Team Leader and/or Team Member of Evaluation team

The Office of Evaluation (OED) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is conducting a regional project evaluation in Africa. The project is based on a South-South cooperation methodology and aims to increase rice productivity and sustainability in ten African countries (Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda). Consultants with expertise in these areas are invited to apply.

Reporting Lines

Consultants respond to the OED evaluation manager under the general responsibility of the Office of Evaluation (OED).

The project relies on the sharing of knowledge, technologies and experiences between African countries, and on the harmonisation of policies and collaboration between beneficiary countries, to develop more efficient, more sustainable and more productive rice systems in Africa. A strong element of the project is therefore to manage to establish coordination and collaboration mechanisms between governments, civil society, peasant organisations, and public-private and development partners in the region. Best practices for spreading improved rice seeds, developing irrigation systems, limiting post-harvest losses and building farmers’ capacities are to be shared and implemented in beneficiary countries. On the other hand, political, institutional and market reforms are expected to improve the production and productivity of the rice value chain in Africa through the establishment of transparent and accessible markets and the creation of national policies and institutional frameworks that are efficient for rice production.

The project evaluation manager will recruit a team composed of two international consultants, preferably home-based on the African continent; the team as a whole will be qualified in the following areas\:

• Rice and rice value chains;
• Policy analysis;
• South-South Technical Cooperation

• Be responsible for ensuring conformity with standards for evaluation in FAO.
• Conduct the evaluation and applying the methodology elaborated in the evaluation Terms of Reference together with the evaluation team.
• Participate with the evaluation team in briefing and debriefing meetings, discussions, field visits and will contribute to the evaluation with written inputs.
• Work in close collaboration with the OED Evaluation manager responsible for this evaluation.
• Work from home and to travel to beneficiary countries as part of this assignment (most likely destinations being Tanzania and Senegal).

• Advanced university degree in (for Consultants) / University degree (only for PSA) agro-economics, economics, policy analysis, South-South cooperation, development studies, or another related field
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in evaluation, preferably of agricultural project and/or programs
• Working knowledge of English or French (level C) and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other two.

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in either Senegal or Tanzania a plus
• Extent and relevance of experience in evaluations
• Extent and relevance of experience in agricultural and particularly rice and/or other cereal value-chains
• Familiarity with South-South Technical Cooperation mechanisms