Consultancy - Baseline assessment and M&E for the EmpowerED global programme, Programme Division

Contract type:  Individual consultancy 5 months
Duty Station: Home-based

Purpose of consultancy: 
Empower ED is a programme, supported by Global Affairs Canada, which aims to ensure adolescents and youth have enhanced and equal enjoyment of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), bodily autonomy, gender equality, and a life free from violence. This objective will be achieved through an enabling environment, inclusive policies, and institutionalised in-school and out-of-school community-based Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programmes linked to SRHR and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) services. The programme will be implemented globally in 10 countries across 6 regions.  

The Global M&E Consultant will lead the inception phase of the EmpowerED programme by conducting a comprehensive baseline assessment. This assessment will provide critical data to inform programme planning, implementation, and evaluation, ensuring that the programme's goals and objectives are met effectively.

Under the direct supervision of Technical Specialist on Adolescents and Youth
and in close consultation with the multi-disciplinary CSE programme team, the incumbent will lead the baseline assessment for the EmpowerED programme.

The consultant will: 

1.    Baseline Assessment Design and Planning

•    Liaise with relevant CSE and GBV team members in HQ, regional offices and the ten country offices to design detailed baseline assessment plan, including methodology, sampling framework, data collection tools, and timelines;
•    Ensure the baseline assessment design is aligned with the programme’s objectives, logical framework, and indicators.

2.    Data Collection and Analysis

Coordinate with each of the country programme teams to support the data collection process in the 10 programme countries, ensuring consistency and quality across all locations, including: 

•    Train and support local data collection teams, ensuring adherence to ethical standards and data protection protocols;
•    Conduct qualitative and quantitative data analysis to establish baseline values for all relevant indicators;
•    Map available and current CSE in and out of school programmes;
•    Identify government agencies, CSOs, NGOs, schools and GBV service points involved in delivery of CSE;
•    Conduct consultations with these actors to understand roles, partnerships, and capacity;
•    Produce, share, and validate stakeholder maps; 
•    Determine relevant sources of disaggregated data (gender, age, people with disabilities, ethnic and language minorities, etc);
•    Conduct consultations with local, regional and national CSOs and key informants to ensure marginalised groups have been identified;
•    Safely consult with individuals and community leaders within particular groups identified to determine barriers and special needs in accessing CSE;
•    Validate findings with community groups and CSOs;
•    Document gaps in equity and access to gender transformative CSE within the target areas based on findings from the stakeholder and protocol mapping as well as the demographic exercise;
•    Conduct a stakeholder validation of the gaps analysis.

3.    Stakeholder Engagement

•    Engage with key stakeholders, including UNFPA country offices, government counterparts, and implementing partners, to ensure their input and buy-in for the baseline assessment;
•    Facilitate consultations and validation workshops to present preliminary findings and gather feedback;

4.    Capacity Building

•    Provide technical assistance and capacity building to UNFPA country offices and partners on M&E best practices and baseline assessment methodologies;
•    Develop training materials and conduct workshops/webinars as needed to strengthen local M&E capacities.

5.    Reporting and Documentation

•    Prepare a comprehensive baseline assessment report, including methodology, findings across the 10 countries , and recommendations for programme implementation; 
•    Develop data visualization materials and presentations to communicate key findings to diverse stakeholders;
•    Share findings and tools in global meetings.

    
Required Expertise and Qualifications:

Education:
Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Monitoring and Evaluation, public health, social sciences (gender, women’s studies, social work, sociology, psychology, anthropology) or other relevant field with specific training or advanced knowledge and experience in baseline management.

Knowledge and Experience:
●    Minimum of 15 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation, data management and statistics, research, learning, knowledge management or any other related area with a focus on SRHR, gender equality, CSE or GBV.
●    Proven experience in designing and implementing baseline assessments and evaluations, particularly in multi-country settings.
●    Specialised knowledge of gender-based violence and the multi-sectoral approach;
●    Ability to apply human-rights based approach to programming and frameworks and conduct equity focused research and analysis;
●    Strong background in both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
●    Proficiency in statistical software (e.g., SPSS, STATA, R) and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
●    Strong writing and analytical skills, including the capacity to synthesise and systematise information;
●    Extensive experience in working with development agencies, including in volunteer capacity; 
●    Experience in community mobilisation, gender analysis, policy and research is desirable;
●    Initiative, sound judgement and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members from different national and cultural backgrounds.
●    Fluency in English; knowledge of French, Spanish, or another UN language is an 

Competencies:
•    Demonstrated ability to work in multicultural settings and with diverse stakeholders.
•    Strong organizational and project management skills.
•    Commitment to ethical standards and data protection principles.
•    Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks effectively.

Languages:
●    English and knowledge of another UN language is an asset

How to Apply:
Please send your resume and a short letter of motivation with “Baseline Assessment and M&E for the EmpowerED Global Programme”  on the subject line and email the documents to zhukov@unfpa.org, by 24 September 2024.