Form of Employment: Consultancy
Starting Date: December 2020
Duration: The total number of days required for the work is somewhat flexible and should be specified and logically justified in the proposal being submitted. We do however envisage a maximum workload of 25-30 days.
Location: Islamabad with possible travel to Peshawar and Lahore
Background
Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. DRI promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies, and the development of democratic institutions worldwide.
DRI is currently recruiting a part-time MEL Consultant: External Evaluation for Human Rights and Local Governance Project for its Country Office in Pakistan. In collaboration with the Project Officer MEL, and under the supervision of the Country Representative, the expert will design and conduct a Final Project Evaluation of DRI’s project “Consolidating Democratic Stability in Pakistan”. The assignment will be conducted in Islamabad with possible travel to Peshawar and Lahore. Depending on the situation of covid-19 in the country, some work might need to be done remotely.
The DRI country office in Pakistan is implementing “Consolidating Democratic Stability in Pakistan” project since July 2019 with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office. The Overall Objective of the Project is to strengthen local constituencies, both on the governmental and non-governmental side, to consolidate the democratic transition in Pakistan, especially with a view to human rights protection and effective, decentralised governance.
The project focuses on enabling the democratic structures to promptly deliver on human rights protection and expanding democracy to the local level to empower the local population within the political system, especially marginalised sections of society such as women, minorities, and youth. Specifically, the project aims to contribute to increasing the capacity of key human rights actors and institutions to improve human rights advocacy and protection in Pakistan (Outcome 1). It furthermore aims to enhance the effectiveness of political stakeholders and civil society actors to drive forward the reform process on decentralised governance in Pakistan, with a special focus on built-in rights protection (Outcome 2).
The project’s main focus is on the province of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because new local government laws were introduced in these provinces. However, there are some interventions that are implemented across Pakistan (inter-provincial exchanges).
Context of the Evaluation
The project duration was initially 18 months (from July 2019 to December 2020). Due to the global pandemic of covid-19, the project has been extended for three months due to the delays in implementation and is due for completion in March 2021. An extensive needs assessment and baseline assessment was concluded in December 2019. With most of the planned activities completed by the end of December 2020, the final evaluation will be initiated in December as DRI-Pakistan is in the process of finalizing its organizational strategy and the findings and recommendations from the evaluation will be useful to inform future programming and strategy.
Purpose of the Evaluation
The purpose of this final evaluation is to document learning, gauge effectiveness of DRI’s programming approach and assess the results delivered through the project. The findings should support the DRI-PK team in its future programming and organisational strategy. The consultant will be required to assess the project against the OECD-DAC criteria of relevance, effectiveness, coherence, and sustainability of the project interventions. The consultant should also review the effectiveness of gender and social inclusion in the project’s delivery.
In particular, the evaluation will:
- Evaluate the extent to which the project has met its expected results as per the project’s logframe
- Identify the most significant change that occurred as a result of the project activities
- Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the project and provide recommendations regarding areas for improvement for a potential continuation of the project
- Formulate lessons learnt from the project’s implementation and introduce recommendations to improve the design and delivery of a potential continuation of the project
- Identify success stories and clearly describe the role of the project activities and partners
- Identify opportunities for the sustainability of the project outcomes
- Assess the extent and modes of gender inclusion in the project activities and how they were affected by the project
- Provide recommendations as to how to improve outcomes and inclusion for youth, women and other marginalised groups in a potential continuation of the project
Audience of the Evaluation
The target audience of the evaluation is the project team as well the management at country office and HQ level to share lessons learnt and recommendations. The findings of the evaluation will also be shared with the donor and project beneficiaries.
Scope of the Evaluation
The evaluation will be a detailed exercise where data collected against the baseline and throughout the project implementation along with some new data collected will be used to inform the evaluation questions and report findings. The evaluation will cover the period July 2019-December 2020 to assess the project results in light of the following evaluation criteria and questions: [1]
- Relevance
- How relevant is the project to target groups, including Governments’ needs and priorities?
- Are the project objectives still relevant to other key stakeholders (project donor, implementing partner, other donors)? What can the team do to stay relevant to the needs of the beneficiary and donor?
- Effectiveness
- What expected and unexpected results have been achieved so far?
- What are the main constraints for implementation/reasons for any delays in implementation?
- Is there a need to modify the objectives for a follow-up programme? If yes then what can be the revised objectives?
- What changes have occurred so far? And how significant are they?
- Coherence
- To what extent is the project engaging with other national and international stakeholders?
- Sustainability [2]
- How has the project ensured the sustainability of its interventions? What can be done to ensure increased sustainability?
