Research Analyst- IPSA 8

Job Description

The Research Analyst will provide direct support to the implementation of IEO’s evaluations and syntheses products being planned for 2024-2025. He/she will be responsible for supporting the preliminary research, data collection and analysis, working closely with IEO evaluation managers. The work of Research Analyst will be guided by IEO’s knowledge and data management strategy, as well as country programme, thematic evaluation and evaluation syntheses research and process manuals.

• Survey and gathering of UNDP corporate programme documents, results reports, country and financial data, and any other information relevant to the countries and programmes under review, as well as any externally available background material relevant to the themes, countries and programmes under review;
• Compilation of data and uploading of background material to IEO’s common document portal and systems such as ERC and AIDA.
• Initial desk reviews of material, preparation of analytical material, including infographics for use in the evaluation reports as well as for other IEO knowledge products;
• Translation and quality assessment of documents, as required;
• Support to the IEO regional presence and provision of other general research support, as required by the IEO.
• The research analyst will work as a member of the knowledge and data management section, contributing to a strong and reliable research base at the IEO, in support of efficient and effective execution of evaluation activities and high quality evaluations.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The research analyst will be supervised by the chief of section, knowledge and data management section, and will work in close collaboration with other units of IEO.

Min. Education requirements

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Social Sciences, Economics, Public Administration, Political Science, International Relations, or other relevant areas is required. OR

A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree

Up to 2 years (with master’s degree) or minimum of 2 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience in conducting research in the international development context with expertise in the use of machine learning applied to development is required.

Experience in using computer and office software packages, web-based data management systems; Microsoft Office Word, Advanced Excel, PowerPoint, TEAMS, SharePoint, MS Project, NVivo is required.

• Proven statistical experiences and knowledge of software available for quantitative analysis, including databases, spreadsheets, and statistical packages and monitoring and evaluation tools is asset.
• Experience in python and/or R for data analysis is desired.
• Prior work experience at or familiarity with the work of UNDP and/or other UN entities is desired.

Fluency in English is required.

Working knowledge of another UN language is highly preferred.

About the Organization

The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) reports to the UNDP Executive Board. The IEO is governed by the organization's Evaluation Policy and the UNDP Executive Board is the custodian of the policy. The core function of the Independent Evaluation Office is to conduct independent thematic and programmatic evaluations. The work of the Office includes:

1. Developing evaluation standards, procedures, criteria and methodological guidance for UNDP evaluations, and contributing to innovation in evaluation methodology and dissemination of good practices;
2. Conducting thematic programmatic and other independent evaluations, ensuring strategic and representative coverage of UNDP programmes and results against national, regional and global scales;
3. Providing UNDP and its development partners with timely knowledge and lessons drawn from evaluations that can feed into development programming at global, regional and country levels;
4. Assessing the quality of decentralized evaluations of UNDP, UNCDF and UNV, and monitoring compliance with best international evaluation and data collection standards, including the UNEG norms and standards, code of conduct and ethical guidelines;
5. Maintaining a searchable, publicly accessible repository of all UNDP, UNCDF and UNV evaluations, and respective management responses and resulting actions;
6. Supporting the development of communities of practice, and partnering with professional evaluation networks to improve evaluation utility and credibility;
7. Supporting the harmonization of the evaluation function in the United Nations system, including contributing to the annual work programme of UNEG, participating in system-wide evaluations, and prioritizing joint evaluations with United Nations organizations;
8. Promoting national ownership and leadership in evaluation through country-led and joint evaluations.