Public Policy Evaluation Consultant (Early Childhood)

Result of Service

The Public Policy Evaluation Consultant (Early Childhood) shall duly and timely perform his/her obligations, under this Terms of Reference, and will work in close collaboration with the UN-Habitat’s operational and technical teams.

Work Location

Home based

Expected duration

Six (6) months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background The main mandate of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is to promote sustainable development of human settlements and policies conducive to adequate housing for all. Within this framework, UN-Habitat supports central and state governments, as well as local authorities and other partners for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat helps the urban poor by transforming cities into safer, more inclusive, compact, integrated, resilient and connected places with better opportunities where everyone can live with dignity. It works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society, and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development. The Regional Office for Latin American and the Caribbean – ROLAC – is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Agency puts emphasis in developing and managing activities in the host country. Indeed, for the past years, UN-Habitat has expanded its portfolio in Brazil by working with the three tiers of government to support the formulation and implementation of more effective, sustainable, participative, and socially fairer urban economic, social, and environmental policies. Since 2017, the project Urban, Sustainable, and Inclusive Prosperity in the State of Alagoas – An Integrated Initiative (known as “Visão Alagoas 2030”), a partnership between the State Government and UN-Habitat, has strengthened institutional capacity to plan and implement state public policies aimed at sustainable urban development. Among the initiatives to be implemented, the project will provide specialized technical assistance to strengthen the State Policy for Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Policies (PEMAPP, acronym in Portuguese), a state public policy aimed at promoting the improvement of public policies, good management practices, transparency, and accountability. The policy is coordinated by the State Secretariat for Planning, Management and Assets, through the Superintendence of Planning and Public Policies, which is responsible for the development of plans, manuals, and other guiding documents related to the policy. In a previous phase of the project, as a means of supporting the initial implementation of PEMAPP, methodological instruments were developed, including a practical guide, a capacity development strategy, a long-term evaluation agenda, and Terms of Reference templates for the evaluation of three strategic state initiatives. To continue the implementation of PEMAPP, the project requires a specialized technical consultancy to evaluate the Early Childhood actions implemented by the Government of the State of Alagoas. Currently, actions targeting Early Childhood in the State of Alagoas are implemented by the State Secretariat for Early Childhood, with key initiatives organized into three areas: (1) education: CRIA daycare centers (public facilities dedicated to early childhood education in municipalities across Alagoas); (2) social assistance: CRIA card (a cash transfer programme aimed at pregnant women and families with children aged 0 to 6 in situations of social vulnerability); and (3) health: Child Health Booklet (a document provided after birth containing information for monitoring child growth and development), Vacina+ (a programme aimed at expanding vaccination coverage, especially among children under two years of age), and reproductive planning (an initiative aimed at expanding access to contraceptive methods for the population). The proposed evaluation aims to understand the role of the State of Alagoas in promoting actions related to Early Childhood and to analyse the functioning of intersectoral coordination associated with the theme, both in its horizontal dimension, among state secretariats, and in its vertical dimension, in intergovernmental relations with municipalities. The evaluation will cover the period from 2018 onwards, encompassing all 102 municipalities in the state. The analysis will focus on the three main secretariats involved—Health, Education, and Social Assistance—and will include beneficiary families within the scope of the evaluation. To properly implement this initiative, a Public Policy Evaluation Consultant (Early Childhood) is required to conduct the evaluation, including the development of findings, conclusions, lessons learned, and recommendations. The evaluation will be conducted based on the criteria defined by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in particular relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and coherence. Report to UN-Habitat Manager The Public Policy Evaluation Consultant (Early Childhood) reports to the Head of Brazil Office, who will evaluate him/her. Nevertheless, the evaluation shall be conducted independently. The consultant shall have free and unhindered access to all relevant documents and stakeholders, and all findings and conclusions shall reflect the consultant's independent professional judgment. An Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) comprising representatives from UN-Habitat, the State Secretariat for Planning, Management and Assets, and relevant technical experts shall be established to provide guidance, technical inputs, and quality review at key stages of