Midterm Evaluator

Summary

The Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) is seeking qualified applicants to conduct a midterm evaluation of its core activities over the past two years (January 2021 – Dec 31 2022). SJAC anticipates receiving a final evaluation by April 30, 2023. This consultancy can be completed remotely. The purpose of this Terms of Reference is to solicit proposals and budget quotations from qualified sources for this evaluation service. SJAC intends to award a fixed-price deliverable contract. Individual consultants and firms are eligible to apply

Syria Justice and Accountability Centre Overview

SJAC is a Syrian civil society organization with a mission to prevent impunity, promote redress, facilitate principled reform, and work towards a Syria defined by justice, respect for human rights, and rule of law. Since 2012, SJAC has been implementing programs to collect and analyze documentation from Syria, using the findings to promote informed discourse on human rights and transitional justice.

Project Background

Since 2011, Syrians have witnessed civilian attacks, detention and torture, chemical warfare, substantial property damage, and the massive displacement of over half the population. Widespread atrocities have led to deep grievances, trauma and a growing sectarian divide. As the Assad government consolidates territory, the international community has begun sidelining accountability in favor of short-term stability. But without a justice process that addresses the realities of the conflict, Syria risks spiraling into cycles of revenge attacks, where perpetrators continue to commit crimes with impunity.

SJAC’s core work aims to collect high quality evidence, records, and witness testimony, process that data, and utilize it to promote justice and accountability processes, all while engaging Syrian communities in the process. The range of activities include ethically conducting interviews with survivors of gross human rights violations, responding to requests for information from legal authorizes in order to support ongoing criminal cases, and conducting qualitative research on relevant accountability topics. The goal of this project is to support meaningful justice processes for crimes committed in Syria.

Evaluation Overview

SJAC is planning on conducting an interim evaluation in order to understand the successes and failures of its program to date, and make necessary adjustments for the remainder of the grant. SJAC anticipates asking evaluative questions regarding a variety of program activities, including, documentation of violations, capacity building efforts, collaboration with prosecutors working on extraterritorial cases, and tech and human rights work. The primary users of the evaluation report will be SJAC staff, who will use the findings and recommendations to inform future programming of a similar nature. The report will also be shared with SJAC’s core donors. SJAC is primarily concerned with assessing the project’s effectiveness. The evaluator will be expected to propose appropriate evaluation methods, which will be reviewed and approved by SJAC’s Senior Program Officer. The evaluator may interview staff from SJAC, and other key stakeholders.

Evaluation Implementation

The evaluation should take place in February and March 2023. SJAC’s target timeline is for final deliverables to be due by April 30, 2023.

The selected consultant will be responsible for:

• Evaluation preparation (including finalizing the evaluation design and work plan, performing the initial desk review of project materials, and creating and testing data collection instruments);
• Data collection (including conducting interviews with partners and reviewing all relevant policies, documentation etc.)
• Data analysis and synthesis (including transcription, data aggregation, writing a draft report, presenting findings to SJAC, and incorporating feedback from SJAC staff and partners into a final report).

SJAC staff will provide logistical and technical support as needed throughout the evaluation process. The Senior Program Officer will provide guidance during the evaluation preparation and reporting phases, and project staff will be available to compile project documents, provide administrative support, and assist with scheduling meetings with partners (if desired).

Deliverables

The evaluator will be expected to produce the following deliverables:

1. Evaluation Design and Work Plan (10-15 pages): The work plan should include the following sections:

a. Data collection methods and analysis of activities

b. Outline for the development of at least two data collection instruments

2. One oral presentation of findings by video call with relevant SJAC staff upon completion of data collection, but before submitting the draft report

3. Draft of Evaluation Report (no more than 40 pages, not including annexes)

4. Final report incorporating all relevant feedback from SJAC and including an executive summary to be distributed with additional stakeholders (due by April 30, 2023)

5. Final oral presentation of findings to donor (no later than May 31, 2023).

Skills and Experience

The selected consultant should have demonstrated expertise in results-based project evaluation and familiarity with justice and human rights programming and previous regional experience in Syria or the Middle East. Arabic language skills looked upon favorably but not required. Additional information about desired qualifications is listed below:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in designing, overseeing, implementing and evaluating human rights programs;
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative M&E data collection and analysis methods;
• Multidisciplinary individual with knowledge of and expertise in justice, accountability, and human rights issues. Preference is given to individual with specific experience evaluating documentation or criminal accountability programs.
• Strong facilitation, presentation, and communication skills;
• Strong ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing; and
• Team player with the ability to closely collaborate with SJAC staff, local partners, and stakeholders.