Job Opportunity: Chief Evaluation Officer

Jobs 202402 Chief Evaluatior
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Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. Visit www.worldbank.org.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a financial mechanism that provides grant and concessional funds to recipient countries for projects and activities to protect the global environment. The governance structure of the GEF includes an Assembly, a Council, a Secretariat, a Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel and an Independent Evaluation Office. Projects financed by the GEF are managed by ten GEF Agencies. The GEFIEO is functionally independent of, but administratively supported by, the World Bank. It is independent from the CEO of the GEF and reports directly to the GEF Council. The GEF Council decides on M&E policies, discusses four year rolling work plans, approves annual budgets and receives all evaluation reports.

The GEFIEO has the central role of ensuring the independent evaluation function within the GEF; of setting minimum requirements for evaluation; of ensuring oversight of the quality of M & E systems on program and project level and of sharing evaluative evidence within the GEF. A consultative process with relevant GEF partners is in place to ensure the quality of the work undertaken and to prevent overlap and duplication. The Office has the responsibility for undertaking independent evaluations which involve a set of projects from more than one GEF Agency. These evaluations are typically on a strategic level, or on focal areas, or on cross-cutting themes. Evaluations may be highly complex when undertaken jointly with other evaluation offices of Agencies in the GEF. For more information visit GEF IEO website.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The Chief Evaluation Officer will report to the Director of the GEFIEO and his/her responsibility will be to hold key oversight, managerial, and supervisory responsibilities over the evaluation staff in the Office and will work with them to ensure the quality of evaluation methods, reports and recommendations including the integration of state of the art scientific approaches, databases and knowledge. Furthermore, he or she will work as an advisor to the Director, liaise with management from the GEF Secretariat and the GEF Agencies regarding evaluation issues and systems, and regarding strategy and policy issues stemming from evaluations. In particular, the Chief Evaluation Officer will assist in planning and implementing evaluation policies and activities as follows:

  • Act as chief advisor to the Director on the formulation of GEF corporate evaluation guidelines and methodologies;
  • Act as chief advisor to the Director on the formulation of GEF corporate evaluation guidelines and methodologies;
  • Ensure the development of aspects of M&E systems, including benchmarks and indicators;
  • Exercise quality control of the evaluations produced by the office by ensuring appropriate selection and application of concepts and methods for problem definition, data collection and analysis adhering to highest international standards;
  • Ensure that evaluation reports and recommendations presented to the GEF Council fully consider the relevant evidence generated by the various evaluation streams in the office;
  • Ensure that GEF evaluations make full use of state-of-the-art knowledge and approaches by seeking collaborations with the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the GEF, and research institutions and universities;
  • Contribute to the preparation and management of the four-year rolling work program and budget;
  • Support and advise the Director on management and on strategic and policy issues in the Office and in the relations between the Office and the other GEF actors;
  • Formulate, manage and implement the Comprehensive Evaluations of GEF in close consultation with the Director;
  • Formulate recommendations relevant to the GEF and the Implementing and Executing Agencies;
  • Ensure effective dissemination of evaluation results to the Council and a variety of stakeholders;
  • Foster and sustain productive partnerships with leading evaluations institutions, networks and regional/national professional associations.
  • Coordinate responses to any corporate requirements or demands from external parties;
  • Coach and mentor staff as required, particularly the mid-level managers to maintain a sustainable delivery capacity in the Office
  • Ensure timely comments by the GEFIEO to GEF Council documents.
  • Function as sector manager approver in eConsult for Office contracts
  • Represent the Office in the GEF Council as well as relevant international meetings and organizations; and
  • Travel, as needed, to undertake any of the above functions.

Selection Criteria

  • Minimum education: Advanced degree (master’s or doctorate) in environment, natural resources management, or other related natural or social science discipline;
  • Minimum of 12 years of relevant work experience, including in evaluation of international development and environment programs;
  • Knowledge of the GEF policies and operations;
  • Management experience in development or environmental organizations and experience working in developing countries;
  • Experience in planning, budgeting, management, and implementation of complex and multi-sectorial evaluations;
  • Excellent conceptual skills and the capacity to respond quickly, selectively and with flexibility to a wide range of issues;
  • Demonstrated leadership in the development of realistic and innovative approaches to evaluate complex strategy, policy and implementation issues;
  • Excellent analytic, writing and communication skills;
  • Mature judgment and excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills;
  • Outstanding interpersonal skills in relating with people; and,
  • Fluency in English (proficiency in other World Bank official languages is desirable).
  • Willingness to travel extensively.

Required Competencies

  1. Team Leadership - Is able to select, direct and motivate teams to deliver high quality results on time and within budget. Provides inspiration and guidance for individual members to do their best. Manages change throughout the project life cycle. Is able to resolve problems confronting the team, while staying focused and providing leadership to the team through difficult times. Is able to be both a leader for the task as well as for the people in the team. Fosters strong relationships with internal and external partners. Encourages
  2. Evaluation Approaches and Methods - Understands and uses evaluation concepts and good practices in evaluation design, methods (both qualitative and quantitative) and approaches in line with own organization’s policy, and relevant international and professional technical standards. Knows the general literature and current issues and can apply concepts, terms, and definitions used in environmental and development evaluation and social science research.
  3. Gathering and Using Evidence for Monitoring and/or Evaluation - Gathers and analyzes relevant evidence, data and information for monitoring and evaluation purposes from a range of sources; identifies relevant material, assesses its quality, spots gaps and presents information in a structured, logical and useful way.
  4. Communicating and Sharing Findings, Knowledge & Expertise in Monitoring and/or Evaluation - Raises awareness and use of monitoring and/or evaluation through effective communication in each stage of the evaluation (results measurement), promoting transparency of the evaluation methods, and to the extent possible, publicly disseminating the evaluation findings and developing targeted presentations, as set out in a dissemination plan.
  5. Upholds Evaluation Independence, Quality & Standards - Acts professionally, achieves and models high standards of integrity, independence and quality in dealing with internal and external stakeholders, applying judgment and ensuring the highest evaluation standards are upheld.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a regular or Open-Ended appointment, S/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 4 year renewable term appointment.

How to Apply

Read full description (Job # req26279).

Please note: the closing Date for this opportunity closes on March 5, 2024 at 11:59pm UTC