CONSULTANT - EXTERNAL EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT "WEAVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN PILE, MANABI"

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Culture Sector (CLT)

Duty Station: Quito

 

Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]

Standard Duration of Assignement : [[filter13]]

Job Family: Culture

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 30/11/2022

 

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

 

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

This contract seeks to achieve an external evaluation of the impact of the project “Weaving Sustainable Development in Pile, Manabi”, which is funded by the Embassy of France in Ecuador and is being implemented by the Office of UNESCO in Quito and Cluster to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, as project leader, along with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage of Ecuador and the National Institute for Cultural Heritage.

It´s expected that the evaluation succeeds at analysing and extracting lessons and elements for reflection and learning on the degree of achievement of the objectives and results implemented throughout the project, in the dimensions of safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, training, and value chain of the hat. Thus, the contractor shall work using the criterion of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, by contacting the beneficiaries, project partners and donor.

The project aims at contributing to the safeguarding of the traditional weaving of the Ecuadorian toquilla straw hat, in an inclusive, participatory and gender transformative manner. Additionally, the process seeks to strengthen the regulatory framework regarding cultural heritage in Ecuador and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1.2; 4.4; 4.5; 5; 8.6; 8.9; 11.4 and 12.2.

DELIVERABLES

The Consultant will achieve the following deliverables:
Designing and validation of a workplan. All dates, field missions and products must be previously validated by UNESCO. The workplan shall consider:
Desk review of documents developed throughout the project (including project document), provided by UNESCO
At least one week of field work in Pile (the contractor will have accompaniment of the local UN Volunteer to approach inhabitants of the community)
Approaching beneficiaries, project partners and stakeholders
Methodology and techniques for data collection, including qualitative and quantitative indicators for evaluation
A meeting with the project partners and donor in Quito to present the results of the evaluation
An evaluation report in Spanish and French correctly aligned with UNESCO´s guidelines for structuring evaluation reports. It shall consist of:
Main objectives, aligned with the project goals and expected results.
Characterization of participants in data collection process
Scope of the evaluation
Description of the methodology and data collection techniques
Methodological limitations of the evaluation
Findings on the impact of the project in the dimensions of safeguarding, training and value chain mainstreamed by gender equality and youth.
Conclusions and learnings
Recommendations
Annexes (photographs, minute meetings, list of people and institutions consulted, matrices and other relevant supporting documents)
An intermediary report on progress to attain the evaluation questions
A 2-page publishable synthetic report, according to the template provided
Throughout the consultancy, activities must be implemented at least partly in person. Activities must include meetings, workshops and/or focus groups (among others if it´s the case) that allow the active and meaningful involvement of women and young people of the community of Pile, as well as project partners.
In total, it is estimated that at least two field missions to Pile take place, prior validation of UNESCO.

EVALUATION CRITERION

The evaluator shall propose the methodology as well as the qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques to be applied in order to attain the following questions:
Relevance: Was the project pertinent regarding the community-based need identification?
Was the implementation of the project and the solutions proposed adequate and adapted to the needs of the beneficiaries and its context in the framework of UNESCO´s 2003 Convention?
Did the subproducts originated from the outcomes harm the relevance of the project or benefit it?
Has the project been able to adapt to changes in the context and were its objectives appropriate?
Coherence: To what extent has the project been consistent with and complementary to local initiatives and ongoing programmes of the main partners (Embassy of France in Ecuador, UNESCO-Quito, Ministry of Culture and Heritage and National Institute for Cultural Heritage (INPC))?
What was the level of coherence and complementarity of the project with other means mobilized by local initiatives and programmes carried out by the main partners?
What were the obstacles and limits of this coherence and complementarity?
Effectiveness: To what extent has the project set the path for actions in favour of access, participation, and management of the intangible cultural heritage?
Did the project conduct activities that contribute to the safeguarding of the traditional weaving of the Ecuadorian toquilla straw hat?
Did the project contribute to the strengthening of skills especially in women and youth?
Did the project conduct innovatory actions to attain its main objective and impact?
How did the project address gender transformative actions?
Efficiency: What is the level of efficiency of the project?
Was the implementation of the project efficient?
Are the outputs accordingly to the objectives of the project?
To what extent are the outputs that were incorporated to the project during its implementation relevant to the expected results?
Impact: To what extent are the benefits of the project likely to continue after its implementation?
What are the main factors influencing the sustainability of project results?
Are the tools and strategies developed likely to be reused or replicated by other public institutions, the community of Pile itself, or in other programmes in the field of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage?
To what extent is the project likely to guarantee active participation of community actors in safeguarding actions?

QUALIFICATIONS AND SELECTION

The consultant will be chosen based on their technical and financial proposal, as well as their education and experience

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) Professionalism (C) - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework. EXPERIENCE

• Four 4 years of experience in research and more specifically, monitoring and/or evaluating projects related to cultural heritage and/or sustainable development.
• At least two 2 years of experience working with communities from a rural background.
• Proven experience in projects in the field of education, culture, cultural heritage, human rights, and development.
• Experience in project management is an asset

SKILLS

•    Strong communication, synthesis, writing, and editing skills
•    Excellent verbal and written communication.
•    Strong organizational and planning capacities.
•    Strong ability to work with youth.
•    Excellent ability to work in a coordinated manner with multiple partners.
•    Autonomy, proactivity, and ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
•    Willingness and ability to work in a multicultural context, openness and tolerance, respect for difference.

CONTRACT PERIOD

Two months

WORKPLACE AND WORKING HOURS

The Consultant will conduct their tasks and responsibilities under the authority of the Director of the Office, and the supervision of the Culture Programme Specialist.

The contract is valid for 2 months from the date of its signature and requires exclusive dedication from the Postulant.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduate (Masters) degree in Sociology, Anthropology, Statistics or related.
• Experience in projects/programmes for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, in Andean countries
• Relevant experience in United Nations agencies, programs, and funds, or international organisations on consultancy assignments, in relation to the areas of intervention of the project (cultural heritage, environment, rural development, value chains, decent work, gender, and youth).

LANGUAGES

• Native or bilingual in Spanish and English

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

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