the evaluation, including review of the Work Plan and the Draft Evaluation Report. Responsibilities The Public Policy Evaluation Consultant (Early Childhood) will support the implementation of the initiative, and its activities, with the following responsibilities: a) Develop the consultancy Inception Report, including the methodology, Theory of Change, timeline, key stages, stakeholders involved, evaluation criteria and questions following the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria, and other elements required for the effective implementation of the evaluation. b) Map the implementation of the Early Childhood actions, including the collection of data and other relevant information, such as available data sources, gaps and limitations that may affect the scope or methodology of the evaluation, as well as mitigation measures. c) Apply an online questionnaire to state and municipal secretariats of health, education, and social assistance involved in Early Childhood actions. d) Conduct semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including technical staff, senior management (state and/or municipal), and beneficiaries (caregivers), to assess intersectoral actions related to Early Childhood. e) Conduct at least three focus groups with professionals from each relevant sector, with five to fifteen participants per group. f) Conduct at least three focus groups with beneficiaries, organized according to defined segmentation, with five to fifteen participants per group. g) Conduct the evaluation of Early Childhood actions implemented by the Government of Alagoas, ensuring a comprehensive and intersectoral approach based on predefined evaluation criteria and questions. h) Participate in meetings with UN-Habitat, the Government of Alagoas, and other relevant stakeholders, contributing to technical discussions, formal presentations on progress and results, and knowledge exchange among involved teams. i) Conduct technical meetings and other activities required for the development of outputs, such as workshops, focus groups, and stakeholder interviews, ensuring dissemination, visibility, and the sharing of lessons learned. j) Deliver all documentation used in the preparation of the report in a detailed and organized manner, guaranteeing the anonymity of the interviewees. k) Systematize and consolidate the outputs into a final synthesis document, to be validated by UN-Habitat and the Government of Alagoas. The consultant will be responsible for completing all courses and training activities that are indicated to him/her by his/her supervisor. The security course BSAFE, from UNDSS, is required to be accredited during the first month of employment. The consultant will be responsible for his/her own security, so the person should get familiarized with United Nations security mechanisms and comply with them according to the Framework of Accountability for the United Nations Security Management System. Outputs/Work Assignment The Public Policy Evaluation Consultant (Early Childhood) shall assist in the implementation of the project, according to the stated responsibilities and the delivery of the following products: Product 1 – Inception Report Description: The Product 1 shall include: (i) context and background, including indicators and other relevant information; (ii) the objective and scope of the evaluation, as defined in the Terms of Reference, with the possibility of including additional adjustments and details, as needed; (iii) a presentation of the problem and the Theory of Change, to be developed based on the implementation carried out to date, including assumptions and risks associated with the expected results; (iv) evaluation criteria and questions following OECD-DAC guidelines; (v) evaluation approach and methodology; (vi) stakeholder mapping; (vii) evaluation matrix; (viii) a detailed timeline; (ix) the structure of the draft and final reports; and (x) references and annexes. The document shall be 20 pages in length, setting the conceptual framework and methodological approach for the evaluation, consistent with UNEG and UN-Habitat evaluation standards. Expected delivery date: 30 days after contract signature. Product 2 – Report on the Evaluation of Early Childhood Actions – Draft Version Description: The Product 2 shall include: (i) introduction; (ii) methodology; (iii) updated Theory of Change and findings, including the presentation of responses to the evaluation questions; (iv) conclusions, organized according to the evaluation criteria and based on the identified findings; (v) lessons learned, highlighting key findings and translating experiences into insights to support decision-making, improve implementation, and enhance results; and (vi) recommendations, presented in a practical and actionable manner, organized by level of priority, and serving as a basis for the development of the management response matrix. The proposed structure is indicative and may be adjusted according to the specific needs of the evaluation. Expected delivery date: 120 days after contract signature. Product 3 – Report on the Evaluation of Early Childhood Actions – Final Version Description: The Product 3 shall include the consolidated and revised version of the content presented in Product 2, as well as an executive summary and annexes, including: (i) management response matrix template; (ii) evaluation matrix; (iii) data collection instruments; (iv) list of individuals and organizations consulted; (v) references and reviewed documents. The final report shall not exceed 40 pages, excluding the executive summary and annexes. Expected delivery date: 150 days after contract signature.

