Evaluation Specialist for Terminal Evaluation of the UNEP project “Generation Restoration: Cata[...]

ORGANIZATIONAL SETTING

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. This consultancy is located at Headquarters in the Evaluation Office which reports directly to the Executive Director. The consultant reports to the Director of the Evaluation Office and the Evaluation Officer managing the evaluation.

THE PROJECT

Public and private sectors lack the finance, evidence, political support, know‑how and technical capacity to implement ecosystem restoration initiatives at the scale required. With nearly two thirds of the population expected to live in cities by 2050, the disconnect between urban and natural environments is set to grow further. Significant work is being done on natural ecosystem restoration (natural regeneration), including in protected areas, but the restoration movements need to be broadened into urban areas as well. In terms of finance, because Nature‑based Solutions (NbS) is a new concept, it does not appear in labour statistics or in information about finance flow. An under‑development conceptual framework intends to facilitate how the concept of decent work can be applied to NbS. Around the world, there have been a few ‘first‑mover’ cities and regions that have led the charge on ecosystem restoration, integrating nature and NbS into city planning and urban development. There is, however, a need to build on the momentum developed by these ‘first‑movers’. Considering that cities are at the frontlines of basic service delivery and are investing billions on infrastructure investments, there is an opportunity to engage more with cities across the world and build momentum for great application of restoration to meet citizen needs according to the 2021 UNEP report Smart, Sustainable and Resilient cities: the Power of Nature‑based Solutions. To catalyse nature‑based transformation in finance, jobs and cities, the project is directed towards, and works with, several district, but often overlapping stakeholder groups: employment policies, finance flows and urban planning. The project objective was to track investments and jobs and work in NbS, as well as to encourage business innovation and job creation in NbS; and, to increase engagement of city stakeholders in restoring urban and peri‑urban ecosystems. It intends to leverage synergies to achieve the SDGs as well as other global biodiversity, environmental and climate goals.

THE EVALUATION

In line with the UNEP Evaluation Policy and the UNEP Programme and Project Management Manual, the Terminal Evaluation is undertaken at operational completion of the project to assess project performance (in terms of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency), and to determine outcomes and impacts (actual and potential) stemming from the project, including their sustainability. The Evaluation has two primary purposes: 1) to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements, and 2) to promote operational improvement, learning and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned among UNEP and the main project partners. Therefore, the Evaluation will identify lessons of operational relevance for future project formulation and implementation, especially where a second phase of the project is being considered. Recommendations relevant to the whole house may also be identified during the evaluation process.

THE EVALUATION TEAM

The Evaluation Team will consist of a Principal Evaluator and an Evaluation Specialist who will work under the overall responsibility of the Evaluation Office represented by an Evaluation Manager, in consultation with the UNEP Task Manager, Fund Management Officer and the Subprogramme Coordinator.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE EVALUATION SPECIALIST

The Evaluation Specialist will make substantive and high‑quality contributions to the evaluation process and outputs. The Evaluation Specialist will assist the Principal Evaluator, and both consultants will ensure together that all evaluation criteria and questions are adequately covered, especially in the following scope of work:

• Inception phase of the Evaluation, including:

• preliminary desk review and introductory interviews with project staff;
• draft the reconstructed Theory of Change of the project;
• prepare the evaluation framework;
• develop the desk review and interview protocols;
• draft the survey protocols (if relevant);
• develop and present criteria for country and/or site selection for the evaluation mission;
• plan the evaluation schedule;
• prepare the Inception Report, incorporating comments until approved by the Evaluation Manager.

• Data collection and analysis phase of the Evaluation, including:

• conduct further desk review and in‑depth interviews with project implementing and executing agencies, project partners, and project stakeholders;
• where appropriate and agreed conduct an evaluation mission(s) to the project locations, interview project partners and stakeholders, including a good representation of local communities. Ensure independence of the Evaluation and confidentiality of evaluation interviews.
• regularly report back to the Evaluation Manager on progress and inform of any possible problems or issues encountered;
• keep the Project/Task Manager informed of the evaluation progress.

• Reporting phase, including:

• draft the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that the evaluation report is complete, coherent and consistent with the Evaluation Manager guidelines both in substance and style;
• liaise with the Evaluation Manager on comments received and finalize the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that comments are taken into account until approved by the Evaluation Manager;
• prepare a Response to Comments annex for the main report, listing those comments not accepted by the Evaluation Consultant and indicating the reason for the rejection;
• (where agreed with the Evaluation Manager) prepare an Evaluation Brief (2‑page summary of the evaluand and the key evaluation findings and lessons).

• Managing relations, including:

• maintain a positive relationship with evaluation stakeholders, ensuring that the evaluation process is as participatory as possible but at the same time maintains its independence;
• communicate in a timely manner with the Evaluation Manager on any issues requiring attention and intervention.

QUALIFICATIONS

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, international development or other relevant political or social sciences area is required. A first‑level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the same areas in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. A minimum of seven (7) years of technical/monitoring/evaluation experience is required. Solid research, data management, and writing skills are required. A broad understanding of ecosystems management is desirable. Knowledge of the UN system and specifically the work of UNEP is desirable.

LANGUAGES

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese is desirable.

CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS

The Evaluation Specialist will be selected and recruited by the UNEP Evaluation Office through an individual consultancy contract. The Evaluation Team will submit a concise evaluation report. Actual duration of the assignment is 44 days (within a period of 8 months) to be delivered as follows: Inception Report (30%) Draft report (40%) Final Evaluation Report (30%). The Evaluation Consultant shall have had no prior involvement in the formulation or implementation of the project and will be independent from the participating institutions. The Evaluation Specialist will sign the Evaluation Consultant Code of Conduct Agreement Form. Comprehensive terms of reference will be shared with consultant separately. Apply through the UN Careers website. The application deadline is 24 March 2026. 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.