Evaluation Thematic Lead on Violence against children, Evaluation Office, New York, 6 months, Remote,

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For every child, the right to Future

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

(Consultants may be engaged only when the assignment is of a temporary nature; based on payment for services or work with defined deliverables and outputs that are specific and measurable, to be performed

and completed within a specified period of time. Consultants must not be engaged to perform staff functions or other functions that are not based on defined deliverables or outputs):

The Evaluation Office of UNICEF is conducting the Evaluation of child protection systems strengthening for prevention of and response to violence against children and women, an evaluation included in the UNICEF Plan for Global Evaluations 2026–2029. The evaluation focuses on an important programme area for the organization given the breadth of the child right deprivations that programmes intend to address, the scale of the investment and the strategic importance of violence prevention and response. The evaluation serves the purposes of accountability and the generation of learnings to inform the adjustment of programmes, policies and resource mobilization to strengthen their alignment with the Strategic Plan 2026–2029.

The evaluation will generate independent evidence on the results of UNICEF’s child protection systems strengthening (CPSS) approach for the prevention of and response to violence against children and women. It will focus on outcome-level change during the period of the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022–2025, while it will also incorporate a forward-looking lens to inform implementation during 2026–2029. The evaluation will assess the relevance, coherence and effectiveness of UNICEF approach and country programmes performance, and identify which UNICEF investments and conditions are associated with progress towards higher maturity levels of child protection systems. It will also identify good practices and actionable lessons to inform refinement, adaptation and scale-up, thereby supporting both organizational learning and accountability for results.

The Evaluation Thematic Lead on Violence against children will provide thematic leadership to the evaluation by contributing to the development of evaluation plans, and implementation and products, ensuring the adequate representation and integration of violence against children programmes and child protection systems strengthening as a key strategy in the UNICEF global approach to the prevention of and response to violence against children and women (2026–2027). The consultant will ensure thematic insights and analytical depth across the two evaluation workstreams: synthesis of evaluations of violence programmes in UNICEF (workstream 1) and the evaluation of child protection systems strengthening for prevention of and response to violence against children and women (workstream 2), from theory of change and interventions interpretation and contextualization to final reporting and communication.

Scope of Work:

Under the supervision of the Evaluation Team Leader, the consultant will contribute to both Workstreams 1 (synthesis) and 2 (evaluation) of the Evaluation of child protection systems strengthening for prevention of and response to violence against children and women, described in detail in the evaluation Terms of Reference (t.ly/WiZF7). The consultant will provide thematic leadership to design and implementation of the evaluation plans and products, will contribute to the drafting of products and validation of findings as well as the dissemination of results. The consultant will be responsible of the quality and timely completion of the following tasks:

Inception – Review and refine the evaluation framework, theory of change, evaluation questions, methods, country report outline, data collection protocols, and draft inception summary, including participation in consultations and the first ERG meeting.

Data collection – Ensure thematic quality of country reports, KII protocols, surveys, interviews, stakeholder consultations, and participatory validation workshops.

Analysis and report writing – Lead substantive VAC/CPSS analysis, including for the QCA design and validation, triangulation of qualitative and quantitative evidence, stakeholder consultations, sensemaking sessions, and drafting of the QCA/thematic report.

Finalization and communication – Support validation of findings and recommendations, finalize thematic inputs to the evaluation report, and prepare tailored communication products to promote uptake.

The consultant will work in close collaboration with the other evaluation team members. The consultant will uphold professionalism, impartiality and behavioural independence as per UNEG Norms and Standards.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete TOR here:

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

QUALIFICATIONS / SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE / EXPERIENCE/ COMPETENCIES (CORE/TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL) / LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE ASSIGNMENT 

Minimum requirements : Advanced university degree (Minimum Master's) in: Child Protection / Social Work; Law; Public Health / Epidemiology (violence focus); Gender Studies / Development Studies; Social Policy / International Development with child rights focus

Work Experience:

1. Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in: violence against children programming or research, child protection programmes,
2. Experience in multi-country programme evaluation or evidence synthesis in international development;
3. Engagement with UN/multilateral child rights frameworks
4. Experience managing or advising on child protection programme design, strategies or implementation;

Language Requirements:

1. Fluency in English (written and spoken) required. Working knowledge of French or Spanish is an asset.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

1. Familiarity with UNICEF Child Protection Strategy 2021–2030 and Strategic Plan 2022–2025;
2. Understanding of global VAC strategic frameworks (INSPIRE, WHO guidelines, etc.);
3. Strong report writing, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills

Desirables:

1. Experience with foresight methods in evaluation, research or planning

*Listed requirements will be used for technical evaluation in the competitive process.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone , irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF . Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal template TMC0003758.docx
• A detailed technical proposal

Remarks: 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here .