Job: PROCUREMENT OF INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY SERVICES - NATIONAL EVALUATION SPECIALIST ON ELECTORAL SUPPORT

Location :	Beirut, LEBANON
Application Deadline :	12-Nov-13
Type of Contract :	Individual Contract
Post Level :	National Consultant
Languages Required :	Arabic   English
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)	12-Dec-2013
Duration of Initial Contract :	3 weeks
Expected Duration of Assignment :	3 weeks
Background
UNDP Country Office Lebanon has received a grant award from USAID for the project ‘Support to the management of the 2013 parliamentary elections.’ The initial project period was September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013 but this period has been extended to December 31, 2013. The extension in the project period follows the May 31, 2013 decision of the Lebanese Parliament to postpone parliamentary elections to summer/fall 2014.   The USAID project is integrated into the scope of the UNDP Lebanese Elections Assistance Programme (LEAP) that delivers support to building capacity in the five component areas of election management, campaign supervision, civic education, electoral dispute resolution and promoting the participation of women in elections. The USAID project covers part of the first component, providing the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (MOIM) with support in the performance of its electoral management responsibilities. The project has four objectives: to support the development of an improved results management system; to support the delivery of voter information; to promote the adoption of measures to enhance vote secrecy; and to conduct effective lessons learned on election management.   UNDP LEAP wishes now to undertake an evaluation of its activities in line with the USAID project and seeks an independent team of two evaluation specialists (one international, one national) with experience in the evaluation of electoral support activities, preferably in relation to projects receiving USAID support. The evaluation will take place at the close of the USAID project but in the mid-term of broader LEAP activities.
Duties and Responsibilities
LEAP is seeking to hire a National Consultant as an Evaluation Specialist on Electoral Support to lead the effort on conducting an evaluation of the USAID project ‘Support to the management of the 2013 parliamentary elections’ which is implemented within the auspices of the UNDP Lebanese Elections Assistance Programme. The consultant will collaborate within a two-person team, alongside an International Consultant/Team Leader; Along with the Team Leader, the consultant will coordinate and liaise with the LEAP Chief Technical Adviser (CTA); Along with the Team Leader, the consultant will undertake a review of project documentation (including proposal documentation, quarterly reports and annual reports), a review of other project archive (including other reports) and interviews with project staff, project beneficiaries, project donors (including USAID) and other electoral actors. Through such activities, the consultant will determine the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact of completed activities, and the extent to which they meet with targets set in project documentation.  The methodology for the evaluation will follow standard approaches related to evaluation of electoral support with a developmental context, and with direct reference to UN and USAID performance management related to the areas of project management, project design, project relevance and appropriateness, project effectiveness and efficiency, and project impact and sustainability. The evaluation will address the context that the uncertainty related to elections in Lebanon including that the targeted elections were postponed and did not take place within the timeframe of the project.   The consultant’s scope of work is therefore the following: Meet with team colleague and establish effective sharing and division of responsibilities; Meet with LEAP and Country Office staff; Conduct a desk review of project documents, quarterly reports and indicators; Conduct key informant interviews; Contribute to the preparation of a first draft of the evaluation report including a review of project activities achievements, challenges, and results. The report may also include recommendations for the broader LEAP project; Consult with CTA on the review of the draft evaluation report and recommendations; Contribute to the preparation of a final draft of the evaluation report.
Competencies
Corporate Competencies: Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards; Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP; Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; Treats all people fairly without favoritism; Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment. Functional Competencies: Expresses relevant knowledge and expertise to support parliamentary strengthening and democratic governance; Displays analytical judgment and demonstrates ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner; Ability to advance and provide timely advise.
Required Skills and Experience
Education: Master’s Degree in Economics, Political Science, International development or related field. Experience: At least seven (7) years of professional experience in governance, elections and evaluation of development projects. Previous Experience in projects with similar agencies such as USAID, UN, EU, other public sector &non-governmental agencies especially in Lebanon and the Region. Language Requirements: Proficiency in Arabic and English. Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link: http://www.undp.org.lb/procurement/procurementDetail.cfm. Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information; otherwise your application will be considered incomplete.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. More Info and Application