National Consultant - Conduct a Baseline Assessment for the EmpowerED Programme in Zambia

The Position:

EmpowerED is UNFPA’s global initiative to expand universal access to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) for adolescents and youth. This initiative seeks to enhance their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and ensure they live a life free from violence. The project will improve access to in-school and out-of-school gender-transformative CSE for adolescents and youths in 10 countries while also strengthening the linkages to services for gender-based violence (GBV) and SRHR. 

To achieve these goals, EmpowerED will work at the global level, regional level (in the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, East and Southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West and Central Africa) and national level (in Argentina, Benin, Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Moldova, Philippines, Tunisia and Zambia) to: 

• Improve the availability of quality and evidence-based gender-transformative CSE content for adolescents and youth, particularly adolescent girls. 
• Increase access and uptake of gender-transformative CSE programmes to contribute to GBV prevention and increase the agency and decision-making power of adolescents and youth, especially adolescent girls. 
• Strengthen the capacity of key partners to invest in and create an enabling environment for quality and inclusive delivery of CSE programming. 

  How you can make a difference:

  UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

  In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

  UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
   

  Job Purpose:

  As per the donor’s requirements, a baseline assessment for the project needs to be conducted in the first months of implementation. This assessment will provide critical data to inform programme planning, implementation, and evaluation, ensuring that the programme's goals and objectives are met effectively. 

  The baseline assessment will be conducted at the country level based on an existing Performance Measurement Framework and a standard methodology developed at the global level to ensure comparability between EmpowerED countries. 

  Under the direct supervision of the EmpowerED focal point at UNFPA Zambia Country Office, and in close consultation with the global M&E Consultant and the CSE M&E Specialist at the Gender, Human Rights and Inclusion Branch (UNFPA Technical Division), the incumbent will conduct the baseline assessment for the EmpowerED programme in Zambia.

  You would be responsible for:

  1. Data collection and analysis for baseline assessment
     • Prepare all relevant documentation and follow-up on ethical review processes for data collection and analysis.
     • Conduct literature review, surveys, interviews, focus group discussions and other data collection activities as detailed in the methodology, to collect data on the relevant indicators for the EmpowerED country programme.
     • Conduct qualitative and quantitative data analysis to establish baseline values for all relevant indicators.
       1. Stakeholder Engagement
          • Engage with key stakeholders, including UNFPA Zambia country office, government counterparts, and implementing partners, to ensure their input and buy-in for the baseline assessment.
          • Facilitate consultations and validation workshops to present preliminary findings and gather feedback.
            1. Reporting and Documentation
               • Prepare a comprehensive baseline assessment report for Zambia, following the provided methodology/metadata for each indicator, the logic model and M&E framework. 
               • Develop data visualization materials and presentations to communicate key findings to diverse stakeholders.
               • Share findings and tools in national, regional and global meetings.
               •  

                 Consultancy Period: From 01 July 2025 - 30 September 2025

                 Place where services are to be delivered: The consultant will be based in Lusaka, with possibility to travel to program locations to conduct data collection.

                 Delivery dates and how work will be delivered:

                  

                 Estimated timeframe

                 Task

                 Throughout

                 Attend meetings and capacity strengthening sessions with Global M&E Consultant and UNFPA focal points.

                 15 July 2025

                 Documentation and ethical clearance - if relevant - for baseline assessment is completed.

                 31 July 2025

                 Data collection is completed

                 📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

                 ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

                 25 August 2025

                 Data analysis for all relevant indicators is completed and preliminary findings shared with UNFPA for feedback

                 30 August 2025

                 Validation meeting with relevant stakeholders is conducted

                 15 September 2025

                 Baseline assessment is finalized and submitted to UNFPA electronically.

                 15 - 30 September 2025

                 Attend meetings and answer requests from Global M&E Consultant and UNFPA focal points.

                 Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:

                 • Update and review of progress weekly via virtual meetings.
                 • The consultant(s) will be provided with the necessary logistical support for field work to enable them deliver on the expected outputs.
                 • UNFPA technical team will provide technical advice and technical support during the consultations and development of the training.

                   UNFPA will apply performance-based principles to the management of the consultancy contract, in which case the contract sum will be paid in instalments as will be stipulated in the contract and based upon certification of works done. The instalments will be paid in the following stages:
                   
                   i) 30% upon submission of the inception report
                   ii) 40% upon submission of the draft baseline report
                   iii) 30% upon submission of a satisfactory final baseline report, 5 paper summary and a slide deck of the baseline report

                   Supervisory arrangements: The consultant will report to the EmpowerED focal point at UNFPA Country Office, and in close consultation with the global M&E Consultant and the CSE M&E Specialist at the Gender, Human Rights and Inclusion Branch (UNFPA Technical Division)

                   Expected travel: Potential travel to Northern, Western and Western Provinces for data collection.

                   Qualifications and Experience: 

                   Education:  

                   Advanced university degree (Master’s or PhD) in Monitoring and Evaluation, public health, social sciences (gender, women’s studies, social work, sociology, psychology, anthropology) or other relevant field with specific training or advanced knowledge and experience in baseline assessment.

                   Knowledge and Experience: 

                   • Minimum of 5 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation, data management and statistics, research, learning, knowledge management or any other related area with a focus on SRHR, gender equality, CSE or GBV.
                   • Proven experience in conducting national or sub-national baseline assessments and evaluations.
                   • Specialized knowledge of M&E for programmes related to CSE, SRHR, GBV and/or gender equality issues.
                   • Ability to apply human-rights based approaches to programming and frameworks and conduct equity focused research and analysis.
                   • Strong background in both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
                   • Demonstrated proficiency in statistical software (e.g. SAS, SPSS, STATA or R) for quantitative data analysis, including survey likert scales, categorical data and disaggregation's; in qualitative data analysis software (Dedoose, Nvivo, MaxQDA, Atlas TI, etc); and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
                   • Strong writing and analytical skills, including the capacity to synthesize and systematize information.
                   • Demonstrated experience, knowledge and comfort working on sensitive topics such as SRHR, GBV etc, including probing during data collection in a culturally-sensitive manner. 
                   • Initiative, sound judgement and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members from different national and cultural backgrounds.
                   • Fluency in Bemba, Nyanja, Lozi (at least two of the listed local languages) and in English is mandatory, with experience transcribing and translating documents. 
                   • Prior experience in M&E on large-scale projects within the UN or major government funded programmes is an asset. Competencies:
                   • Demonstrated ability to work in multicultural settings and with diverse stakeholders.
                   • Strong organizational and project management skills.
                   • Commitment to ethical standards and data protection principles.
                   • Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks effectively.

                     Required Competencies: 

                     Values:

                     Exemplifying integrity, 
                     Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, 
                     Embracing cultural diversity, 
                     Embracing change
                      

                     Core Competencies: 

                     Achieving results,
                     Being accountable,
                     Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
                     Thinking analytically and strategically,
                     Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships.
                      

                     UNFPA Work Environment:

                     UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.
                      

                     Disclaimer:

                     Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, and other administrative requirements. 

                     UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.