Background

The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the world's environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the environment.

Responsibilities

• Keep emerging issues in UNEP (both environmental, political and managerial / operational) under review and make substantive analytical contributions to evaluation planning based on the former and on organizational priorities, mandates and previous evaluation findings.
• Monitor the performance of the Evaluation Office against key performance indicators and report these to the Chief, Evaluation Office.
• Develop evaluation methods, manage and provide substantive analytical contributions to higher level evaluations conducted by the Evaluation Office. Design methods for impact evaluation of specific UNEP interventions and build a portfolio of outcome and impact evaluations that capture the 'value for money' of UNEP interventions.
• Develop technical peer review processes (involving external expertise) for impact evaluation to ensure quality and rigour. Play a lead role in the Evaluation of the UNEP's Medium-Term Strategy, Formative Evaluations of the UNEP Programme of Work, Thematic Sub-Programme Evaluations.
• Ensure that the UNEP Evaluation Manual and the UNEP Programme Manual are regularly updated, reflect international good practice in evaluation and are consistent with UNEG Norms and Standards.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of the UNITE for Evaluations system, working in conjunction with the UNODC Evaluation Office. Work collaboratively with evaluation professionals from other UN agencies through UNEG and when joint evaluations are undertaken.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy and plan for outreach / uptake of evaluation findings, recommendations and lessons.
• Prepare high quality knowledge products and organise events to promote use of evaluation findings across the organisation and among evaluation stakeholders. Monitor implementation of the outreach plan and provide analytical feedback to enhance future work.
• Maintain an overview of patterns in lessons and recommendations issued across the evaluation portfolio.
• Conduct formal evaluation demand studies every biennium and collate evidence of use of evaluation among key stakeholders (UNEP, implementation/ execution partners, donors and country representatives).
• Ensure that the format and content of the Evaluation Office website meet user needs and ensure staff keep it up-to-date.
• Identify internationally credible evaluation consultants, review credentials and make recommendations to the Evaluation Director for their selection. Prepare detailed impact evaluation budgets and timelines, inform consultant team members of required scope and quality of deliverables ensuring negotiated agreements on consultant remuneration comply with UN rules. Manage, oversee and provide quality assurance for work undertaken by highly qualified and experienced international consultant evaluators.
• Provide advice on evaluation methods approaches and processes; review and assess the quality of evaluation deliverables, capture stakeholder views on them and provide constructive feedback to facilitate finalisation of evaluation deliverables, ensuring all aspects of the evaluation TORs are fulfilled.
• Prepare an annual evaluation schedule, assigning projects to centralized evaluation or decentralized review modalities.
• Review evaluation inception reports and draft evaluation reports being managed by other Evaluation Office staff, provide informal professional advice to, and formally supervise P4, P3, JPO and G staff. Review and sign off validations of Management Led Terminal Reviews.
• Provide substantive analyses from impact evaluation, patterns in lessons and recommendations and outreach/uptake efforts for inclusion in the Biennial Evaluation Synthesis Report. Prepare periodic evaluation progress reports and take the lead on selected Evaluation Office Management / Special Studies for publication.
• Provide advice and support to broader corporate planning and management processes with findings and recommendations from evaluation studies.
• Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need.

• Qualifications

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in Natural Resources, Environmental Studies/Sciences, Development Planning or related technical field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

• Experience

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in evaluation oversight management and project or programme management in complex socio-economic settings is required
• Experience in programme management, including at least five (5) years of leading diverse and multicultural teams of staff and consultants, is required.
• Experience in development, appraisal, and/or evaluation of projects designed for capacity development is required.
• Experience in UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) norms and standards for Evaluation in the UN or any other international or national evaluation or inspection standards is desirable
• Experience in the use of digital tools and artificial intelligence in evaluation is desirable.
• Experience in data analytics and using data to guide decisions, develop strategic direction and oversee execution is desirable.

• Keep emerging issues in UNEP (both environmental, political and managerial / operational) under review and make substantive analytical contributions to evaluation planning based on the former and on organizational priorities, mandates and previous evaluation findings.
• Monitor the performance of the Evaluation Office against key performance indicators and report these to the Chief, Evaluation Office.
• Develop evaluation methods, manage and provide substantive analytical contributions to higher level evaluations conducted by the Evaluation Office. Design methods for impact evaluation of specific UNEP interventions and build a portfolio of outcome and impact evaluations that capture the 'value for money' of UNEP interventions.
• Develop technical peer review processes (involving external expertise) for impact evaluation to ensure quality and rigour. Play a lead role in the Evaluation of the UNEP's Medium-Term Strategy, Formative Evaluations of the UNEP Programme of Work, Thematic Sub-Programme Evaluations.
• Ensure that the UNEP Evaluation Manual and the UNEP Programme Manual are regularly updated, reflect international good practice in evaluation and are consistent with UNEG Norms and Standards.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of the UNITE for Evaluations system, working in conjunction with the UNODC Evaluation Office. Work collaboratively with evaluation professionals from other UN agencies through UNEG and when joint evaluations are undertaken.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy and plan for outreach / uptake of evaluation findings, recommendations and lessons.
• Prepare high quality knowledge products and organise events to promote use of evaluation findings across the organisation and among evaluation stakeholders. Monitor implementation of the outreach plan and provide analytical feedback to enhance future work.
• Maintain an overview of patterns in lessons and recommendations issued across the evaluation portfolio.
• Conduct formal evaluation demand studies every biennium and collate evidence of use of evaluation among key stakeholders (UNEP, implementation/ execution partners, donors and country representatives).
• Ensure that the format and content of the Evaluation Office website meet user needs and ensure staff keep it up-to-date.
• Identify internationally credible evaluation consultants, review credentials and make recommendations to the Evaluation Director for their selection. Prepare detailed impact evaluation budgets and timelines, inform consultant team members of required scope and quality of deliverables ensuring negotiated agreements on consultant remuneration comply with UN rules. Manage, oversee and provide quality assurance for work undertaken by highly qualified and experienced international consultant evaluators.
• Provide advice on evaluation methods approaches and processes; review and assess the quality of evaluation deliverables, capture stakeholder views on them and provide constructive feedback to facilitate finalisation of evaluation deliverables, ensuring all aspects of the evaluation TORs are fulfilled.
• Prepare an annual evaluation schedule, assigning projects to centralized evaluation or decentralized review modalities.
• Review evaluation inception reports and draft evaluation reports being managed by other Evaluation Office staff, provide informal professional advice to, and formally supervise P4, P3, JPO and G staff. Review and sign off validations of Management Led Terminal Reviews.
• Provide substantive analyses from impact evaluation, patterns in lessons and recommendations and outreach/uptake efforts for inclusion in the Biennial Evaluation Synthesis Report. Prepare periodic evaluation progress reports and take the lead on selected Evaluation Office Management / Special Studies for publication.
• Provide advice and support to broader corporate planning and management processes with findings and recommendations from evaluation studies.
• Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need.

• Evaluation oversight management
• Project or programme management
• Data analytics
• Digital tools
• Artificial intelligence
• UNEG norms and standards

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in Natural Resources, Environmental Studies/Sciences, Development Planning or related technical field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.