Samaritan’s Purse (SP) is looking for a consultant to conduct a performance evaluation on the effectiveness and relevance of Samaritan's Purse's Food Assistance, WASH, and Shelter & Settlement non-food items (NFI) activities in relation to the goal of reducing NFI vulnerability, improving food consumption, and reducing negative coping mechanisms. The results of this evaluation will be used to learn about the effectiveness of the activities undertaken during the “Emergency Response and Economic Recovery for Eastern DRC” project in order to improve humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations in future interventions. It will employ a variety of methodologies, including internal baseline and endline assessment dataset comparison, desk-based literature review, focus group discussions with beneficiaries, interviews with beneficiaries and key stakeholders, including local government, IDP representatives, key cluster leaders, and key SP staff involved in the implementation process, to explore issues identified in the evaluation's datasets from internal assessments (e.g., effects on local markets, management, and suggestions for improvement etc.).
The evaluation activities will run for an estimated 59 days from January 9 - March 23, 2023 and will evaluate the entire life of the project up until the period of evaluation. Required deliverables are the following:
- An Inception Report - January 18, 2023
- A Draft Evaluation Report - February 28, 2023
- A Final Evaluation Report - March 23, 2023
All evaluation findings need to be at least crosschecked and triangulated through various sources and methods in order to ensure their credibility and reliability, including:
Qualitative methods
- Review of project reports and documentation; (e.g. Project proposal, baseline reports, end-line reports, and Post Distribution Monitoring reports, and semi-annual and annual reports of achievements and databases.
- Conduct stakeholder interviews; This will involve structured and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders including service providers; vendors, IDP representatives, local administration and sector leaders (administered either face-to-face, by telephone, or by webcam).
- Organize focus group discussions with vendors, beneficiaries, and women's rights advocates. Make a conscious effort to ensure that separate FGDs are held for men and women.
Quantitative methods
- Examine the appropriateness and effectiveness of the food assistance intervention, including its complementarity with RRMP;
- Conduct a costing analysis to determine which option (food, cash, or vouchers) offers the greatest benefit for funds invested;
- Analyze the influence of the aid on the beneficiary's overall food consumption by statistically comparing baseline and end-line changes in the FCS, rCSI, HHS, and other food security indicators; the data from the aforementioned analysis will be disaggregated in accordance with the International Dietary Data Expansion (INDDEX) food security disaggregation standards.
Consultant Profile/Requirements
Education
- A master's degree in development studies, social sciences, or economics, or a bachelor's degree with relevant experience in place of a master's degree.
Experience
- Working experience and understanding of humanitarian response operations and principles.
- At least 10 years of humanitarian programming experience, preferably in conflict settings, with a thorough understanding of cash, direct, and voucher modality of assistance in sectors such as food assistance and NFIs (Shelter & Settlement and WASH).
- Experience of conducting evaluations (USAID desirable) ideally leading an evaluation team and experience of designing evaluation methodology / tools, data analysis, etc.
- Proven ability and comprehensive understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and analysis.
- Experience working in the humanitarian or development sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Skills
- Excellent research skills, including the ability to collect, collate and analyze large amounts of qualitative data and identify critical aspects to succinctly communicate complex subject matter (in written and oral form) to make it accessible to wider audiences.
- Strong analytical, presentation, and writing skills in English and French (required); knowledge of Swahili or any of the other local languages is a plus.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to maintain trust and good working relationships with counterparts and multiple stakeholders.
- Capacity to work independently and with minimal supervision
- Personal commitment, efficiency, and flexibility
- Strong organizational and time management skills, and ability to deliver under tight timelines
How to apply
Complete applications should be submitted by email to SPDRCProcurement@samaritan.org no later than December 05, 2022 at 23:59 Central Africa Time.
Applications should include:
- A curriculum vitae, clearly outlining relevant past experiences, as well as the contact details of the applicant and at least three professional references.
- A cover letter underlining why the individual considers themselves to be the most suitable for the assignment, referring to relevant expertise and qualifications sought in the SOW (two pages maximum)
- A technical and financial proposal
- A sample of a recent evaluation
- A signed letter of interest confirming availability
A complete Terms of Reference for the Scope of Work is available upon request sent to SPDRCProcurement@samaritan.org.
Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for the assignment.