Qualifications/special skills

Education Required: • Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Economics, Social Sciences, Political Sci-ence, Law, International Relations, or related fields. • Postgraduate degree (Lato Sensu or Stricto Sensu) in Public Administration, Econom-ics, Social Sciences, Political Science, Law, International Relations, or related fields is required, or an additional five (5) years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the requirement. Work experience: • Minimum of eight (8) years of professional experience in evaluation in Brazil is re-quired. • Good knowledge of international, national, and subnational good practices in Youth and Adult Education is desirable. • Experience in project management in the public sector is required. • Previous experience within the UN system is desirable. Skills: • Strong capacity to conduct the full evaluation process is required. • Ability to collect and analyze documents, data, and information using a mixed-methods approach, combining and triangulating different methods, is required. • Excellent written and spoken Portuguese is required. • Good command of technological tools, such as Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Of-fice, is required. • Familiarity with the UNEG Norms and Standards for Evaluation is required. • Demonstrated ability to conduct semi-structured interviews and focus groups with di-verse stakeholders, including government and civil society representatives, is desira-ble. • Knowledge of gender-responsive evaluation approaches and human rights-based frameworks is desirable. Competencies • Professionalism: Experience working in an inter-institutional environment, project management, monitoring-evaluation; approaches and strategies regarding good ur-ban governance and local and regional development. • Planning and organization: Professional approach to work, strong sense of responsi-bility, operate with minimal supervision; proven organizational skills and ability to manage a workload efficiently and within set deadlines. • Communication: Ability to write clearly and effectively; listen to others, interpret mes-sages correctly and respond appropriately; show openness in information sharing and keep everyone informed; solid abstract reasoning skills together with a proven capac-ity to write documents for diverse audiences. • Teamwork: Ability to work with teams, demonstrate leadership, conflict management and consensus facilitation skills; ability to work in a multicultural and multi-ethnic envi-ronment, and to respect diversity; sensitivity to the main streaming of vulnerability; willingness and ability to work in difficult environments. Knowledge Management • The person must know the processes, procedures, and norms of UN-Habitat, to guar-antee an adequate quality of the activities described above, following the standards of the organization. • The person will propose formats and procedures that allow the efficient implementa-tion of the activities related to the project development. • The person must know the file of the Office, work with it, and ensure its proper maintenance, accessibility for all staff, and due updating. • The person will prepare databases related to the project running. • The person will make sure that all relevant technical information will be adequately shared with the correspondent staff. • The person will ensure that all produced material will be fit-for-purpose and delivered, in an organized way, for posterior consultation and use of the Agency. • The person will only share the information produced with the team agency, assuring the privacy of the content.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and Spanish is the working language of the Regional Office. • For the post advertised, fluency in Portuguese is required. • Working knowledge of English is desirable.

Additional Information

Travel details: The consultant must be available to travel to the places related to the activities in the country, if requested by the Head of Brazil Office. Missions will be coordinated and financed by UN-Habitat, according to the United Nations travel rules and guidelines. Remuneration LICA 5 – BRL: 86.159,52 (Total net amount) UNOPS Salary Scale The Consultant will receive a total amount of BRL 86.159,52, according to the following schedule: • Payment 1 [20%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 1 (BRL: 17.231,90) • Payment 2 [50%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 2 (BRL: 43.079,76) • Payment 3 [30%]: Upon delivery and approval of Product 3 (BRL: 25.847,86) Notes Appointment against this post is on local basis and only nationals from Brazil or external candidates who hold a permanent visa in Brazil may apply.  The extension of this contract is subject to availability of funds and/or performance. Any contract extension is not automatic.    It is required for all the curricular information to be inserted in the system, which may take a few hours. Only complete applications in English will be considered.    All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. Due to the volume of applications received, receipt of applications cannot be acknowledged individually. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.  Applications should be submitted through INSPIRA and must include all documents required at the system, please be ready to include the following information at the “Candidate Profile” (CP) at Inspira:    • Cover memo (maximum 1 page)  • Educational Background (incl. dates)  • Professional Experience (assignments, tasks, achievements, duration by years/ months)  • Expertise and preferences regarding location of potential assignments  • Other Experience and Expertise (e.g. Internships/ voluntary work, etc.)*   * Please note that Internships, part-time and voluntary work count as 50%. In addition to it, note experience not relevant to the position will not be considered.    All applications should be submitted to: Inspira    UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning people or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.