Evaluation Specialist (Common Oceans Programme Evaluation)

Position details

• Vacancy number: 2601871
• Opportunity type: Non-staff opportunities
• Grade / contract type: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)
• Organizational unit: OED - Office of Evaluation
• Duration: 45-65 working days spread over 6-9 months)
• Application deadline: 10/Oct/2026, 12%5C:59%5C:00 AM

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

Organizational Setting

The Office of Evaluation (OED) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) anchors the evaluation function in the Organization. Evaluation in FAO provides results accountability to both member countries and the Director-General, giving more in-depth understanding and objective basis for their decision-making and oversight. Evaluation also contributes to corporate learning, feeding lessons into a robust feedback loop. Evaluation provides a sound basis for improvements in the Organization's programmes in terms of their relevance to countries, definition of objectives, their design and implementation. The Office also participates in system-wide evaluation initiatives, thereby contributing to assessments of development effectiveness by the United Nations (UN) system.

OED is seeking expressions of interest from senior evaluators and subject-matter specialists to support the evaluation of the GEF-7 Common Oceans Programme “Sustainable utilization and conservation of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction” and of its child projects.

The Common Oceans Programme is a GEF-7 global programme promoting the sustainable use of living marine resources and biodiversity conservation in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). Its five child projects cover sustainable fisheries management, marine biodiversity conservation, ocean governance and cross-sectoral cooperation, ecosystem stewardship, and programme-level coordination, monitoring and knowledge management.

The evaluation will assess both the GEF Programme as a whole and the contribution of its child projects to programme-level results, including programme coherence, integration, Theory of Change, monitoring and evaluation arrangements, and the added value of the programmatic approach. The evaluation specialists will also directly evaluate the child projects implemented by FAO.

Candidates must not have been directly involved in the design, implementation or operational management of the Common Oceans Programme and its child projects.

Reporting Lines

The evaluation specialists will work under the direct supervision of the assigned OED Evaluation Manager and Responsible Officer and under the overall responsibility of the OED Director.

Technical Focus

OED expects to identify approximately three to four consultants for different roles within the evaluation team. Depending on their qualifications and experience, selected consultants may be considered for a senior evaluator or subject-matter specialist role. The multidisciplinary evaluation team will combe extensive evaluation expertise with complementary technical knowledge across the main key focus areas covered by the Programme.

•    International and regional ocean governance and cross-sectoral cooperation 
•    Sustainable fisheries management
•    Integrated ecosystem and precautionary approaches to fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation 
•    Prevention and monitoring of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing
•    Marine governance and ecosystem-based management
•    Capacity building, knowledge management, partnerships and private-sector engagement related to sustainable marine resource management

Tasks and Responsibilities

Depending on the assigned role and area of expertise, the selected candidates will carry out specific tasks in accordance with the evaluation Terms of Reference, including:

•    Review relevant programme, child projects’ technical documentation
•    Contribute to evaluation design, inception reports and data-collection instruments 
•    Develop theories of change and support learning activities and the dissemination of evaluation results
•    Conduct interviews, consultations, field visits and technical assessments
•    Analyse qualitative and quantitative evidence
•    Assess programme and child-projects’ performance, including programme-level coherence, integration, results and monitoring and evaluation arrangements
•    Lead and/or contribute to the presentation and discussion of evaluation findings
•    Lead and/or contribute to the drafting of evaluation reports and other evaluation outputs 
•    Prepare country studies, technical notes to be included in the evaluation reports
•    Contribute to findings, conclusions, recommendations and stakeholder validation processes
•    Address comments from stakeholders and OED quality-assurance reviewers

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in in evaluation, social sciences, environmental sciences, fisheries, marine sciences, international development, public policy, economics or another field relevant to the assignment. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
•    At least 5 years of relevant and proven experience in evaluation and research including in technical area relevant to the GEF Common Oceans Programme (see Technical/Functional Skills below)
•    Working knowledge of English (level C)

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

Team members should have demonstrated experience in the main thematic areas covered by the Common Oceans Programme and demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following:

•    Demonstrated experience in conducting or contributing to complex thematic, programme, portfolio, country or project evaluations
•    Extent and relevance of experience in one or more of the main thematic areas covered by the Common Oceans Programme, including: 
o    Regional fisheries management organizations and their processes 
o    International and regional ocean governance and cross-sectoral cooperation, including relevant international agreements. 
o    Sustainable fisheries management, including tuna and/or deep-sea fisheries
o    Integrated ecosystem and precautionary approaches to fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation (including reduction of bycatch)
o    Fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance and tackling illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing .
o    Marine governance and ecosystem-based management
o    Capacity building, knowledge management, partnerships and private-sector engagement related to sustainable marine resource management
•    Experience with Global Environment Facility (GEF) projects and programmes, including familiarity with GEF International Waters.
•    Proven knowledge of research and evaluation methods, including Theory of Change, results frameworks, result-based management, and monitoring and evaluation systems, as well as assessment of institutional and environmental outcomes.
•    Extent and relevance of experience in international cooperation and multi-stakeholder settings.
•    Experience conducting or contributing to evaluations of GEF-financed interventions is highly desirable.
•    Strong analytical, written and verbal communication skills.

Selection criteria:

•    For candidates considered for a senior evaluator role, demonstrated experience leading complex evaluations and multidisciplinary teams is highly desirable.
•    Working knowledge of another FAO official language is an asset
•    Experience in GEF project design, monitoring and/or evaluation is an asset
•    Inclusion of Motivation Letter containing the following information:
o    Whether you wish to be considered as an evaluation specialist, subject-matter specialist, or both;
o    Your principal areas of thematic and evaluation expertise; 
o    Relevant regional and country experience; 
o    Language skills; 
o    Availability and willingness to undertake field missions; 
o    Any previous involvement with FAO projects or programmes that may represent a potential conflict of interest.

Candidates must disclose any previous or current involvement in the design or implementation of the activities covered by the relevant evaluation. Actual or perceived conflicts of interest may preclude participation in a specific assignment.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application

• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/. These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings. 

• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
•  We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

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