- How can the team maximize its outreach to ensure the sustainability of the interventions?
- Gender and Social Inclusion will be used as a cross-cutting theme throughout the review.
- To what extent has the project integrated a gender sensitivity lens?
- Are there any constraints for gender and diversity inclusion? If yes, what measures can be taken to improve?
- MEL
- Are there any questions about implementation, change or lessons that cannot be answered through current MEL processes?
- Are current indicators, methodologies and approach appropriate?
Evaluation Methodology
A mixed-method approach for evaluation will be used for the evaluation where qualitative as well as quantitative data will be collected against the evaluation questions and analysed to inform the findings. An analysis of the following data sources is required:
- desk review (baseline assessment, progress reports, MEL data, any secondary sources, etc.)
- interviews/focus group discussions
- surveys/questionnaires
Data triangulation should be guaranteed as much as possible while analysing the data to ensure the validity of the findings. As part of the assignment, the consultant will be required to conduct a lesson learned workshop in December with the project team in Islamabad, which will enable him/her to collect evidence against change through the project interventions. Further data will be collected through interviews/FGDs and surveys/questionnaires with the team as well as the beneficiaries in the provinces. Some of the key stakeholders for the evaluation are listed below:
- Project team based in Islamabad- 1 Focus Group discussion and 2-3 interviews
- Relevant staff members from the Human Rights Departments in the provinces- 6-8 Interviews
- DRI Provincial coordinators –2 interviews
- Members of Provincial Assemblies (particularly members of standing committees of human rights and local government) – around 6 interviews
- Civil society members – 2 Focus Group Discussions
- Area experts – 2-3 interviews
- Other relevant stakeholders (donor community, organisations working on human rights and local government interventions)- surveys/interviews
After finalization of the report by the evaluation committee, the findings will be presented in a workshop to the team members in February.
Team and Partner Responsibilities
An internal review committee comprising of Programme Officer- MEL, Country Representative and HQ MEL focal person will be responsible for the evaluation and will work in close coordination with the consultant. The internal committee will provide the consultant with relevant project documents and data, support in liaising and coordinating meetings with stakeholders and review and approve the assignment deliverables.
Key Deliverables of the Evaluation and Timelines
- Inception report, including evaluation plan, survey design, methodology, data collection tools and templates (by 10.12.2020)
- Design and deliver lessons learned workshop with the project team (by 16-12-2020)
- Recommendations to inform implementation for the remainder of the project (by 17.12.2020)
- Data collection including FGDs and interviews with stakeholders (by 08.01.2021)
- First draft of Evaluation Report (by 15.01.2021)
- Final Evaluation Report, including findings, conclusions and recommendations (by 29.01.2021) and
- Presentation to the team (by 04.02.2021)
Qualifications and Experience Required
- Advanced degree (Masters or higher) in law, political science, development studies, social sciences, human rights and/or other related fields;
- At least 5 years demonstrated working experience in project/programme monitoring and evaluation, particularly regarding human rights-related and governance activities;
- In-depth knowledge of the political context of the country, and experience of working with relevant stakeholders which include the National Human Rights Bodies, the Parliament and the Civil Society of the country,
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
- Ability to work as part of a diverse team -cultural and gender sensitivity;
- Flexibility in working hours and ability to travel;
- Fluency in written and spoken English and Urdu.
- Proven report writing skills
What We Offer:
DRI offers you flexible working hours, training options, and the opportunity to work as part of an international and diverse team.
How to Apply:
If you are interested in this position, please send your application (CV, technical and financial proposal (4-5 pages) and details of three professional references) to [email protected]. Please include “MEL Consultant: External evaluation for Human Rights and Local Governance project” in the subject line and refer to the source where you have found this opportunity. This position is subject to funding. Applying for this position by post mail is possible, please find our address details below.
Closing date for applications: 22 November 2020. The position may be filled before the deadline has been reached, so early applications are encouraged.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.
DRI is committed to diversity and does not discriminate in employment based upon gender (including pregnancy), race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, age, ability, socio-economic status, or any other status protected by the laws in the locations where we operate.
Organisation responsible for this vacancy:
Democracy Reporting International gGmbH
Elbestraße 28/29
12045 Berlin, Germany
Tel +49 30 27877300
Fax +49 30 27877300-10
Data processing of personal data in third countries will not take place. We process your data in accordance with the provisions of § 26 German Federal Data Protection Act. More information about processing your personal data: privacy policy.
[1] The scope of work may be revised/slightly changed after the initial discussion.
[2] For reference, please refer to OECD-DAC’s evaluation criteria: https://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/revised-evaluation-criteria-dec-2019.pdf