Jobs and Careers

JOB DESCRIPTION : 

Armenian Caritas is looking for a candidate for the position of External Evaluator for the external evaluation of “My Right-Inclusive Education in Armenia and Kosovo’’ project funded by Austrian Development Agency and Caritas Austria. Terms of Reference and required quantities as well as the special conditions specific to this procurement are presented in the External EvaluationTerms of Reference: https://caritas.am/external-evaluation-of-the-project/?fbclid=IwAR2mbrYDSpRT7NnMG5yCd0dFCOfw6Gj8zI01q7MOpOEMKnt6Q2CaRho14DE .
The main purpose of this partner-led evaluation is geared towards learning, based on an assessment of the past performance, aiming at understanding future needs and gaps better. Inclusion is a very dynamic, widely discussed and long-term topic that is part of many ADA and Caritas projects supporting the implementation of the UN Convention of the rights of people with disabilities as well as SDG 4. The learning results of this evaluation will serve as a guidance in developing future projects and programs in the respective field. It was chosen to realize the evaluation in the first semester of the last implementing year of the project, so that the mentioned learning results will also serve for developing the follow-up actions to this project.
1.1. The main objectives of this evaluation are to provide the users of this evaluation with:
- An overall independent assessment of the past performance of the project to be evaluated (including a completed Results Assessment Form/ RAF), paying particular attention to the reasons underpinning the assessment results with the aim to learn for future activities;
- Key findings, conclusions and related recommendations to the primary and secondary users of this evaluation. The primary users of this evaluation will be the relevant services of the Austrian Development Agency as well as the implementing partners Caritas Austria, Armenian Caritas, and Caritas Kosovo; in other words, those that are involved in the implementation and the financing of the project to be evaluated.
The secondary users of this evaluation will be relevant school and state authorities as recipients of recommendations directed to them. The latter will be used for advocacy activities directed to the relevant authorities.

1.2. Indicative Evaluation Questions
The specific Evaluation Questions as formulated below are indicative. Based on the latter and following initial consultations and document analysis, the evaluation team/ evaluator will discuss them with the Evaluation Manager and propose/ justify in their Inception Report a complete and finalised set of Evaluation Questions with indication of indicators, as well as the relevant data collection sources and methods (Evaluation matrix). The evaluation matrix shall clearly show and map out how data will be collected against each evaluation question and how triangulation between different data sources and methods will be accomplished. Once agreed through the approval of the Inception Report, the Evaluation Questions will become contractually binding.

Specific Evaluation Questions
Effectiveness
a) What were the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the outcomes/ outputs? Also consider any which were possibly beyond the control of the Action. [all Results/ SO];
b) Are technical assistive devices effectively supporting the participation of girls and boys with disabilities in the classroom? [learning];
c) To what extent does the established cooperation between kindergartens and schools (smooth transition) positively influence the inclusion of girls and boys with disabilities? [Result 1 + 3];
d) To what extent have the Caritas project partners collaborated as planned and was this collaboration effective (added values of the cooperation of the Caritas partners within this project)? [Result 5].

Relevance
e) How can parents, children, and teachers be supported better in the scope of future civil society programs? [Results 1 – 3];
f) Is Personal Assistance a culturally acceptable support contributing towards more gender equity? [learning];
j) To what extent does the work with the Youth contribute to a more inclusive environment?

Sustainability
h) To what extent is the Index for Inclusion expected to be a useful tool for inclusive school development, even after the project ends? [Result 3];
i) To what extent did the specific trainings for teachers (including open classes) have a positive impact on their attitude and the quality of their work towards inclusive education and on their behaviour towards the inclusion of girls and boys with disabilities? [Result 2].

1.3. Indicative Evaluation Design and Methodological Approach
This evaluation shall follow a non-experimental design, with a focus on the change that has occurred for those affected by the project (without using a comparison between assisted and non-assisted groups). The data collection shall mainly focus on a qualitative approach, such as key informant interviews, case studies, most significant change, Focus group discussions, and document review. The analysis shall include components of the content and the contribution analysis.
The evaluation aims at assessing the project performance as a set of activities, aiming at improving the implementation of the UNCRP, with a special focus on Gender, as an important cross-cutting issue. In addition, all data collected has to be disaggregated by sex, age group, and disability.
Finally, the evaluation must follow ADC and OECD/ DAC norms and standards as well as ethical guidelines for evaluations:
ADC Evaluation Policy, Chapter III Quality Standards, Principles and Criteria: https://www.bmeia.gv.at/fileadmin/user_upload/Zentrale/Aussenpolitik/Entwicklungszusammenarbeit/Web_Evaluierungspolicy_EN.pdf .

1.4. Key evaluation phases and key outputs/ deliverables
The evaluation process will be carried out in three phases:
- Inception (Kick-off and desk research);
- Inquiry (Data collection and analysis);
- Synthesis and reporting.

