Director, Evaluation Office (D-2), Rome, Italy

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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, dedication.

The Director of Evaluation reports directly to the Executive Director and heads the Evaluation Office that is functionally independent within the organization. The Director of Evaluation enables organizational learning, accountability and performance improvement by spearheading intellectual and organizational leadership and strategic guidance for the evaluation function. The Director leads and manages the staff of the Evaluation Office and is accountable for the performance of the Office. Please see important remark below.

The Director of Evaluation sets the vision for an effective evaluation function for UNICEF and leads on all aspects of evaluation policy and practice, in particular the adherence to international norms and standards; strategic topical or thematic coverage; the proper application of technical methods and quality assurance processes; and the definition of roles and responsibilities including standard operating procedures. She/he leads the development of the evaluation function; facilitates its resourcing; and manages evaluation partnerships with key networks and organizations. The Director also manages inter-agency collaboration and other partnerships related to the evaluation function. The Director is an advocate for the uptake and use of evaluation results.

How can you make a difference?

Summary of key functions:

• Provide intellectual and organizational leadership and strategic guidance on the implementation of the UNICEF’s evaluation policy and UNICEF’s evaluation function;
• Set clear performance standards for methodological rigor, credibility, and use—for a variety of evaluation approaches such as impact evaluations, including causal analysis, real-time evaluations, outcome evaluations and project/programme evaluations across UNICEF;
• Provide an independent report annually to the Executive Board on the implementation of the evaluation policy; propose updates to the evaluation policy as necessary;
• Prepare and periodically revise the plan for global evaluations, with a strong emphasis on impact, effectiveness, and value-for-money assessments; lay out strategic priorities for evaluation, identify and implement major corporate thematic evaluations; ensure adequate resources for the implementation of the plan and for support to the funding of evaluations and evaluation capacity development throughout the organization;
• Design, commission and manage independent corporate evaluations that meet international evaluation standards, reflecting the use of robust evaluation design and methodologies capable of assessing attribution/contribution, cost-effectiveness and causal pathways;
• Establish a comprehensive assessment system to gauge the performance of UNICEF’s evaluation function and the quality and coverage of evaluations undertaken throughout the organization; ensure that evaluations at all levels meet the standards set out in the evaluation policy; maintain systems to track management uptake of recommendations; and facilitate public access to all UNICEF evaluations and management responses; inform the Executive Director and the UNICEF Global Management Team, staff and UNICEF stakeholders about relevant and useful evaluation results;
• Promote the use of evaluations and knowledge management for evaluation through timely dissemination of the results for action by management and other stakeholders, follow-up on implementation and use and sharing of lessons distilled from evaluations and other UNICEF learning initiatives;
• Promote strategies and systems to build organization-wide evaluation and evaluative capacity, including the technical review of candidates for evaluation positions; provide guidance and support to UNICEF offices in designing and staffing the function, and to staff for long-term career development; and implement strategies to enhance the professionalization of the function with competencies in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, as well as causal inference and evidence use.
• Develop and share innovative approaches and methodologies for evaluation work, particularly methods for impact evaluations, including enhancing the relevance, timeliness and use of evaluations and adoption of credible rapid and real-time evaluations at all levels of the organization;
• Promote internal and external partnerships, especially by promoting the national ownership and leadership of evaluation activities; support global partnerships and networks and working through them to support innovation and evaluation capacity development; engage with the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) to strengthen evaluation norms and practices; and contribute to United Nations system-wide evaluations.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Advanced university degree in evaluation studies, economics, research methods or related disciplines such as development planning, international development, public administration, or other closely related fields. Specialized training in statistics, econometrics, or quantitative and mixed research methods is an asset.
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in conducting evaluation and/or research, and evaluation management, including substantial experience designing and implementing evaluations, of which at least 10 years in a senior position leading and managing an evaluation function or leading and managing similar processes.
• Experience with rigorous evaluation methodologies, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental designs, and mixed-method approaches; proven ability to assess causal impact, attribution/contribution, and cost-effectiveness in complex development and humanitarian contexts.
• Proven track records as an evaluator/social science researcher generating high-quality, policy-relevant evidence on program effectiveness and impact of humanitarian and development operations and humanitarian response. Demonstrated expertise of evaluation standards, norms and good practices as practiced by professional groups such as UNEG, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Development Assistance Committee (OECD/DAC), Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP) and other relevant professional networks, with the ability to translate these into rigorous, practical guidance.
• Proven experience in leading diverse teams of evaluators at both corporate and decentralized levels of a large organization to deliver relevant, high quality and timely evaluations.
• Prior experience at the international level.
• Strong management and leadership skills, with a proven track record in empowering people to achieve results.
• Excellent interpersonal, networking and partnership skills to work in harmony in a multicultural and high-performance environment.
• A track record in strategic and global thinking, including the ability to prioritize evaluations that generate the highest decision value and learning impact, fostering innovation and managing risk, while delivering on time.
• Strong communication skills with the capacity to succinctly convey ideas and advocate for organizational positions.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is desirable.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, 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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

Remarks:

The Director of the Evaluation is appointed by the Executive Director for a term of five years, renewable once for a maximum of five years, and is barred from re-entry into the organization after the expiry of his/her term.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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.

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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce.

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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.