Evaluation specialists – Climate-Resilient Agriculture & Water Management (Various profiles)

Organizational Setting

The FAO Office of Evaluation (OED) is launching the interim evaluation of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) funded \"Quémé Basin Climate-Resilience Initiative (OCRI) Benin\" project. The overall goal of the OCRI project is to enhance the climate resilience of communities living in the Quémé Basin of Benin and catalyze a shift toward Integrated Climate-Resilient Management (ICRM) in the Upper and Middle Quémé areas. This is being achieved through three interconnected components:
•     Implementing Adaptation Technologies: Integrating soft and hard climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) and water management techniques (micro-dams, agroforestry, FFS) across 95,000 hectares to restore ecosystems and boost agricultural productivity.
•     Strengthening Value Chains: Supporting climate-resilient and gender-sensitive value chains (maize, cashew, shea, mango) by providing training in market planning, agribusiness, and facilitating access to finance and private sector investment.
•     Establishing an Enabling Environment: Institutionalizing the ICRM approach through the multi-stakeholder OCRI Platform, strengthening regulatory frameworks (SDAGE/PDL), and developing sustainable financial strategies for long-term project replication and upscale.
The interim evaluation will primarily serve to assess the progress achieved at the midpoint and to identify the areas requiring adjustments for the remaining implementation period of the project. The objective is to provide the project team, implementing partners, and relevant stakeholders with evidence-based information and recommendations to improve the project's performance and maximize its impact.

The FAO Office of Evaluation seeks national and international consultants, for the roles of team leader and team members, with proven expertise in evaluation, integrated water resource management, climate-resilient agriculture (CRA), value chain strengthening, and institutional governance to join the evaluation team. The selected experts will contribute their sector-specific technical knowledge and experience in social safeguards (including gender) within a rigorous, independent evaluation framework.

Reporting Lines

The Evaluation Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Office of Evaluation (OED) Director and the direct supervision of the assigned OED Lead and the OED Evaluation Manager. They will work in close collaboration with other members of the evaluation team.

Technical Focus

Independent evaluation of project interventions in Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA) and water management, including the technical performance, sustainability, Gender and climate adaptation impacts of the Integrated Climate-Resilient Management (ICRM) approach.

Team Leader (Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Water Management):

The Team Leader will design the evaluation methodology, oversee data collection, and lead the assessment of project interventions in CRA, water management, and related capacity-building efforts. They will ensure cross-cutting issues such as gender, inclusion, and climate resilience are integrated, coordinate the work of the evaluation team, and produce the final comprehensive evaluation report.

Team Members (Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Water Management Specialists):

The Team Members will support the design of tools, review documentation, and contribute to evidence collection through field visits or interviews. They will provide technical inputs on CRA, water management, and value chain interventions, integrate cross-cutting issues in their analysis, and draft sections of the report in their areas of expertise

Tasks and responsibilities

Team Leader (Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Water Management)

•     Lead the design of the evaluation methodology and data collection tools, ensuring the inclusion of appropriate methods for assessing integrated interventions.
•     Review project documentation, technical reports (e.g., funding proposal, progress reports) and relevant national policies/strategies
•     Conduct field visits to the five target municipalities of the Quémé Basin and/or conduct virtual interviews with beneficiaries, project staff, executing agencies, and other stakeholders.
•     Lead the assessment of the relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency of the project’s interventions, including the waterworks and CRA/agroforestry interventions; the climate-resilient value chains and the OCRI Platform and institutional capacity-building efforts
•     Lead the analysis of the results against the project’s Theory of Change and GCF objectives, particularly the contribution to the paradigm shift towards integrated basin management.
•     Integrate cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, social inclusion, and climate resilience (including the specific mitigation measures for women’s vulnerability).
•     Review and incorporate the inputs of the evaluation team members to the draft report in their areas of expertise.
•     Prepare a comprehensive evaluation report, both in substance and style, based on the template agreed in the inception report.

Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Water Management Specialist

•     Contribute to the design of the evaluation methodology and data collection tools, ensuring the inclusion of appropriate methods for assessing integrated interventions.
•     Review project documentation, technical reports (e.g., funding proposal, progress reports) and relevant national policies/strategies
•     Where relevant, participate in field visits to the five target municipalities of the Quémé Basin and/or conduct virtual interviews with beneficiaries, project staff, executing agencies, and other stakeholders.
•     Support the assessment of the relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency of the project’s interventions, including the waterworks and CRA/agroforestry interventions; the climate-resilient value chains and the OCRI Platform and institutional capacity-building efforts
•     Support the analysis of the results against the project's Theory of Change and GCF objectives, particularly the contribution to the paradigm shift towards integrated basin management.
•     Integrate cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, social inclusion, and climate resilience (including the specific mitigation measures for women's vulnerability).
•     Contribute to the draft relevant sections of the evaluation report, including findings, conclusions, and evidence-based recommendations.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     For Consultants: Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in Agricultural Economics, Water Management, Environmental Sciences, Public Policy, or Social Sciences; Consultants with bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
For PSAs: University degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in Agricultural Economics, Water Management, Environmental Sciences, Public Policy, or Social Sciences.
•     At least 5 years of professional experience relevant to the specific technical focus area(s) sought (e.g., integrated water management, climate-resilient agriculture, rural finance, or institutional development), with demonstrated experience in conducting evaluations in international development interventions.
•     Full proficiency/Working knowledge of English and French is mandatory.

FAO Core Competencies

•     Results Focus
•     Teamwork
•     Communication
•     Building Effective Relationships
•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Demonstrated experience in conducting evaluations of Climate Change Adaptation projects, preferably within the agriculture and water resource sectors in Africa.
•     Strong technical knowledge in at least one of the following domains: Integrated Climate-Resilient Management (ICRM), Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA) (including FFS/FBS methodology), small-scale waterworks engineering, or rural financial mechanisms (micro-credit, value chain finance).
•     Proven ability to integrate Gender Equality and Social Inclusion into evaluation design and findings, specifically analyzing vulnerability and empowerment in the context of the project's Gender Action Plan (GAP).
•     Familiarity with GCF evaluation requirements and methodology
•     Experience working with diverse stakeholders, including government ministries, local communities, and private sector partners in West Africa.
•     Proven ability to apply rigorous qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods, including data collection, analysis, and triangulation.
•     Excellent analytical, writing, and presentation skills, with the ability to prepare evidence-based findings and recommendations.

Selection Criteria

•     Relevance and depth of experience in evaluating complex, interdisciplinary projects integrating agriculture, water, and institutional capacity-building.
•     Extent of technical expertise directly relevant to the OCRI project's core interventions, such as the performance of agroforestry/ Climate-Resilient Agriculture and water management infrastructure.
•     Demonstrated ability to integrate cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, social inclusion, and climate resilience into
evaluations. 
•     Strong communication skills and ability to produce high-quality written outputs in English and French