Organization: UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund
Location: Istanbul
Grade: Mid level – P-4, International Professional – Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Monitoring and Evaluation
Closing Date: 2024-07-18
The Multi-Country (MC) Evaluation Specialist will be based in the ECARO Regional Office Bureau Outpost in Istanbul – Turkiye, with the post being effective from 1 January 2025. The post will manage country programme evaluations, multi-country evaluations, support national evaluation capacity development, and to guide UNICEF Country Offices in the conduct of high-quality strategic evaluations that will require a quantitative approach, such as experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations.
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
The Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) supports Country Offices and Governments to advance towards the full realization of all child rights across the region with a country presence in 22 countries and territories to ensure that no child is left behind. The Regional Office plays both a technical advisory and oversight role, guiding country offices in designing, implementing and documenting results for children.
In this context, UNICEF seeks to expand its vision in the field of Evaluation as part of the equity agenda, and as a critical strategy for the achievement of the SDGs. For children to develop to their full potential they need to be healthy, loved, safe and educated. Policies, programmes and interventions to support their development in early, middle and adolescent years need to relevant, effective, efficient, sustainable and to deliver impact in terms of contributing to their rights and well-being. Evaluation plays a critical role in promoting understanding of what works and what doesn’t, determining if development objectives have been met in a way that contributes to the progressive realization of all children’s rights and supporting evidence-based advocacy, technical support and networking in the region.
How can you make a difference?
The Multi-Country (MC) Evaluation Specialist will be based in the ECARO Regional Office Bureau Outpost in Istanbul – Turkiye, with the post being effective from 1 January 2025. The post will manage country programme evaluations, multi-country evaluations, support national evaluation capacity development, and to guide UNICEF Country Offices in the conduct of high-quality strategic evaluations that will require a quantitative approach, such as experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations. To accomplish this, you are expected to:
Support the Country Offices and their national partners to develop and implement a plan of robust evaluation activities that will provide relevant and strategic evidence to UNICEF Country offices and counterparts to enhance national policies and programmes toward achieving results for children in both humanitarian and non-humanitarian environments.
Ensure that evaluation capacities of Country Office staff and national partners – including government– are strengthened with quantitative and sound research methodologies, enabling them to increasingly engage in and lead evidence generating processes, including the use of national statistics and administrative data for evaluations.
Ensure that the Country Office is effectively linked to wider UNICEF capacity building developments in a way that both contributes to and benefits from organizational learning.
Manage Country Programme Evaluations in close coordination with the concerned Country Offices, including the use of data science to extract structured and unstructured information from UNICEF systems, and other robust methodologies to assess the positioning of UNICEF in countries.
Ensure that experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations conducted in the region are technical sound and are user-centered for decision makers at the country office and with their respective counterparts.
Ensure that UNICEF-supported evaluations are designed and implemented to established UN quality standards, and the results are disseminated in a timely fashion and used by stakeholders in order to improve programme performance and contribute to wider learning.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
An Advanced University Degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Economics, Public Policy and/or related Social Science is required.
A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in the management and conduct of quantitative evaluations, empirical search using impact evaluation and other quantitative methodologies at national and international level is required.
Experience in using government data to conduct experimental or quasi experimental evaluations, empirical research using regression analysis and modeling for policy making.
Experience in communicating complex analysis to support national evaluation capacity, working on government-led evaluations in high income and upper-middle income contexts.
Experience in using open-source econometric packages such as R for evaluations is highly desirable.
Experience in related evidence functions including Social Policy, Social and Behavioral Change, Research, and Programme Planning and Monitoring, is an asset.
Familiarity with the use of data science techniques, python programming, and other data science tools.
Prior regional level experience in management of multi-country evaluations, in middle and high income country contexts, is a significant asset.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in a diverse organization, tailoring language, tone, style, and format to match audience.
Fluency in English, written and verbal, is required. Working knowledge of another official UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
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…
Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
Works Collaboratively with others (2)
Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)
Nurtures, leads and manages people (2)
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:
This position is effective as of 1 January 2025, which would be the earliest on-boarding date.
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 candidates from underrepresented groups 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.