Evaluation Consultant at Search for Common Ground (Search)

Search for Common Ground (Search) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium, Search’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from destructive approaches towards cooperative solutions. With more than 600 staff worldwide, Search implements projects in more than 30 countries across the globe.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Evaluation Consultant

Location: Abuja, Nigeria

Purpose of the Evaluation

• To both inform and evaluate the project which has already been in implementation for eleven months, Search needs to undertake two comprehensive and cost effective external evaluations - a context analysis and project end line evaluation
• The context analysis seeks to gain a better understanding of the legal frameworks that exist regarding blasphemy and religious freedoms in Nigeria, as well as how these are being implemented
• The end line evaluation, which will be conducted at the end of the two year period, seeks to determine to what extent the project has been able to advance the protection of religious freedom and tolerance among select religious communities in Nigeria
• Key approaches and principles that will drive the design of these evaluations are the Common Ground Approach, as well as Conflict Sensitivity, and Do No Harm principles.

Context Analysis
The objectives of the context analysis are to:

• Identify what human rights protection laws and frameworks exist in the formal justice system, and to what extent these have been able to protect people accused of blasphemy and challenge violations to religious freedom;
• Identify what levels of collaboration exists among religious stakeholders, policy makers, civil society, and citizens in promoting religious freedom and interfaith tolerance at the community, as well at legislative level;
• Identify community, state, and national-level platforms, and media platforms available for conversations that challenge violent narratives and promote tolerance and positive perception of other faiths;
• Identify opportunities for program implementation, aimed at achieving the project outcomes and goals;
• Document lessons learnt from implementation so far that should be factored into future project implementation.
• Findings from this analysis will be used to inform future program planning and implementation. As such, clear and actionable recommendations are expected, in light of data collected through desk reviews and on site.

End Line Evaluation
The objectives of the evaluation are to:

• Determine how much the project has enabled lawyers and advocates know about, and effectively use human rights protection laws and frameworks in the formal justice system to protect people accused of blasphemy and challenge violations to religious freedom, as well as educate others on their rights;
• Determine how much the project has contributed to collaboration among religious stakeholders, policy makers, civil society, and citizens in promoting religious freedom and interfaith tolerance at the community, as well at legislative level;
• Determine how much the project has supported community, state, and national-level platforms, and media platforms to engage in conversations that challenge violent narratives and promote tolerance and positive perception of other faiths;
• Identify new/emerging opportunities for program design and implementation aimed at advancing the protection of religious freedom and tolerance among religious communities
• Document lessons learnt from implementation that could be factored into future project design and implementation.
• Findings from this evaluation will be used to inform future program design, planning and implementation. The reports will be shared widely with project participants and partners, and presented during Search Nigeria programs
• The reports – with sensitive details redacted – will eventually be published on Search’s website and shared with other learning networks in order to enhance contributions to religious tolerance programming and the broader field of peace-building in Nigeria, regionally, and in the world.

About the Project
ART. 38 is a 24-month project with the overall goal of advancing the protection of religious freedom and tolerance among religious communities that reduces vigilante justice tied to blasphemy and apostasy laws in Nigeria. The overall goal is supported by two specific objectives and three expected results, which will guide the ART. 38’s actions:

• Objective 1: To enable lawyers and advocates to effectively use human rights protection laws and frameworks in the formal justice system to protect people accused of blasphemy and challenge violations to religious freedom, as well as educate others on their rights;
• Result 1: Lawyers and advocates have an increased knowledge of international human rights norms and mechanisms and they effectively use them to address human rights violation in Nigeria.
• Objective 2: To mobilize religious leaders and policymakers to jointly counter violent rhetoric through positive public messages of religious pluralism and respect of human rights;
• Result 2.1: Improved and positive collaboration among religious stakeholders, policy makers, civil society, and citizens in promoting religious freedom and interfaith tolerance at the community, as well at legislative level.
• Result 2.2: Increased community, state, and national-level platforms, as well as media platforms are available for conversations that challenge violent narratives and promote tolerance and positive perception of other faiths.

The project beneficiaries are religious leaders, religious organizations such as CAN, JNI, and their women wings, leaders of youth associations, academics, policy makers, civil society, and legal practitioners across the 14 Northern states in Nigeria. While the project is implemented in these 14 states, engagements with these stakeholders are at three levels - national, zonal and state. These engagements include High Level Technical Meetings to provide guidance on religious engagements on a Zonal level and Zonal meetings with the purpose of guiding the development of Action Plans for Religious tolerance engagement activities within each state. The meetings have held in Abuja, Bauchi and Plateau and Kano states.

