Project Evaluator

Expression of Interest for the Evaluation of Young Women’s Development Groups (YWDG) Project in the North Caucasus of Russia (Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan)

The purpose of the Call for Expression of Interest is to identify eligible candidate/candidates for the evaluation consultancy with the Peacebuilding UK charity. Eligible candidates are invited to submit their CVs and Motivation letters to Peacebuilding UK with the purpose of evaluating the relevance, effectiveness and impact of the YWDG project in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan.

Consultants that wish to participate in this Call for Expression of Interest are requested to email their submissions (CVs along with the Motivation letters) to chris.hunter@peacebuildinguk.org before 22.00 hours (Moscow time) on Sunday, 23rd February 2020 with “Expression of Interest – Evaluation of the YWDG project” marked in the subject heading. Consultants may apply individually or as teams. Applications received in any other form will not be considered.

Applications must be submitted in English. The Motivation letter should contain information about the candidate’s experience with evaluation methodologies, especially for measuring progress on women’s and girls’ human rights and empowerment, as well as experience as a grass-roots activist or supporting grass-roots activists. We will request writing samples, fee requirements and references from candidates after an initial interview. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so please apply as soon as possible. We aim to make an offer by mid-March 2020, so encourage applications by the end of February.

Any requests for additional information should be addressed in writing by 20th February 2020 at the latest to Chris Hunter at chris.hunter@peacebuildinguk.org Peacebuilding UK’s responses to any queries or clarification requests will be made available to all through email no later than three days before the deadline for submission of applications.

Peacebuilding UK is a UK-based charity running children- and youth-focused programming in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union. The YWDG program was launched in 2012 in Chechnya and expanded to the neighbouring republics of Ingushetia and Dagestan in 2016. It was designed by a coalition of local women’s NGOs and is jointly led by them, and reaches around 1,600 girls per year. Peacebuilding UK provides fundraising support, coordination and technical expertise to the project.

The consultant will observe and analyze our extracurricular program for adolescent girls, design an evaluation model of girls’ human rights and empowerment outcomes based on appropriate existing models and the specific context of the region, train program staff in how to apply this measuring model to their ongoing assessment of program outcomes, conduct an evaluation of outcomes among program graduates and participants and prepare a report of the findings.

For this purpose, the consultant will:

  • Conduct initial desk review of program materials and relevant evaluation methods
  • Travel to Russia’s North Caucasus for a four-week period, ideally between April and May 2020
  • Familiarize herself with the program and the specific context of women’s and girls’ rights and empowerment in the region
  • Observe the ongoing program, interview program staff and conduct surveys among program participants and graduates as well as other stakeholders
  • Review current reporting and self-assessment forms and adjust them to reflect the new methodology
  • Prepare a full evaluation report using the newly developed methodology, including recommendations for adjustments and improvements that may lead to stronger outcomes
  • Liaise with Peacebuilding UK staff and program advisers at all stages about progress

We are looking for candidates who:

  • Have a demonstrated commitment to promoting women’s and girls’ human rights, equality, freedom and opportunity, and to community-based activism that creates this change
  • Have a strong track record of evaluating programs empowering women and girls
  • Ideally, have some background in girls’ empowerment, girls’ (extracurricular) education etc.
  • Ideally, have developed measurement methodologies for women’s and girls’ human rights and equality
  • Have experience in research and analytical roles as well as in activism, working with grass-roots organizations and working in difficult, post-conflict and/or patriarchal communities in the global South
  • Have experience in training and mentoring community-based activists
  • Demonstrate strong leadership and take initiative, have problem-solving capacities, flexibility, reliability, diplomacy and patience, ability to work under stressful and difficult conditions, good time management and communication skills

Eligibility criteria:

  • Must be a citizen of Russia or Eurasian Customs Union country, with valid passport
  • Proven background in women’s rights, feminist activism or analysis, gender equality
  • Availability to travel to the North Caucasus (Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia) for at least 4 weeks in April-May 2020; to prepare/do desk review in March 2020; complete a final report by the last week of May
  • Can be a team of two or more consultants
  • Master’s degree in gender studies or human rights, or social sciences
  • Applications from professionals with experience of research/analysis of donor-funded programming will be preferable
  • Awareness of/interest in the situation of women and girls in the North Caucasus
  • Ability to design evaluation methods that are suitable to working directly with girls aged 12-19
  • At least 12 years working experience in the area relevant to this assignment
  • Native-level fluency in Russian and excellent, proven technical writing skills (a relevant writing sample will be requested from candidates invited for interviews) in English
  • Must be available for two months-April and May 2020

Peacebuilding UK will provide the necessary guidance and support for this consultancy including for work and living arrangements in North Caucasus of Russia during the consultant/consultants’ mission. The budget for evaluation will cover industry-standard fees.