Evaluation Specialist (Country Programme Review Tajikistan)

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Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency leading international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO strives to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. FAO contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

To this end, FAO implements a wide portfolio of projects, programmes, and initiatives across multiple sectors, including fisheries, forestry, animal production and health, land and water, plant production and protection, inclusive rural development, food and nutrition, food systems and safety, social protection, information management systems / data systems for monitoring and decision making, and others. FAO has a growing portfolio of work in the development and humanitarian (emergency and resilience interventions) sectors. FAO conducts its work through a skilled technical workforce and internal and external partnerships.

FAO evaluates the strategic alignment, implementation, efficacy, and efficiency of its portfolio of work through its independent Office of Evaluation (OED), which is led by a Director who reports to the FAO Governing Bodies and to the Director-General. OED evaluates FAO strategies, initiatives, programmes, and projects at the global, regional, and national levels. OED seeks to generate credible and useful evidence and insights to inform decisions, support oversight, and help FAO achieve its mission. In so doing, OED provides results accountability to both member nations and the Director-General. OED also participates in system-wide evaluation initiatives, thereby contributing to assessments of development and humanitarian effectiveness by the UN system.

The Office of Evaluation (OED) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is launching a Country Programme Review (CPR) of the Tajikistan programme. This will assess progress over the Country Programme Framework (CPF) period 2022 - 2025 and inform the priorities and direction of the next CPF.

OED is seeking qualified specialists, with demonstrated evaluation experience in Tajikistan and a background in sectors related to FAO’s areas of work in this project to join the CPR team. Applications are sought for the following evaluator roles\:
• Agrifood systems and One Health specialist
Independent specialistwith expertise in public health, veterinary or food safety systems, and agrifood value chains, with demonstrated experience in applying the One Health approach, assessing antimicrobial and chemical risks in agriculture, and evaluating institutional capacities for food safety, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and behavior change among vulnerable populations. Proven knowledge of Codex standards, international sanitary/phytosanitary regulations, and multisectoral coordination frameworks is essential.
• Natural resource management and climate resiliencespecialist
Independent specialist with demonstrated expertise in sustainable land and water management, climate change adaptation, and ecosystem resilience, particularly in fragile and mountainous contexts. Must have experience evaluating national policies and institutional capacities in natural resource governance, transboundary risk reduction, and environmental conflict mitigation, with a focus on gender-responsive and community-based solutions
• Agricultural development and value chains specialist
Independent specialist with a strong background in agricultural economics, rural development, and inclusive value chain transformation, including support to smallholders, youth, and women. Must have proven experience evaluating agricultural policy frameworks, innovation systems, and public-private partnerships that promote green economy transition, decent employment, and market access in the agri-food sector

Purpose and Objectives of the evaluation\:

The main purpose of the Tajikistan CPR is to capture progress on the CPF period, capture learning from this and form conclusions and recommendations for the next CPF phase. The main objectives of the evaluation are to\:
• Evaluate progress to date across the key areas of the FAO Tajikistan programme.
• Identify good practices and learning opportunities arising from the programme.
• Identify key areas for further development and prioritisation in the coming years.

The evaluation will be conducted between September 2025 and April 2026. In-country capital city consultations and field visits to selected provinces will be carried out during the October-December 2025 period.

Candidates should not have been involved in the formulation, implementation or backstopping of FAO’s work in Tajikistan.

Reporting Lines

The evaluators will work with close guidance of the Regional Coordinator (Europe & Central Asia) and Evaluation Manager, and under the overall responsibility of the Director of the Office of Evaluation (OED).

Technical Focus

The Tajikistan CPF was designed to contribute to key areas of development within the country and outcomes focused on\:
• Strengthening Health, Food Security, and Social Systems
• Ensuring Sustainable Natural Resources Management and Climate Resilience
• Promoting Green, Inclusive, and Resilient Economic Development

Tasks and responsibilities

• Contribute to the evaluation in their areas of expertise.
• Developing and pre-testing methods including surveys, and stakeholder consultations.
• Briefing and task setting for the technical survey teams.
• Co-authoring key deliverables\: inception report, draft and final reports, presentations
• Analysis of current and (as far as possible) projected government policies and priorities on key animal infectious disease control, climate resilient agriculture and inclusion.
• Lead tool development for primary data collection.
• Lead on community level data collection and consultations. Lead on desk review of secondary data relating to the programme areas.
• Be responsible for conducting the evaluation and contributing to the development of the methodology in consultation with and under the supervision of OED.
• Participate in information sessions, debriefs, field visits and support to the writing of the final evaluation report.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements
• Bachelor degree with additional two years of level work experience in evaluation, governance, climate resilient agriculture, natural resources management, infectious animal disease control, equity and inclusion.
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the fields of specialization indicated above
• Working knowledge of English and Russian.

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

Technical/Functional Skills
• Ideally previous experience of Country Programme evaluations or reviews
• Previous experience in conducting/taking part in independent evaluations of major interventions.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, facilitation skills and interviewing skills
• Demonstrated relevant experience of working in Viet Nam and/or of conducting evaluations in the country or in similar contexts.
• Demonstrated experience in evaluation\: experience in designing and conducting surveys, evaluation interviews and focus group discussions. Knowledge of participatory evaluation techniques is strongly desired.
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Knowledge of the context in Tajikistan
• Working knowledge of Tajiki is desirable

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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