Methodology
The proposed methodology for each study is to be clearly stated in the technical offer, detailing why the methodologies are preferred and their relevance to the locations, beneficiaries and purpose of the studies. In addition, the technical offer should include details on logistics and roll-out of the studies: who the target respondents will be and why, how they will be identified or recruited, how data collection and data quality assurance will be carried out, as well as how data analysis will be done for each study.

The studies will target select stakeholders across three levels - national, zonal and state as listed above and as logistically feasible. For each study, a minimum of one state per zone will be selected by the consultants, with clear justification as to why these states are selected for the studies. Tools for the studies will be developed by the consultant and/ or team in collaboration with Search’s DMEL and the ART38 project staff. The inception and final reports for each study will also be developed by the consultant and/or team, and will be reviewed and approved by the Search team. The tools will be administered in the identified communities and the data analyzed by the consultant and/or team chosen to perform this research.

Deliverable
The context analysis assessment deliverables are:

• An inception report detailing the proposed method, study matrix, and work plan. It is to be approved by Search’s DMEL and ART38 project staff before starting data collection.
• Research tools (developed by the candidate and/or team with the input of Search’s DMEL staff)
• Draft report for review by Search staff and other stakeholders
• Final Report (maximum 30 pages, excluding appendices), consisting of but not exclusive to: Executive Summary, Methodology, Findings and Analysis, Conclusions, Lessons Learned and Recommendations. The report should be structured according to the analysis objectives. A template for research within Search will be provided.
• All data collected for this research including audios and transcripts for all interviews, and quantitative data entered in a template, based on the methodology used.
• Appendices, including data collection tools and list of interviewees
• A PowerPoint presentation summarizing the report’s findings

Required Profile
Education:

• Graduate Degree in Conflict Studies, Social Work or other relevant Degree is an added advantage;

Experience:

• 5 years or more of experience in evaluations and qualitative and quantitative studies with international organizations;
• Demonstrated experience in leading research in the specific context of Northern and Central Nigeria, including ability to recruit a research team locally as needed;
• Experience in evaluating programs relating to religious freedoms, legal systems, community development, peace building, and conflict resolution;

Other Relevant Requirements

• Strong analytical skills;
• Excellent written communication and report writing skills in English;
• Knowledge of languages indigenous to Northern and Central Nigeria such as Hausa will be an added advantage;
• Ability to be flexible with time and work schedule.

Logistical Support:

• SFCG will provide the following logistical support to the consultant;
• Transmission of background materials (project proposal, meeting notes, etc.);
• Access to activity reports from Search engagements, and engagements from the primary project partner
• Access to participants and key stakeholders
• Availability of meeting rooms in Abuja, as required
• All logistic costs, including of transportation and lodging will NOT be borne by Search and should be included in the proposed budget.

Time frame:

• The context analysis will take place between September and October 2019, with the final deliverables due latest October 31st, 2019
• The end line evaluation will take place between July and August 2020, with the final deliverables due latest August 30th, 2019.

Budget and Terms of Engagement:

• All production costs incurred will be covered from the consultancy fee.
• 5% withholding tax will be deducted at source from the total cost of the consultancy fee for a firm.
• 40% of the consultancy fee will be paid when initial the contract is signed, 30% will be paid upon submission of initial findings and the remaining balance of 30% will be paid on final completion and submission of satisfactorily deliverables.

The Consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:

• Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.
• Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.
• Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.
• Respect for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.

In addition, the Consultant will respect SFCG’s evaluations standards, to be found in SFCG’s evaluation guidelines: https://www.sfcg.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/SFCG-External-Evaluation-Guidelines-FINAL.pdf

Application Closing Date
20th September, 2019.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Application Instruction
The Application should hold the attachments below:

• 1 technical offer detailing the methodology, timeframe and size of the evaluation team proposed (max 4 pages);
• 1 resume of lead researcher biography of the evaluator/ evaluation team demonstrating relevant experience/ knowledge (max 5 pages);
• 1-2 examples of past large-scale research where candidate was the lead evaluator;
• 1 financial offer (Excel) detailing the costs of the budget detailing honorarium, accommodation and traveling costs, field recruitments if necessary;
• 2 references of organizations who can verify the quality of the consultant’s work.

Submitted offers will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and selection made according to the following criteria:

• Quality of the financial offer: realism of the proposed costs, adequacy between the budget and the technical offer;
• Consultant's ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative studies, knowledge of methodology and field of research;
• Consultant's ability to conduct the study on time;
• Consultant's ability to recruit local data collection teams on site; 
• Quality of reports proposed by the consultant as a sample;
• Other: the quality of the drafting of the offer will also be evaluated.

Note

• The system only has the functionality to upload two documents per application. Incomplete applications will not be accepted
• Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please.