Peacebuilding UK and Stichting Justice Initiative are looking to hire an evaluation consultant (alternatively, a small team of consultants making a joint application) to evaluate two parallel, ongoing projects supporting around 30 Russian civil society organizations working on human rights issues. The evaluation will take place long-term over a period of up to 12-14 months, beginning with the creation of detailed, real-time baselines in February-March 2022, followed by regular check-ins with our grantees and staff to monitor trends and performance through 2022 and a final assessment at the end of 2022/early 2023. The total time commitment over this period will be approximately 3-4 months, with significant flexibility. Some travel to locations around Russia may be required, but most of the work can be conducted virtually.
Our projects aim to help small and medium-sized human rights organizations across Russia transform their financial strategies away from a largely (foreign) grant-based model to diversified models that include donations, fees for services, endowments etc. This will require them to acquire new technical, accounting and banking skills, improve their communications capacities and engage in new modes of dialogue and participation with the community. In order to support them during this difficult transition, we will provide them core funding that covers their day-to-day operations, as well as training, technical assistance and mentoring, over the period of one year.
We are looking for an evaluator or a small team of evaluators with the following qualifications:
- Excellent, in-depth understanding of the problems and trends affecting Russian civil society organizations (across the country and in various thematic fields), including understanding (from practical experience) of the financial realities, needs and strategies in Russia’s civil society, especially human rights organizations
- Experience designing and implementing evaluations, including for EU-funded projects or the equivalent, resulting in formal evaluation reports
- Experience with and/or training in participatory, non-extractive methods of evaluation
- Professionally fluent in Russian and English (research will take place in Russian, the report has to be prepared in English)
- Expertise in alternative/non-grant resource mobilization, fundraising, financial strategies, sustainability, community outreach, communications (in the Russian context)
- Up-to-date understanding of legislation affecting funding for, and security/sustainability of, NGOs in Russia
- Background in grass-roots civil society work
- Background in human rights work
- No less than 10 years of combined professional experience in a combination of Russian civil society, Russian human rights work and MEL
- Ability to commit to an assignment of up to 15 months
Since our projects have very specific objectives and applies uncommon methodologies, we’re willing to consider candidates who may not have extensive formal evaluation experience, but who instead have hands-on, comprehensive understanding of non-grant resource mobilization among Russian civil society and all its implications (communication, participation etc), so that they can grasp the objectives of our project and the needs and constraints of our grantee NGOs. In fact, candidates with experience in fundraising/non-grant resource mobilization are strongly preferred.
Since some travel around Russia may be required and we cannot offer visa support, we are offering this position to candidates who are citizens or residents or Russia and/or otherwise have easy, unlimited access to Russia.
We do not want all potential applicants to prepare time-consuming, detailed proposals, as are often demanded for consultancies. Instead, please send us the following:
- Your resume/CV, in English or Russian, whichever you prefer and have ready. If you plan to apply as a team, please send all team members’ resumes/CVs.
- A cover letter, in a separate document, of no more than 600 words explaining how you meet the requirements we indicated, including greater detail of relevant experience that may not be appropriately reflected in your resume. If a team is applying, this cover letter may be up to 1000 words long, reflecting all team members.
- A recent (from the last 3 years) writing sample, in English, of a similarly technical/analytical text you produced (if applying as a team, one team member’s writing sample is sufficient)
- A proposed budget, assuming the assignments for both projects will take up a total maximum of 4 months, combined.
- Please combine all materials into one document and title it [last name] MEL application.
Please send your application materials to obshchestvennaya.podderzhka.sp@gmail.com, with the subject line “MEL application [first name last name], as soon as possible, but no later than February 25, 2022. We will review applications on a rolling basis and expect to select an evaluator as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please write to the same address with the subject line “MEL application question”.
Compensation and coverage of per diems and travel cost (if any travel will take place) is in line with industry standards within Russia.
Since the evaluator(s) will evaluate two separate projects led by different organizations, two separate contracts will be signed with the evaluator(s), one with Peacebuilding UK, one with Stichting Justice Initiative.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview and to submit a more detailed proposal with indication of methodology, timeline and milestones.