Call for Application.

Vacancy No.  IOM-CFA/0046/21

Position Title International Consultant- Project Evaluator

Duty Station Homebased

Classification,Consultant (Individual or Consulting Firm)

Posting Period,01.04.2021 – 10.04.2021

Organizational Context 

The IOM is seeking to hire a consultant under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission to Ethiopia and Representative to the African Union and UNECA, and the direct supervision of the Senior Programme Support Coordinator to undertake an end review of the project ‘Support to the AUC on Migration Affairs’ and produce an evaluation report that will be submitted to The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) entered into an agreement on financial assistance for the project ‘Support to the AUC on Migration Affairs” on 8 December 2016. The duration of the agreement was originally set for two years but was prolonged on two occasions through no-cost extensions and on one occasion through a cost-extension. The agreed support period for the project expired consequently end of 2020.

The main objective of the project was aimed to increase the capacity of the African Union Commission’s Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and Department of Social Affairs (DSA) for the advancement and implementation of migration related initiatives and processes, namely the drafting, completion, adoption of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment and operationalization of the Horn of African Initiative Against Trafficking in persons and Smuggling of Migrants, respectively. 

The agreement was entered into with IOM directly instead of the African Union Commission (AUC) to reduce the administrative burden on the AUC. It was also anticipated that IOMs existing working relationship with the AUC would ensure a close and strong cooperation with the AUC in the execution of the project.

The project had two main objectives:

1. Increased mobility on the African continent, and
2. Effective prevention of trafficking on the Horn of Africa and aimed to achieve the following outcomes:

• A protocol on the free movement of persons regime discussed by Heads of State summit in 2018 (objective 1).
•  Member states show continued commitment to improve and implement policies and strategies to prevent trafficking and smuggling (objective 2).
• Members states provide protection and assistance to victims of trafficking and smuggled persons (objective 2).  

According to article 12.1 in the agreement, an end review focusing on results achieved is to be carried out shortly after the end of the support period. The main purpose of the review is to assess the performance of the project and to take stock of the results achieved. It should, in addition, provide recommendations for implementation of goals that may not have been met. The evaluation findings and recommendations will help guide the IOM Project team in the planning and implementation of future projects.

The evaluation will be conducted as an external evaluation where the evaluation is managed by an IOM official and conducted by an external evaluator. Key stakeholders, IOM constituents, partners and the donor will be consulted, as necessary, throughout the evaluation process.

RESPONSIBLITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Evaluation Pillars:

Relevance:

1. To what extent are the objectives of the project consistent with the beneficiaries’ requirements, and relevant to the identified needs?
2. To what extent are the project design (objectives, outcomes, outputs and activities) and its underlining theory of change logical and coherent?
3. Were the outputs achievable or overly ambitious?

 Effectiveness:

1. To what extent has the project achieved its planned results (including intended and unintended, positive and negative)?
2. Are there any external factors that hindered or facilitated achievement of the project?
3. To what extent do the project management capacities and arrangements put in place support the achievement of the planned results?
4. Has the project strengthened an enabling environment (systems, policies, processes, attitudes, etc.)?

 Sustainability:

1. To what extent are the planned results of the project likely to be durable and be maintained or even scaled up?
2. How effective has the project been in establishing Continental/regional ownership?
3. To what extent has the project strengthened the capacities of AUC structures?
4. Has the project increased or decreased dependency on outside intervention?

The scope of the review will cover all project components and interventions under the project since the start of implementation till the end of the support period (December 2016-December 2020).

The evaluation will be carried out through a desk review and meetings with relevant partners and stakeholders. Further details regarding the approach are to be decided by IOM or by the review/evaluation team. When a team has been selected, the approach and methodology should be further detailed in the inception report.

The evaluator may adapt the evaluation criteria and questions, but any fundamental changes should be agreed upon between the IOM evaluation manager and the evaluator. The evaluation instruments (to be summarized in the inception report) should identify the general areas of focus as well as other priority aspects to be addressed in the evaluation.

The draft evaluation report will be shared with all relevant stakeholders and a request for comment will be asked within a specified time (not more than 5 working days).

Timeframe and schedule:

The evaluation will be conducted between April 2021 and July 2021 for an estimated 25 working days, as detailed below:

Task - Estimated level of effort (# of days) - Time

Engagement of Consultant - 0 - 4^th week of April 2021

Produce inception report - 5 - 9 May 2021

Inception report review and approval - 0 - 9 – 16 May 2020

Consultations, data collection and debriefing to the Project Team and Evaluation Manager - 10 - 16 – 30 May 2021

Produce and submit a draft report - 5 - 1 – 14 June 2021

Feedback on the draft evaluation report - 0 - 14 – 21 June 2021

Finalization and approval of the report  - 5 - 21 June – 4 July 2021

Total number of days - 25 

KEY DELIVERABLES

•  Inception Report / Evaluation Plan
• Draft Report
• Final Report: The final report should include an executive summary.

Job Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Advanced university degree in a relevant social science field.
• Relevant training in research methodologies
• Knowledge of irregular migration and transnational organized crime issues on the African continent or another region is an advantage
• At least five years of relevant work experience in the field of monitoring and evaluation
• Experience evaluating UN/AU projects and/or related development projects  
• Ability to critically research an issue and use strategic thinking in producing a report.
• Ability to work within a team, as well as independently.
• Strong communication skills
• Excellent analytical writing skills

Languages

• English (Fluent)
• Knowledge of other official UN and AU languages is beneficial.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their application with a detailed technical and financial proposals. The technical proposal should consist a work-plan on of how the deliverables of the project will be met, qualification/s of the expert/s who will work on the project, and the timeline thorough which the consultancy will work towards the deliverables. The financial proposal should include a breakdown of the proposed amount as it corresponds to the activities indicated in the workplan. Interested applicants should submit both the financial and technical proposal via the e-mail address RECADDIS@IOM.INT no later than 10^th April 2021 referring the position title and vacancy number in the subject line of your email.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We strongly encourage qualified women to apply!

Technical proposal outlining:

1. Conceptual framework (2-3 pages)
2. Detailed methodology (2-3 pages)
3. Work plan (1-2 pages)
4. Explanation of the consultant/firms suitability for the assignment (1 page) including names and contacts of three recent professional referees
5. Two examples of previous similar work
6. Names and CVs of individuals or team members proposed, highlighting their experience relevant to this study and their roles in the achievement of the assignment.

Financial proposal:

1. The proposal will include a lump sum cost for the assignment
2. A breakdown of the costs related to all aspects of the consultancy (consultancy fee, travel, and the assignment deliverables).

Only shortlisted candidates/firms will be contacted. No late applications will be accepted.