of the work to complement the expertise. A clear explanation has to be given in the proposal on how the skills and experiences of a sub-contractor or a co-investigator will benefit the process and the quality of the deliverables.
Remarks Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.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.
Details of background, methodology, deliverables and qualifications required, are described in the attached TORTOR IFA consultancy 17Feb2022 Impact expert_REQ548735.pdf
To apply for this job please visit secure.dc7.pageuppeople.com.