After the completion of the evaluation, further work with the findings is intended. This includes the dissemination of the findings (ADA has the right to publish the executive summary and RAF on their website) and the management response to the evaluation report.
Title of the Action to be evaluated: My Right – Inclusive Education in Armenia and Kosovo;
Country/ Location : Armenia/ Shirak region; Kosovo/ Prizren region;
Budget of the project: Total project costs: € 415.000,00
- ADC Contribution: € 250.000,00
- Caritas Austria: € 165.000,00

Project/ Programme Number :
Austrian Development Agency: ADC Nr.: 8108-01/2019
Caritas Austria: PNR 1950004
Date of the Action to be evaluated 01.07.2019 to date.

See Terms of Reference for more detailed information:
https://caritas.am/external-evaluation-of-the-project/?fbclid=IwAR2mbrYDSpRT7NnMG5yCd0dFCOfw6Gj8zI01q7MOpOEMKnt6Q2CaRho14DE .

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS : 

Key qualifications should be:
- Relevant academic degree (master's level) in Social Sciences and/ or Education;
- At least 3 years of experience and expertise in the field/ sector of education, most ideally of inclusive education;
- Conducted at least 3 evaluations in the last 5 years, ideally in the relevant field;
- Knowledge of Armenia/ Kosovo with focus on topics such as (inclusive) education;
- Experience in project cycle management;
- Experience in project level evaluations;
- Familiarity with donor funded projects, preferably with ADA;
- Experience preparing and analysing a theory of change;
- Experience in social science methods;
- Excellent oral and written skills in Armenian/ Albanian and English languages;
- Sound MS Office and IT skills.
The consultant must not have been involved in the design, implementation or monitoring of this project; and respects the ethical standards and guiding principles for evaluation, including impartiality and independence.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES : 

Terms of Application:
The deadline for the submission of the application is the 31 August 2021, 12:00 CEST.
Applications should include:
- CV;
- Cover Letter: max 300 words, should explain why you think you are qualified for this post and also indicate when you can start to work;
- Technical Offer: Concept Note not exceeding 3 pages describing the approach and suggestions for the evaluation; including the number of estimated working days for each evaluation phase;
- Financial offer: Proposed budget of all-inclusive fee in AMD, including separate lines for the Consultancy fee and travel costs (e.g travel, data collection assistance, printing, etc.), as deemed necessary for the assignment.
Qualified candidates should send the requested documents to Gayane Norikyan at: g.norikyan@caritas.am and in CC to: info@caritas.am and e.haun.caritas@dibk.at . Applications that do not include all the required documents will be disqualified. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

Please clearly mention in your application letter that you learned of this job opportunity through Career Center and mention the URL of its website - www.careercenter.am, Thanks.

ADDITIONAL NOTES : 

Annexes
See ADA Guidelines for Programme and Project Evaluations under: https://www.entwicklung.at/en/ada/evaluation , including the following annexes, cited in the ToRs above:
- Quality checklist on the Inception Report (Annex 5);
- Quality Checklist on the Evaluation Report (Annex 6);
- Evaluation Matrix (Annex 7);
- Feedback Matrix (Annex 8);
- Results Assessment Form (Annex 9);
- Management Response.

ABOUT : 

1.b. Background of the project being evaluated
The action to be evaluated has the following Overall Objective (OO), Specific Objective (SO) and Results (R1-R5):
OO: Contribution to an inclusive and equitable quality education for all, in accordance with SDG 4, Art 28 and Art 23 of the UN-CRC, and Art 24 of the UN-CRPD.
SO: Increased inclusiveness in 22 educational institutions in Shirak region (Armenia) and Prizren region (Kosovo)
R1 - Individual Support for CWD (children with disabilities): 80 CWD in Armenia and 70 CWD in Kosovo have received individual support to fully enjoy their right to education [contribution to SDG 4.5.; and to EU GAP Thematic Priorities C, EU GAP II Objectives 13].
R2 - Knowlegde and Inclusive Practice: Staff of educational institutions and other stakeholders (parents, professionals) have gained knowledge on inclusive school settings and are ready to put it into practice. [contribution to SDG 4.c.].
R3 - Inclusive Cultures: Preschools and schools provided an inclusive learning environment for all children [contribution to SDG 4.a.].
R4 - Inclusive Policies: Awareness on Inclusive education and the rights of CWD is raised [contribution to SDG 4.1. and 4.2.].
R5 - Learning from Each Other: Partner organisations are strengthened through knowledge transfer and exchange of good practice.
For more information, please refer to the project documents that will be made available upon assignment. The ToR’s in hand cover the project implementation in Armenia (with a total budget of 199.218,88 €).